|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Claim: A Facebook page, News Analysis, shared a video claiming that America’s president, Donald Trump, has revealed the country’s support for the independence of Biafra and Ambazonia, the separatist groups in Nigeria and Cameroon, respectively.
Verdict: FALSE. The recorded audio from Trump’s 2017 United Nations General Assembly speech was used to drive this narrative. Nowhere in the speech did Trump mention support for Biafra or Ambazonia.
Full Text
Since Donald Trump’s second term began in 2025, his foreign policies have focused on reshaping the global order to align with U.S. economic and strategic goals, often challenging post-World War II frameworks. Notable examples include his efforts to mediate the Russo-Ukrainian conflict with a peace plan rooted in pragmatic territorial compromises and his insistence on NATO allies meeting defence spending targets.
Trump has also scaled back soft-power initiatives like USAID, emphasising profit-driven international relations over humanitarian or developmental aid.
Meanwhile, separatist movements such as Ambazonia in Cameroon and Biafra in Nigeria are grappling with severe leadership crises that undermine their struggle for independence. In Ambazonia, internal divisions have stalled diplomatic efforts, with factions disagreeing on strategies and alliances. The extradition and imprisonment of key leaders like Sisiku Tabe have further complicated negotiations. At the same time, rival groups such as the Interim Government (IG) and the Ambazonia Governing Council (AGovC) clash over control of the movement.
Similarly, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) face internal discord, particularly amidst Nnamdi Kanu and Simon Ekpa’s incarceration. These disputes have fractured IPOB’s unity, weakening its ability to sustain momentum for independence amid ongoing government crackdowns.
Amidst all these, a Facebook user, News Analysis, posted a 16-minute 55-second video with a voiceover that claimed Mr Trump would interfere in the independence of the Ambazonian and Biafran separatists’ clamour. It also claimed that the Cameroonian government had called the Ambazonians for a roundtable discussion, but the group requested the release of the AGovC leader, Lucas Cho Ayaba.
Since the post was shared on March 10, 2025, it has gained 100 reactions and 10 comments with over 3,600 views as of Apr. 5, 2025.
The claim’s potential implication to strengthen the separatists’ resolve prompted DUBAWA to fact-check the information.
Verification
We conducted an advanced keyword search and found no credible media organisation that reported the Cameroonian government calling for a roundtable discussion with the Ambazonian separatists. The government organized a Major National Dialogue in 2019, but key leaders of the agitations criticised the efforts for excluding them and neglecting fundamental demands.
DUBAWA analysed the alleged statement attributed to Trump and discovered that the speech addressed the United Nations, where he emphasised the importance of strong, sovereign nations working together based on mutual respect to promote global security, prosperity, and peace. He also mentioned that nations should embrace their unique cultures and systems while respecting the rights of their people and other sovereign states, fostering cooperation and allowing individuals to thrive.
When we ran a keyword search on the extracted speech, we discovered it was culled from the American president’s statement to the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 19, 2017, during his first term. Trump made the exact statement between 5:30 and 7:30 in the speech, which lasted for 41 minutes and 48 seconds.
Further analysis of the speech revealed no connection to the separatists’ agenda, contradicting the claim.
Conclusion
The speech attributed to Mr Trump was from 2017 and unrelated to the separatist movement. Also, there is no credible evidence that the Cameroonian government called for a dialogue with the Ambazonians, where Cho Ayaba’s freedom was a prerequisite. Therefore, the claim in the video is false.
