Trouble in the Armpit of Africa – Cameroons Puzzle? A little history (so we don't repeat the mistakes)

A little history (so we don't repeat the mistakes).

Scramble for and partition of Africa

1884 – Kamerun becomes a German colony.

1907 – Alliances form, ready for…

World War I

1914 – WWI begins: [Britain, France, Russia…] vs [Germany, Austria, Turkey, Bulgaria…].

1918 – WWI ends. Germany loses; the Allies (Britain, France…) win. A League of Nations mandate assigns about 80% of Kamerun to France [French Cameroun] and 20% to Britain [British Cameroons].

Now to business… OIL!

1937 – Shell D'Arcy starts business in Nigeria. Shell (Royal Dutch Shell plc) is an Anglo-Dutch multinational oil and gas company, headquartered in the Netherlands and incorporated in the UK. Note the connection between Shell (Anglo-Dutch) and Nigeria (a British colony).

World War II

1939 – WWII begins (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945).

1945 – WWII ends. The United Nations is established. The United States, the Soviet Union, China, the United Kingdom and France become the permanent members of the UN Security Council.

UPC: the first political party in French Cameroun

1948 – In French Cameroun (remember? a French territory since 1918), a political party called the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (UPC) is formed. It leads the fight for independence, becomes radical, and is outlawed by the French for resorting to violence.

Southern British Cameroons in the Eastern Nigeria House of Assembly

1950 – After the Ibadan General Conference of 1950, a new constitution for Nigeria devolves more power to the regions. In the following election, thirteen Southern British Cameroons representatives are elected to the Eastern Nigeria House of Assembly in Enugu. Note: the 13 Southern British Cameroons divisions were fully represented (as in REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT, not the nonsense we have in the Cameroons today).

Divisions: Boyo, Bui, Donga-Mantung, Fako, Kupe, Lebialem, Manyu, Meme, Menchum, Mezam, Momo, Ndian, Ngoketunjia.

"Benevolent neutrality"

1953 – Unhappy with the domineering attitude of Nigerian politicians and the lack of unity among the ethnic groups of the Eastern Region, the Southern Cameroons representatives declare "benevolent neutrality" and withdraw from the assembly. At a conference in London (30 July – 22 August 1953), the Southern Cameroons delegation asks for a separate region of its own. The British agree, and Southern British Cameroons becomes an autonomous region with its capital at Buea.

First elections and our own parliament

1954 – Elections are held in Southern British Cameroons, and the parliament meets on 1 October 1954, with E.M.L. Endeley as Premier.

Oil is discovered in the Niger Delta: game-changing

1956 – Oloibiri Well #1 is drilled in June 1956 to a depth of 12,000 feet. Oil is discovered by Shell in Oloibiri, in the Niger Delta.

1958 – Oil exports begin.

KEEP THIS IN MIND AS YOU READ.

Southern British Cameroons elects its second Premier, J.N. Foncha

1959 – As Cameroun and Nigeria prepare for independence, Southern British Cameroons nationalists debate whether their best interests lie in union with Cameroun, union with Nigeria, or total independence. On 1 February, Endeley is defeated in elections by John Ngu Foncha.

French Cameroun and Nigeria become independent

1960 – 1 January: French Cameroun becomes independent.

1960 – 1 October: Nigeria gains independence from Britain.

1960 – 3 November: Félix-Roland Moumié, the UPC leader, dies in Geneva, Switzerland, poisoned a few weeks earlier. Assassinated, even in exile! Remember that.

The big question

French Cameroun is independent, and Nigeria is independent. What is the status of the British Cameroons? Talk, talk, talk…

1961 – 11 February: the UN plebiscite. The ballot offers two choices only: independence by joining Nigeria, or independence by joining Cameroun. Total independence is NOT on the ballot. Northern British Cameroons votes to join Nigeria; Southern British Cameroons votes to join Cameroun.

1961 – 1 June: the mostly Muslim Northern British Cameroons formally becomes part of Nigeria.

Foumban: Southern British Cameroons meets French Cameroun

1961 – 17–21 July: the Foumban Constitutional Conference. The plebiscite has already decided "independence by joining"; Foumban is supposed to settle the terms of the joining. Instead, Southern British Cameroons is bamboozled by Ahidjo, the French Cameroun leader, and his team of French lawyers. The Southern British Cameroons representatives, led by John Ngu Foncha (Premier since 1959), are literally run over. The terms are a done deal before anyone sits down.

1961 – 1 October: the mostly Christian Southern British Cameroons gains independence from Britain… by joining…

But hold on! Independence "by joining" a country in a CIVIL WAR?

Here is where things start to get interesting for the citizens of Southern [British] Cameroons. Southern [British] Cameroons gained independence by joining [French] Cameroun, which at the time had an ongoing civil war between the French Cameroun government and members of the UPC, formed in 1948.

A lot of people died in French Cameroun during what is sometimes referred to as a genocide. The French, and the French Cameroun government led by Ahmadou Ahidjo, did some really bad and despicable things to the citizens of French Cameroun, especially UPC members, forcing their leaders either to flee or to be summarily killed, even in exile!

So why? Why all the killing? That is the question. What would really move a human's muscles to twitch and consciously harm another? There must be a reason. Let's find out.

The root cause of the current dysfunction in the Cameroons

Here we are trying to put a finger on the root cause of the dysfunction in our own state, the State of Southern [British] Cameroons, in the current configuration of the Cameroons.

Big players in the sub-region: still Britain and France. The UN… maybe? So far, the big players in this sub-region after the world wars were Britain and France, with the UN a weak third (my opinion). Colonization, decolonization and post-colonial activity sound like politics, but in fact they are mostly about economics (my opinion).

Remember the oil discovered at Oloibiri in 1956? Shell, the Anglo-Dutch company, could only expand its production (and revenues). To the French, in full control of French Cameroun, Shell was "Britain" (my opinion). The discovery seemed like a windfall for Britain. Wouldn't the French want a piece of the oil pie too?

All hell breaks loose: the Nigerian Civil War

1967 – From July 1967 to January 1970: the south-eastern region of Nigeria breaks away and declares itself independent as Biafra. This is the same region where 13 Southern Cameroons representatives sat in the Eastern Nigeria House of Assembly in Enugu, before "independence by joining" French Cameroun. Britain backs the Nigerian government of Yakubu Gowon. Why? [Think Shell.]

And here is where we start to get into the meat of what is happening in our Cameroons today.

1967 – A SECRET MEMO from the French Embassy in Cameroun: "Western Cameroon is still an Anglophone state, and la Francophonie, the general and usual use of the French language, is not even close to imposing itself. It will take a generation to achieve bilingualism, and several decades will probably be necessary to generalize the use of our language…"

Did France support Biafra?

1968 – From "Keeping Biafra Alive", TIME magazine, 6 December 1968: "The French do not want publicity on their role in Biafra. But why are they so intent on keeping the war alive? A businessman here says the reason is Biafran oil." The article adds that de Gaulle relished any chance to annoy the British, who were backing the Nigerian government, and that a united, progressing Nigeria could threaten French economic dominance of West Africa. [France and Britain seem like evil twins who like to poke each other in the eye. Just my opinion.]

France declared its support for Biafran self-determination in a communiqué from Joël Le Theule, the French Secretary of State for Information, in July 1968.

We citizens of Southern British Cameroons have heard, time and again, citizens of French Cameroun calling our citizens "Biafrans"! OK… check this: France supported Biafra! Remember? No, you can't, because from all indications France wanted to keep those activities under cover.

France: economic dominance of West Africa?

1969 – Peugeot Automobile Nigeria Limited is conceived by the then Federal Military Government under General Yakubu Gowon (per the Peugeot Nigeria web page). The parent company, Peugeot, is a French car manufacturer.

1970 – January: the Nigerian Civil War ends.

My opinion: Gowon seems to have made a deal with France a year earlier; French support for Biafra fizzles, and the war ends a year later. Amazing!

Cameroun: another sledgehammer referendum

1972 – The Federal Republic of Cameroon becomes the United Republic of Cameroon through another sledgehammer referendum, code-named the "Peaceful Revolution" by Ahidjo.

Ahidjo resigns; Biya is sworn in

1982 – Ahidjo suddenly resigns and is "automagically" replaced by Paul Biya, who is still there today! No election of a new president, just a simple replacement, raising questions especially in Southern British Cameroons. Note: Ahidjo had started a "romance" with American banks (Chase Bank), and it seems France was not amused. So his replacement was already lined up: Biya Paul.

1984 – Paul Biya unilaterally changes the name "United Republic of Cameroon" to "République du Cameroun".

Dinka arrested: the Ambazonian question

1985 – Fon Gorji Dinka, President of the Cameroon Bar Association (1976–1981) and Fon (traditional ruler) of Widikum in Southern British Cameroons, is arrested in Bamenda and jailed in Yaoundé. His detention sets off the "Dinka riots", and schools close for weeks. On 11 November 1985, Parliament adopts a resolution calling for a national conference on the Ambazonian question. Biya has Dinka charged with high treason before a military tribunal.

1986 – 3 February: Dinka is acquitted of all charges and released. Biya's attempt to appeal fails, because the law establishing the military tribunal allows no appeal in high-treason cases. Dinka is placed under house arrest (February 1986 – March 1988).

1987 – The government tells Dinka that holding meetings at his palace, attending customary court sessions and acting as Fon are incompatible with his "probationary release".

1988 – 25 March: his name is removed from the electoral register in Batibo. On 28 March he goes into exile in Nigeria.

1995 – Dinka goes to Great Britain, where he is recognized as a refugee and becomes a barrister.

With Dinka out of the picture

Is the assimilation of Southern British Cameroons into French Cameroun complete? Not so fast.

Other citizens and groups of Southern British Cameroons continued where Dinka left off, sounding the alarm about their situation. Notably, Albert Mukong and John Ngu Foncha (remember him?) made efforts to open discussions at the United Nations, and groups and movements like the SCNC, SCARM, CAM and SCYL are still actively pursuing ways to "liberate" the people of Southern British Cameroons.

1993 – Then come two important conferences, AAC1 and AAC2, which become the SCPC and then SCAPO.

Two unions, lawyers and teachers, plan a stay-home strike

Fast-forward to October 2016: two unions, the lawyers and the teachers, table grievances with the Cameroun government and receive no real, actionable reply. So they declare a stay-home strike for an indefinite period, until the government responds adequately. Little did the union members (or anyone else) know what would happen next.

Resurrection of the youth of Southern British Cameroons

November 2016: a young man called Mancho BBC "resurrects" from a coffin on Main Street, Bamenda, in the middle of the day, and sends the crowd wild by daring the Cameroun armed police to shoot him. He says he is tired of the marginalization of his people and ready, coffin in hand, to die then and there. A clever set-up by the young man.

The Cameroun government's response to the strike and the "resurrection" is to send in armed police to beat, mistreat, brutalize and arbitrarily arrest lawyers, teachers and students.

To understand why the government of Cameroun would act against its "own people" over simple, logical demands by workers' unions and students (children of the "nation"), it is good to ask, and think again about, the questions that follow.

Final questions

• What was the UPC, formed in 1948, fighting for?
• Why was France so supportive of the French Cameroun government's crushing of the UPC?
• Why was the French government literally babysitting and hand-handling Ahmadou Ahidjo to become the first president of an "independent" Cameroun in 1960?
• Why did the French and Ahidjo organize a conference in Foumban to basically hijack the "independence" of Southern British Cameroons in 1961?
• Did Southern British Cameroons gain independence just to turn around and be annexed and assimilated by French Cameroun?
• Why was French Cameroun so eager to "pull in" Southern British Cameroons?
• Was it really patriotism for a "One Kamerun", which the UPC was fighting for? But the UPC was outlawed by the French and Cameroun governments. So…?
• So why was, and is, there a push to "assimilate" Southern British Cameroons into the French African ecosystem? Is it because the citizens of French Cameroun really "care" for their siblings across the River Mungo?
• And why would the French care, to the point of supporting Ahidjo and Biya in creating a federation of the two Cameroons, then later rescinding it? In 1972, Ahidjo unilaterally declared a "United Republic of Cameroon", and his chosen successor, Biya, in 1984 put in the last nail (or so he thought) in the coffin of the State of Southern British Cameroons, by taking out the "United" and making it just the "République du Cameroun".
• Why was Britain less involved in, or interested in, the future of the British Cameroons? If you ask me, I would look at the map and say this: Britain had hit the jackpot with Nigeria as a colony. With the oil discovery, and its Anglo-Dutch oil company drilling away, things were looking good for Britain. But guess what? Nigeria was surrounded by mostly French colonies. You could say Britain was outnumbered in the neighbourhood. So…
• Did Britain's diminished role leave Southern British Cameroons exposed and fragile, to the point of being run over by the over-zealousness of France and whatever it wanted French Cameroun to become in the sub-region: a French African country? The answer seems to be in the question, and it is yes.
• Did France support Biafra? Why?
• Gowon signed a deal bringing Peugeot into Nigeria in 1969. The Nigerian Civil War ended in 1970. Coincidence?

The oil games continue: France and the UK in the Armpit of Africa. Now add the USA.

"The main petroleum operators in Cameroon were Elf Serepca, a subsidiary of Société Nationale Elf Aquitaine of France; Pecten Cameroon Co., a subsidiary of Shell Oil Co. of the United States; and Perenco plc of the United Kingdom." (US Geological Survey, 1998)

Oil: the trigger for trouble?

It is obvious at this point that the trigger for major political change in this sub-region was, and is, oil. It is most probably why the children of the State of Southern British Cameroons are restless about the present and the future. Economic power supersedes political power, it seems.

One cannot eat oil. One cannot drink oil. To imagine the number of our people who have died just so oil can be extracted does not seem like a sustainable plan, at least to me. I think the oil can be extracted and people can still live. So why so much killing? How can one explain this so that even a child can understand?

It seems the French gave Ahidjo a goal: "Do all you can to assimilate the State of British Southern Cameroons into the French African ecosystem, and you can stay in power for as long as we can suck some of that black juice from under Mount Fako." Biya might be getting the same instructions as we speak. Why would France still be interested in the "Armpit of Africa", from the Niger Delta to Rio del Rey, even though Shell (or now mostly the Nigerian government) controls most of the Niger Delta's oil?

Oil and its relevance to Southern British Cameroons

With support from Britain, Nigeria's military government, led by General Yakubu Gowon, stopped Biafra from seceding. Biafra lost, so France was no closer to Biafran oil, but it still had an eye on other business (Peugeot?). And in the Cameroons there were still some crumbs of oil reserves to appease the appetite of French oil explorers: Elf Serepca would scan all of Bakassi, Bamusso, Rio del Rey and every area within the State of British Southern Cameroons for oil. That is where most French interests in the Cameroons are, and where they are concerned about security.

Think about it: the French business people operating in this area have the French politicians, and by default their "handpicked" president of the République du Cameroun, on the hook for something. Running the oil business takes a lot of investment in time, money and resources, just as there is profit to be made. So when you see people become dictators and treat their own people like trash, even ruthlessly taking lives or locking people up on trumped-up charges in inhuman conditions, and you wonder why? Well, now you know why.

Ahmadou Ahidjo could have been a very nice man, a nice husband and a good father to his children. But when it came to satisfying the wishes of billion-dollar oil investors, if his head was on the line and you stood in the way, then your head first.

You may be asking yourself: is Biya in a similar situation?

Answer: smell the coffee. Potopoto flows from upstream to downstream. Do you think the wicked foot soldiers of the Cameroun government are acting on their own, or on some kind of professional principle? Think again.

We've got work to do, people. And it does not get easier.

Just remember: we cannot eat or drink oil.

TribalMonk

PS: Any mistakes or typos are mine. Please feel free to inform and educate on any details, respectfully. I will update as necessary.

— Wanaku Verdzekov