Almost the entire economy of the English-speaking part of the country has been badly affected. This is in total contradiction to our expectations; instead of a draft confederal constitution, we are being requested to make observations on a draft highly centralised constitution with unlimited powers; members of the CPNC delegation can now understand what Foncha meant when he said in the Akwa meeting hall in Douala on 13 July 1961: the goals of the struggle have been completely achieved. From the forefront institutions and key players, several faces stand out. He has been repeatedly sentenced and jailed for damaging statues that, in his view, contradict all that independence stands for. So the Mandate given to France was applied on its original portion of German Kamerun, that is, the current territory of La Republique du Cameroun since 1916. 2. Lack of democracy in the domain of elections; The Southern Cameroons was given an international status in 1922 as a League of Nations Mandated Territory under British Administration. was formed on 24 October 1945 at San Francisco to replace the League of Nations. 1960 - French Cameroon granted independence and becomes the Republic of Cameroon with Ahidjo as president. France is a very important partner in the Cameroonian economy, with more than 300 companies creating thousands of jobs in Cameroon," he told DW. In 2016 he spent six months in prison for destroying a monument to French colonial general Leclerc. Decades after independence, Cameroon, once divided between the British and the French during the colonial period, continues to experience sustained conflicts between its Francophone and Anglophone citizens. Abstract. It was immediately attached to the former French Cameroon, while the British northern part was annexed to Nigeria. Expert Answers: French Cameroon achieved independence on January 1, 1960 as La Rpublique du Cameroun. Today, the Englishman is rebelling," said Nfor. The Southern Cameroonians right to self-determination was thwarted by British imperial arrogance. Earlier he had been sentenced to three months for knocking over the statue of the Unknown Soldier, because it was represented by a white western man. Bitter protests erupted from all round: the protesting Southern Cameroons delegation demanded that they should be given three more weeks to study the draft. ): $53.16 billion; per capita $2,400. There could not be elections by universal suffrage because there was an insurrection ravaging the country. In March 1959, French Cameroon's legislative assembly held a heated debate on the country's independence. FILE - People gather at the Congress Palace during the opening session of the National Dialogue called by President Paul Biya, in Yaounde, Cameroon, Sept. 30, 2019. ( c/f: London Cameroons Boundaries Commission State Treaties Series No. It became commonplace in Douala.". This is blatant dubious contradiction! Some will argue that Anglophone Cameroon has been "assimilated" into French Cameroon. La Republique du Cameroun has been brandishing its de facto bilingual condominium at home but at the same time brandishing itself as a monolingual francophone unitary state at the international level. The English-speaking, or Anglophone, West Cameroon was annexed in a united republic, and in 1984 the word "united" was scrapped. So one wonders why La Republique du Cameroun calls the Southern Cameroons a province of its territory. In August, he was given a life sentence by a military tribunal in Yaounde that found him guilty of crimes including secession and hostilities against the state. As the Anglophones were given only three days to study the constitution that sealed their fate . On 1st September 1961, the amended constitution was promulgated as the federal constitution of the Federal Republic of Cameroon. Biyas 35-year rule (preceded by nearly 20 years working in the office of the president) has been marked by allegations of corruption, cronyism and restrictions of civil liberties and human rights. Let us listen to Emmanuel Njoya, now 92 years old, who was the sous-prefet of Foumban in 1961; hear him: I became an administrative authority in 1955 as assistant DO of Foumban; from 1959 to 1963, I was the sous-prefet of the same town. If it is accepted, it can be debated on its legal implications. They urged Ahidjo to allow the country to be divided in two before the referendum. In fact, soon after that meeting, Yaounde (Ahidjo) sent strict instructions to the administrative authorities in the Bamoun country about the big projected event. The amended constitution could in no way become a Treaty of Union in international law as prescribed by UNGAR 1608 (XV) of 21 April 1961. Dobell was later accused by the British of rebellion and insubordination and sent on punitive transfer to Rawalpindi in India (Rawalpindi is today in Pakistan). But withGlassnok and perestroikabrought by Mikail Gorbatchov, the latter states regained their lost independence through the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO) and the UN. Cameroon map. In 1984, the young President of the Republic, Paul Biya, decided by decree to rename the country the Republic of Cameroon. Ahidjo had only one opponent, Abel Eyinga, who was not residing in Cameroun but in Algeria as a lecturer in the Faculty of Law in Algiers and France. Arouna Njoya(, Minister of interior, had been come ahead of the delegation to supervise the preparations for the conference. French-administered Cameroon gained independence in 1960. In 1960 French Cameroons gained its independence from France under President Ahmadou Ahidjo, becoming the Republic of Cameroon. "I think Cameroon should consider [a] federal state with the Anglophones on one part and French speakers on the other. When France banned the UPC in 1955, a rebellion claiming thousands of lives led to Cameroon gaining full independence as the Republic of Cameroon on January 1, 1960. This Treaty of Union could legally validate the YES vote retroactively. The terrain stretches across two mainly French-speaking regions in Cameroon which have, according to rebels, marginalized and discriminated against the English-speaking minority. * Resolution 338 XI banning public corporal punishment within the territory: from this resolution, the popular 25 lashes were henceforth given as punishment inside a house, no more in the public view. Of course, its not just Cameroons anglophone minority that has suffered at the hands of its despotic leader, Paul Biya. On 1st September 1961, the amended constitution was promulgated as the federal constitution of the Federal Republic of Cameroon. Do Anglophone Cameroonians want to tell me that if our ancestors had chosen the other option and voted to join Nigeria this date would have been abolished in the entire Federal Republic of Nigeria? Cameroon has had only two presidents since independence and while opposition parties were legalized in 1990 only one party has ever governed. v. Dictatorship; The Draft Resolution was proposed by India (IYA JAIPAL and Chrishna MENON) Resolution 1608 XV of 21 April 1961 on the independence and union with La Republique du Cameroun. Five weeks later, precisely between 11 and 13 APRIL 1961, Ahidjo received in his palace, one after another, Njoya Arouna, and the nephew of the latter, Sultan Seidou Njoya of Foumban since then, these three personalities, even before all of them died, people have always been tight lipped about the agenda of their meeting; but one may guess that the guidelines of the proposed constitutional conference were discussed during the underground meetings of the trio Ahidjo Seidou Arouna. Illustration of season, patriotic, country - 113098572 In 1960, the French-administered part of Cameroon became independent, as the Republic of Cameroun, under President Ahmadou Ahidjo. Secret ballot. In 1919 Britain, France and Germany signed the Versailles Peace Treaty at LE PALAIS DES GALERIES DES GLACES (Versailles France) on 28 July 1919. After Guinea, it was the second of France's colonies in Sub-Saharan. South Cameroon becomes part of the Republic, "We were very happy to see our English-speaking brothers return. The Independence of La Republique du Cameroun du premier Janvier 1960. A second shock awaited the Southern Cameroons delegation: Ahidjo, in a rather dictatorial manner, brushed aside all the demands tabled by the Southern Cameroons delegation. (He wanted the territory to achieve independence, then become a confederation of two states. The echoes of these killings rapidly spread across the Mungo and seriously worried a large number of unification advocates there. The international legal situation in the Southern Cameroons on 1st October 1961 was that, without a Treaty of Union, the Southern Cameroons smoothly moved backwards from the status of a UN Trust Territory it had from 12 December 1946 till 1st October 1961, to the status of a UN Territory the Southern Cameroons had on 11 December 1946. Cameroon Independence Day January 1, 2021 | Recurring Event (See all) January 1 is a very important holiday for the Republic of Cameroon because this day marks gaining independence from France. The cardinal legal principle, tantum appelatum, quantum revelatum, meaning that the judge of the Appeal Court cannot have the right in a civil matter to grant more than it was requested by the Magistrate Court. Many battles [], WHAT IS THE DUTY OF THE MILITARY? Non-accommodation of Anglo-French bilingualism on the grounds of the French Cameroon formally achieved its independence from France on January 1, 1960. (2022 est.) "Cameroon is ruled by laws and regulations and we are going to take our responsibility to secure the villages and while waiting, I am asking the population of the Northwest region to remobilize themselves [against those who want separation].". Germanys colonies were redivided after the first world war, not the second, as was originally stated. The tense atmosphere of unhappiness and protests caused one journalist to write: political observers are wondering if it is really here in Foumban in this rowdy atmosphere that the guidelines of a federal constitution are going to be effectively drawn. Thrse Sita Bella and Jean Pierre Dikongu Pipa were the first Cameroonian movie producers. Following independence, Prime Minister Ahmadou Ahidjo requested French military assistance to combat the UPC rebellion. Going home over the Christmas holidays three years ago, we were constantly reminded to carry our ID cards. "We are celebrating our independence," said Godlove Azeng, 31, "and at the same time asking the president of Cameroon, Paul Biya, to remove his military from our territory and asking him to free our leader [Julius] Ayuk Tabe who is jailed in his country.". Lastly, the independence date of Nigeria is October 1, 1960. Thus, the United States of America was formed as a country. It was an imperialistic decision that has so far cost hundreds of lives, and seen many others detained in squalid conditions. Cameroon should ask all French citizens working in its central bank to leave the country. According to eye-witnesses at the time, Foumban was an island of peace in a environment where terror reigned in the midst of an armed rebellion. It was made up of John Ngu Foncha, Emmanuel Liffaffe Endeley, Augustine Ngom Jua, Solomon Tandeng Muna, Nerius Namasso Mbile, John Bokwe, Bernard Fonlon; ten KNDP members, five CPNC members and two Ok members, and traditional rulers. According to the Law on Treaties (that is their legal system), the draft constitution must be approved by both parliaments of La Republique du Cameroun and the Southern Cameroons by a Vote of Acceptance after first and second readings to the House by the Speaker; readings during which probable questions on the sensitive points would be asked and answered as well as the psychological, semantics and syntaxes in the draft. Tabe and his companions were reportedly committing no crime, at least not one that has yet been disclosed. On 4 March 1960, the constitution as approved by the referendum was promulgated. Copyright 2020 Cameroon Postline. The Foumban Conference: How it took place (c/f la Duperie du Foumban). Thousands were displaced. The brutal conflict unfolded in Cameroon, which on January 1 marks its 60th anniversary of independence the first of 17 African countries that became free from their colonial masters in 1960. Section 4 - The international legal existence of the Southern Cameroons from its annexation on 1st October 1961 to the expected independence. Cameroon after World War II. "I remember that there was a big military parade outside our house." i. Marginalization (political, economic, social, cultural, and linguistic); ii. the Administering Authority should take steps to separate the Administration of the Southern Cameroons from that of Nigeria not later than 1st October 1960. Bad governance; Deben Tchoffo, governor of the English-speaking Northwest region, says government troops are deployed to protect citizens and Cameroon's territorial integrity. PAGESWHO WE AREOUR IMPACTOUR FLAGOUR OBJECTIVE, The struggle for the independence of Southern Cameroon is far from over. La Republique du Cameroun cannot legally claim the territory of the Southern Cameroons; La Republique du Cameroun has been claiming it as part of German Kamerun. La Republique du Cameroun has been arguing verbally and very emotionally on a non existing condominium. But the Southern Cameroons plebiscite was not a de jure confirmation of the two questions put at the plebiscite. Please lets approach this issue like adults and not like children. They should have obtained independence through a referendum organized by the United Nations, as happened in the Anglophone part of the country.". In addition, there were two beautiful girls who were assigned to permanently take care of him. The brutal conflict unfolded in Cameroon, which on January 1 marked its 60th anniversary of independence -- the first of 17 African countries that became free from their colonial masters in. Resolution 1352 XIV of 16 October 1959 organizing the plebiscite in both Northern and Southern British Cameroons. There two kinds of federation: aggregative and segregative. As someone who has benefited from growing up bilingual and who, as many others do, feels secession fatigue after the implosion of South Sudan, and the failed attempts at independence in Scotland and Catalonia, I have doubts about what course of action is best, but never about southern Cameroonians right to self-determination. The Illegitimate and Illegal claim of Sovereignty over the Territory of the Southern Cameroons by La Republique du Cameroun on the grounds that the German colony of Kamerun ( Camereroes) became a German colony in 1884 by a Treaty signed between the German Consul GUSTAV NAGHTIGAL and the Kings of Douala. First of all, let me take the case of the United States of America, the leading democracy in the world. The Republic of Cameroon and South Cameroon became federal states. It must be noted that the Southern Cameroons is a particular UN Territory as it had been annexed by La Republique du Cameroun and France through an orthodox independence-by-joining that the UN granted the Southern Cameroons in 1961. FILE - An image taken from a video shot Oct. 1, 2017, shows protesters waving Ambazonian flags in Bamenda, Cameroon. A portion of Tchad and a portion of Congo were joined to the German colony. signed Trusteeship Agreements with each Administering Authority for the former Mandated Territories. The Territory did achieve independence on 1st January 1960. Introductions on preparations for the Conference. What is important is its international legal status. Germany accepted Frances offer first by a treaty on 4 November 1911. While we diligently research and update our holiday dates, some of the information in the table above may be preliminary. 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