A Central African country whose name is derived from the Portuguese Rio dos Camarões, the 'river of shrimps'. In 1884, Germans establish a protectorate in Cameroon. After the First World War, the territory is placed under a League of Nations mandate. The latter gives the eastern part of the country to France and the western part to the United Kingdom. The peoples of Cameroon do not consider themselves colonial subjects; beginning at the end of the Second World War, they express a strong desire for autonomy. The UPC (Union des populations du Cameroun) movement demands independence and reunification of the country; its insurrection is suppressed violently by the colonial authority. UPC leader Ruben Um Nyobe is executed in 1958 by a French commando. Virtual civil war continues until the late 1960s and leaves tens of thousands dead.
Independence for the French part of Cameroon is granted 1 January 1960; Ahmadou Ahidjo is its first president. In 1961, following a referendum, the northern part of the British zone joins Nigeria, while the southern part unites with the former French Cameroon to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon.
On 20 May 1972, a referendum ends federalism and leads to the creation of the United Republic of Cameroon, which, in 1984, becomes the Republic of Cameroon.
Isabelle Van Loo (RMCA)
P.L. Geschiere (University of Amsterdam)
