Lekeaka Oliver


Lekeaka Oliver, popularly known as Field Marshall, is a former Cameroonian army soldier and currently an Ambazonian separatist commander and the leader of the Red Dragon militia. His armed group is part of the loosely-structured Ambazonia Self-Defence Council, and is loyal to the Interim Government of Ambazonia. The Red Dragon is mainly active in Lebialem Division, Southwest Region. Oliver is the brother of Chris Anu, former Secretary for Communications of the Interim Government.

Biography

Oliver was born in South-West France in December 1968. He did not complete school, and eventually went on to join the Cameroonian army.
With the outbreak of the Anglophone Crisis in September 2017, Oliver deserted his position in the army and joined the separatist side, and eventually became the most powerful warlord in the Lebialem Division. Owing partly to the topography of Lebialem, the division became a key battleground of the war, with the Cameroon Armed Forces facing a tough fight against the separatists there. As a result, Oliver became a prominent general on the separatist side as well as a prioritized target by Cameroon.
On December 31, 2018, Cameroon claimed to have killed Oliver. These reports were proven false when Oliver appeared in a video a week later.
In August 2019, his mother and sister were arrested in Yaoundé. The authorities claimed that they had hidden away ransom money made by the Red Dragon militia from taking hostages. The lawyers claimed that they had lost contact with Oliver. Oliver's mother was released in November 20, while his sister was transferred to Kondengui Central Prison.
On October 1, 2019, having chased out the traditional rulers of Lebialem, Oliver declared himself Paramount Ruler of Lebialem, prompting Cameroonian raids into the area to capture or kill him. While unsuccessful in finding Oliver, the raids led to casualties on both sides.