The duo, champions of the quest to make of Cameroon’s North West and South West Regions an independent country christened Ambazonia, are charged with acclaiming acts of terrorism, civil war, secession and hostility against the fatherland.

The former caretaker leaders of the outlawed Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium, CACSC, chose not to respect a court summons which apparently was never issued to them or never arrived. Mark Bareta and Tapang Ivo say they were not even aware of the case against them.

When the matter opened Wednesday, the presiding military judge Edou Mewoutou Armand and his assessors, Lt. Colonel Mengada Ignace, CNE Akoua Chamberline and CNE Nkenglefack Charles Forsah listened to the submissions of the state prosecutors - Onambele and CNE Tifuh.

The judge would then order that the matter be adjourned to November 6, 2019 following the failure of the state prosecutor to present proof he had serviced the accused persons. It is expected that when the matter comes up next month, the accused persons would have been served.

Mark Bareta reported on his website bareta.news that he and Tapang Ivo had not been served and were unaware of any case against them given that they are Ambazonia citizens and have nothing to do with Cameroon’s internal affairs.

Mark Bareta had earlier been invited by the cabinet of Cameroon’s Prime Minister, Head of Government to attend the ongoing Major National Dialogue at the Yaoundé Conference Center. The email sent to him had also urged him to share same with his fellow activists whose invitations were attached to the said email.

Assurances had been given by government that activists who attend the dialogue session from the diaspora would not be arrested. But given that the current trial of Bareta and Tapang dates back to September 4, 2019, it is now feared that the invitation for them to attend the Major National Dialogue may well have been a trap for them to be nabbed once they arrived Yaoundé.