France, LRC: The Hidden Agenda
2
Q9. Was the annexation of the British Southern
Cameroons a hidden agenda of France and LRC?
A. Yes. Compelling evidence of this hidden
agenda has only recently been provided by one
of France's policy makers, Mr. Pierre Messmer,
one time governor of French Cameroun (1956-
57), who later became France's Minister for the
Armed Forces, and still later French Prime
Minister. In his book LES BLANCS S'EN VONT,
Recits de decolonisation, Edition Albin Michel,
S.A. 1998, pp. 114-134. He concluded: "To
implement the results of the plebiscite, the
governments (of the Southern Cameroons and
LRC) met in constitutional conference in
Fumban, in Bamun country, familiar to both
delegations on July 17 1961. President Ahidjo
from a position of strength submitted for debate
a fake Federal draft constitution which had been
cleverly crafted by his French jurists. Ngu
Foncha had no counter project. From a weak
position, since the population which he
represents does not exceed a quarter of that of
French Cameroun even in economic terms, Ngu
Foncha accepted without discussion what was in
effect an annexation. The new constitution came
into force on 1st October, 1961. A joke was rife
in Duala and Yaunde that the United Cameroun
was a bilingual francophone country.
BSCCC No.
British Southern
La Republique du Cameroun
(former French Cameroun) ha, with
the assistance of its sponsor and
neocolonial master, France, been
Cameroons
carrying out a world-wide campaign
to justify its annexation and
colonization of the former British
Southern Cameroons. In their
And La Republique
campaign, they have distorted the
historical record and misinformed
people and countries around the
world. This brochure and others in
du Cameroun
the BSCCC series are intended to
reach out with the facts and to
promote a better understanding of
the political conflict that has been
smoldering between the two former
UN Trust Territories since 1961.
British Southern Cameroons
Mission
2121 K Street, NW Suite 800
Washington, DC 20005 Phone: (202) 261-6595
Phone: (202) 261-6595 Fax: (202) 261-3508
Fax: (202) 261-3508 www.southerncameroons.org
A Publication of the British Southern
© Copyright BSCPA Cameroons Communications Commission
 A Federationof Equal States
Q1. What was the basis of the UN imposed union on
Southern Cameroons?
A: When the UN decided to terminate the
Trusteeship Agreement over the Southern
Cameroons in 1960, it was misled by the
Administering Authority, the United Kingdom, to
take the ostiton that the Southern Cameroons
was not economically viable to stand on its own
as an independent state. The UN therefore
decided that the territory would acive
independence by joining either the Federation of
Nigeria or the independent la Republique du
Cameroun (a former UN Trust Territory under
French Administration). The Southern
Cameroons had made it clear to the UK that it
wanted to separate from Nigeria before the
latter became independent on October 1 1960.
The Southern Cameroons went into negotiation
with la Republique du Cameroun about the form
of the union. They signed a Joint Declaration
and a Joint Communique which embodied the
Union Agreements for a federation of two states
of equal status on October 14 1960 and those
were incorporated by the UN in the TWO
ALTERNATIVES document which was used in the
February 11 1961 plebiscite campaigns. And so
the people of the Southern Cameroons went to
the plebiscite on the clear understanding that
they were voting to form a Federation of two
states of equal status the details of which
were to be worked out at a post-plebiscite
constitutional conference in which the UN and
the UK would participate.
Q2. What was the legal provision that guaranteed the
agreement on federation?
A: Article 47 of the Federal Constitution stated:
No bill to amend the Constitution may be
"No
introduced if it tends to impair the unity
and integrity of the Federation."
The Recolonization Bad Faith and Lies
Q7. What does National Integration mean?
Q3. Given that the federal character of the union was not
to be changed, how did la Republique du Cameroun come
A: As used by the government of LRC, National
to annex the Southern Cameroons? Integration is a euphemism for annexation.
A: In 1972 la Republique du Cameroun used its The Southern Cameroons which joined the
majority population to subvert the constitution. federation as a distinct entity was systemically
In a fraudulent referendum the population of la annexed and carved into two provinces of LRC
Republique du Cameroun was asked if they namely: the North West Province and the South
wanted a unitary state instead of federalism. West Province.
Instead of voting between YES or NO, the people
were made to vote either OUI ('YES' in French)
or YES. The result was as intended: 99.99%.
The federation was abolished and the name of
the country was changed from the Federal
Republique of Cameroon to the United
Republique of Cameroon.
Q4. Why does the annexation of the Southern Cameroons
by la Republique du Cameroun (LRC) amount to a
declaration of war on the United Nations?
A: In annexing the Southern Cameroons LRC has Q8. What did la Republique du Cameroun tell the UN
openly defied UN Resolution 224-iii of November about National Integration and annexation before
1954 protecting the Southern Cameroons from 1961?
being annexed to the British colony of Nigeria or A: The Prime Minister of LRC, Amadou Ahidjo
any neighbouring country
country. told the 13th session of the United Nations on
February 25 1959, "I should not like the
Q5. What happened in 1984?
firmness and clarity of our stand to be
interpreted as a desire for integration on
A: In 1984 President Biya again by fiat of a mere
my part which would sond the death knell
decree completed the annexation of the
to the hopes of our brothers in the zone
Southern Cameroons by changing its name from
under British Administration."
the United Republic of Cameroon to la
Republique du Cameroun, its original name
"We do not wish to bring the weight of our
before joining British Southern Cameroons.
population to bear on our British brothers.
Q6. What does this change of name mean? We are not annexationists."
"In other words, if our brothers of the
A: This was supposed to be the final nail on the
British zone wish to unite with an
coffin of Southern Cameroons. By reverting to its
pre-federation name la Republique du Cameroun independent Cameroun, we are ready to
was celebrating the total annexation of the discuss the matter with them, but we will
Southern Cameroons. Southern Cameroonians discuss it on a footing of equality."
are now a stateless people.
Neither late President Ahidjo nor his successor
Paul Biya kept any of these undertakings.