This timeline gives the main dated events behind Unit 3. It is written to be neutral: it records what happened, not who was right. For the author's own interpretation of these events, see Issue 3.1. Where sources give slightly different dates or figures, the most widely cited is used.
Key names: Kamerun (German colony) · French Cameroun / La République du Cameroun (the French-administered territory and the state it became) · British Cameroons, divided into Northern and Southern Cameroons (the British-administered territory) · Cameroon (the present country) · Ambazonia (the name used by those who seek independence for the former Southern Cameroons).
Colonial rule
| Year |
Event |
| 1884 |
Germany declares a protectorate over the coast of Kamerun and expands inland over the following decades. |
| 1914–1916 |
During the First World War, British and French forces (with Belgian support) invade Kamerun; the German forces withdraw in 1916. |
| 1919–1922 |
After the war, Kamerun is divided. The League of Nations gives France a mandate over about four-fifths of the territory and Britain over about one-fifth, a strip along the Nigerian border. Britain administers its part as part of Nigeria. |
| 1946 |
After the Second World War, both parts become United Nations Trust Territories, which the UN expects to lead towards self-government or independence. |
Towards independence
| Year |
Event |
| 1948 |
The Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (UPC) is founded in French Cameroun, calling for independence and reunification of the two Cameroons. |
| 1954 |
Southern Cameroons gains its own House of Assembly and a separate regional government within Nigeria, with E.M.L. Endeley as leader. |
| 1955 |
The UPC is banned in French Cameroun after riots; an armed conflict between the UPC and French (later Cameroonian) forces begins and lasts into the early 1970s, costing many thousands of lives. |
| 1956 |
Oil is discovered in commercial quantities in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. |
| 1958 |
UPC leader Ruben Um Nyobè is killed by French forces. Ahmadou Ahidjo becomes Prime Minister of French Cameroun. |
| 1959 |
John Ngu Foncha's party wins elections in Southern Cameroons; Foncha becomes Premier. |
| 1 January 1960 |
French Cameroun becomes independent as the Republic of Cameroun; Ahmadou Ahidjo becomes president. |
| 1 October 1960 |
Nigeria becomes independent. |
| 3 November 1960 |
UPC leader Félix-Roland Moumié dies in Geneva, Switzerland, after being poisoned. |
Federation
| Year |
Event |
| 11–12 February 1961 |
UN plebiscites in the British Cameroons. Voters may choose only between joining Nigeria and joining the Republic of Cameroun. Northern Cameroons votes to join Nigeria; Southern Cameroons votes (about 70%) to join Cameroun. |
| 1 June 1961 |
Northern Cameroons becomes part of Nigeria. |
| 17–21 July 1961 |
At the Foumban Conference, delegations from Southern Cameroons and the Republic of Cameroun discuss a federal constitution. |
| 1 October 1961 |
The Federal Republic of Cameroon is created, with two states: East Cameroon (French-speaking) and West Cameroon (English-speaking). |
| 1966 |
The ruling parties merge into a single party, the Cameroon National Union (CNU); Cameroon becomes a one-party state. |
| 1967–1970 |
Civil war in Nigeria, as the south-eastern region tries to secede as Biafra. |
| 1971 |
The last major UPC leader in Cameroon, Ernest Ouandié, is executed; the armed UPC rebellion ends. |
Unitary state
| Year |
Event |
| 20 May 1972 |
A national referendum approves replacing the federation with a unitary state, the United Republic of Cameroon. 20 May becomes the national day. |
| late 1970s |
Cameroon begins producing oil offshore, near the Nigerian border. |
| 1982 |
President Ahidjo resigns; Prime Minister Paul Biya becomes president. |
| 1984 |
The country's name is changed to the Republic of Cameroon. A coup attempt against President Biya fails. |
| 1985 |
The CNU is renamed the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM). Fon Gorji Dinka, a lawyer and traditional ruler, is arrested after calling for the restoration of Southern Cameroons. |
| 1990 |
Multiparty politics is legalized. The Social Democratic Front (SDF), led by John Fru Ndi, is launched in Bamenda; several people are killed at the launch. |
| 1992 |
First multiparty presidential election; President Biya is declared the winner over Fru Ndi, a result the opposition disputes. |
| 1993–1994 |
Two All Anglophone Conferences (Buea 1993, Bamenda 1994) call for a return to a federal system. |
| 1995 |
The Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC) petitions the United Nations. Cameroon joins the Commonwealth. |
| 1996 |
A new constitution provides for regions and decentralization. |
| 2002 |
The International Court of Justice rules that the Bakassi peninsula belongs to Cameroon, not Nigeria. |
| 2008 |
Nigeria completes the handover of Bakassi to Cameroon. A constitutional amendment removes presidential term limits. |
The Anglophone crisis
| Year |
Event |
| October–November 2016 |
Lawyers in the English-speaking regions strike against the use of French and civil-law judges in common-law courts; teachers strike against French-speaking staff in English schools. Protests spread and are met with force. |
| 2017 |
The internet is cut in the two English-speaking regions for about three months. The government creates a National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism. On 1 October, separatist leaders symbolically declare the independence of "Ambazonia"; violence escalates into armed conflict between separatist groups and government forces. |
| 2018 |
Separatist leaders, including Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe, are arrested in Nigeria and handed over to Cameroon. President Biya is re-elected. |
| 2019 |
Ayuk Tabe and others are sentenced to life imprisonment by a military court. The government holds a Major National Dialogue and grants the two English-speaking regions a "special status". |
| 2020 |
Civilians are killed at Ngarbuh (February) and school students at Kumba (October), among many attacks on civilians reported in the conflict. |
UN agencies and human-rights organizations have reported that the conflict has caused thousands of deaths and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Human-rights groups have documented abuses by both government forces and armed separatist groups.
Using this timeline
- Before Unit 3: read the timeline and mark the three events you think were most important. Compare with a partner.
- With Issue 3.1: compare this timeline with the author's. Which events does the author include or leave out, and why?
- Research: choose one event and find two sources that describe it differently. What explains the difference?
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