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INDEPENDENCE 1940

The aftermath of the Second World War placed Cameroon under the supervision of the United Nations, which deputized the administration to France and England.

The adoption of the Constitutions of 1946 and 1958 by France allowed local people to participate in the management of the country, local assemblies were then created. First, the Representative Assembly of Cameroon (RACAM) in 1946, which became the Territorial Assembly of Cameroon (TACAM) in 1952 and finally, in 1956, France granted internal autonomy to French Cameroon making it the Legislative Assembly of Cameroon (LACAM).

Apart from the adoption, the elected Cameroonians were sent to France to represent their country at the French National Assembly, the Assembly of the French Union and the Economic Council. This is also the beginning of the indigenous unions.

During the inter-war years, the issue of independence proposal was once again posed by the UPC (Union des Populations Camerounaises – United Populations of Cameroon) formed in April 10, 1948 in Douala. Elected Secretary General of the UPC in November 1948; Ruben Um Nyobe became the figurehead of the movement. Although the colonial authorities publicly described the UPC ascommunist’, the French police were obliged to observe secret reports that Um Nyobe was a man of exception.

The petition toward the independence of Cameroon was rejected by the French authorities and by the officials in the country. Following the Conference of Brazaville, they created Association of Settlers of Cameroon (ASCAM) on 15th April, 1945 in order to defend their interests and to prevent social progress controlled by unions. Violent battles took place between the more radical members of the colonists and the natives in September 1945. According to records found by the authors of “Kamerun’’, many Cameroonians were shot in the back with shotguns on this occasion.

Having managed to take over the “settlers fight’’, the colonial administration favored the creation of political parties opposed to the UPC like ESOCAM (Evolution Sociale du Cameroun), the INDECAM (Coordination des Independants Camerounais) etc. Favored by electoral fraud, these “administrative parties’’ prevented the UPC from having the majority in the territorial assembly. It would take a book to complete the identification of forces that collaborate with the power to fight our organization will comment on Um Nyobe in 1954.

Historical leaders of the Union of the Populations of Cameroon

 

1950

In May 1955, violent demonstrations led many Cameroonian to their death. The UPC was then accused of having organized the war and the French government in the Council of Ministers decided to ban the UPC and its branches making UPC then go under siege.

Shortly after the Gaston Defferre law was created, a state guardianship (Cameroon autonomous government), Andre Marie Mbida was appointed Head of State and Prime Minister of this government. Pierre Messmer, High Commissioner of Cameroon (representing the French government) sought a compromise with Ruben Um Nyobe, a UPC leader to stop their violence. This approach was rejected by the leader of UPC and violence aggravated from bad to worst.

This refusal of dialogue led to the French government to find a way to independence without the UPC. Andre Marie Mbida didn’t agree with that and resigned in 1958. Ahmadou Ahidjo was then appointed Prime Minister. Ruben Um Nyobe was killed by the French Army during a battle in the “Maquis Bassa” September 13 of 1958.The leaders of UPC then fled to abroad.

On January 1st of 1960, Ahmadou Ahidjo finally declared: “Fellow Cameroonians, Cameroon is free and independent’’. By then Cameroon was provided with a constitution issued for the purpose of pluralist multi-party system.

According to historian Bernard Droz, the events from the period 1955 to 1959 led to the death of tens thousands, resulting from the colonial and military repression infighting at the UPC. Historian Marc Michel who had studied the specific question of the independence of Cameroon, said that most of the fighting took place after independence. He believed that “most likely, the war had left ten thousand’s dead, mainly victims of civil war after independence.

 

Cameroon under British Administration

The aftermath of the Second World War placed Cameroon under British administration and saw the emergence of segregation and reunification movements.

In May 1949, Dr Emmanuel Endeley created Cameroons National Federation (CNF) which is fighting for the independence and the separation of British Cameroon from Nigerian federation.

CNF dissidents founded the Kamerun United National Congress (KUNC) judging CNF as too cautious on the subject of the claim. KUNC’s proposal is simple; the restoration of the “big Kamerun’’ the time of the German colonial empire. At the same period the UPC was also re-established in southern British Cameroon.

In 1953 CNF and KNUC merged to find the Kamerun National Congress (KNC) who will win in the 1953 elections. These autonomous or independent political parties were headed by the British authorities who modified the institutions after the “Mamfe conference” in 1950 and the Lancaster House conference in 1959 under the auspices of the UN.

In 1954, the British Cameroon adopts its own administration and established his capital in Buea in the southwest region of Cameroon.

In 1958 Dr. Endeley became the Prime Minister of the British Cameroon “self-government’’.

In 1959 John Ngu Foncha became Prime Minister of British Cameroon.

To permanently resolve the problem of independence and reunification, British authorities consulted the people in a referendum. The consultation took place on February 11th of 1961 and the option for independence with reunification of both Cameroons prevailed in the Southern Cameroons, while Northern Cameroon was suggesting its integration into the Nigerian federation.

The independent French Cameroon complained of fraud and asserted that the Northern Cameroons should also be attached to it.

The French Cameroon gained independence on 1st January 1960 and became the Republic of Cameroon, immediately recognized by the United States of America and the Soviet Union. The elections in the territory under French rule were marred by ethnic riots including Bamileke ethnic group. Different ethnic groups were fighting for their independence.

During June 1961 in Bamenda, and July 1961 in Fumban and finally in August 1961 in Yaounde, representatives of the former French Cameroon and Southern Cameroons met to adjust the details relating to the reunification.

The British Colony was then divided into two after a self-determination referendum. Northern region mainly Muslims chose to integrate Nigeria, while southern mostly Christian chose to join the Republic of Cameroon.

On 1st June 1961, the Northern Cameroons became independent and joined Nigeria.

On 1st October 1961, the Southern Cameroons also became independent and was immediately reunited with former French Cameroon. They then formed the Federal Republic of Cameroon. John Ngu Foncha became Prime Minister of West Cameroon and Vice President of the Federal Republic of Cameroon.