Peaceful protests began with marches in the cities of Bamenda, Buea, and Limbe calling for the protection of the common law system in Anglophone Cameroon.

Unconfirmed videos released over social media depicted a variety of violent scenes, including demonstrators "parading the dead body of an activist, barricades set ablaze, [and] police brutally beating protesters and firing tear gas against the crowds".

[16]In response, the government of Cameroon created an ad hoc committee to dialogue with members of the CACSC led by Tassang Wilfred in Bamenda from the Consortium and minister Jacques Fame Ndongo in January 2017.

[17][18] More than 13,000 Anglophone Cameroonians residing in Maryland began to protest and called for international bodies to help stop the arrests and marginalization in Cameroon.

[20] Around January 17, 2017, reports emerged that an Internet blockade had been implemented in major cities of the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon; many suspected it was a government ploy to disorganize and stamp out the Anglophone protests.

[21] On Friday, September 22, 2017, thousands of protesters came to the street demanding full independence across villages, towns, and cities in Southern Cameroons.

In Buea, the capital of Southern Cameroons, freedom fighters took down a national flag outside a police station while officers looked on and hoisted the blue and white striped flag of Ambazonia (Southern Cameroons), while young boys painted their faces blue and white to represent the territory and chanted "We want freedom".

On Friday, President Paul Biya, who had been in power for 35 years, was addressing the UN General Assembly in New York, and thousands of Anglophone protesters rallied for independence at the UN headquarters, led by Ayaba Cho Lucas, Sisiku Tabe Ayuk, Barrister Bobga Harmony, and others.

Peaceful marches took place on the streets of the English-speaking regions; the protests occurred in several towns : Buea, Bamenda, Kumba, Kumbo, and Mamfe.