Milestones of the Origins and Evolution of the SW-NW Divide

By Emmanuel Konde

1884
Establishment of German Protectorate over the Wouri Estuary
No Anglophones
1922
German Kamerun became French and British League of Nations Mandates
No Anglophones; no Anglophone Problem
1940
Cameroons Youth League (CYL) founded by Cameroonian students in Nigeria: P.M. Kale, E.M.L. Endeley, & J.N. Foncha, with Nigerian lawyer E.J. Alex-Taylor as patron.
CYL Motto: “Unity and Cooperation.”
Nationalist cooperation
1944
National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) founded by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dr. E.M.L. Endeley and P.M. Kale
Nationalist cooperation.
1945
Nigerian Richards Constitution provided for two southern Cameroons Native Authority representatives, Chief Manga Williams of Victoria and Fon Galega II of Bali, to serve in the Eastern House of Assembly (Enugu). Cameroon mandates converted to United Nations Trust Territories under French and British administrations
Nationalist cooperation
1949
Cameroons National Federation (CNF), founded by E.M.L. Endeley, sought a separate regional status for British Cameroons
Nationalist cooperation
1950
Conflict within the CNF, R.K. Dibongue and N.N. Mbile split
Kamerun United National Congress (KUNC) founded by Dibongue and Mbile.
The Ibadan Conference (British Cameroons to have 11 elected members in the House of Representatives ( Lagos ) and the Eastern House of Assembly ( Enugu )
Nationalist cooperation
1952
The McPherson Constitution provided for an electoral college system and the division of Southern Cameroons into six districts, five of which were to have two seats and Bamenda three seats as follows:
Bamenda : J.N. Foncha, S.T. Muna, V.T. Lianjo
Kumba: N.N. Mbile and R.N. Charley
Mamfe: S.A. George and N.N. Foju
Nkambe: J.T. Ndze and A.J. Ngala
Victoria: E.M.L. Endeley, P.N. Motomby- Woleta
Wum: J.C. Kansen and S.N. Ndi

House of Representatives ( Lagos ): Endeley, Muna, Ndze, Kangsen, S.A. George, and Mbile
Council of Ministers ( Lagos ): E.M.L.Endely, Minister of Labor
Eastern Regional Executive ( Enugu ): S.T. Muna, Ministed of Works
Nationalist cooperation
1953
*The Mamfe Conference. Southern Cameroons petition Lord Oliver Lyttleton, British Secretary of State for the Colonies, for a separate and autonomous legislature. Dispatched to London on May 28, Endeley hand delivered the petition to Lord Lyttleton.
*Kamerun National Congress (KNC) was founded in June through a fusion of Endeley’s CNF and Dibongue’s KUNC to form the first indigenous political party
* Lancaster House Conference. Endeley, Kangsen (Southern Cameroons) and Mallam Abba Habib (Northern Cameroons) represented British Cameroons
*Kamerun Peoples’ Party (KPP), founded by P.M. Kale, Motomby-Woleta, R.N. Charley, S.N. Ndi, attended the conference as pro-NCNC delegates.
*Elections in British Southern Cameroons. KNC victory; Southern Cameroons granted quasi-regional status and a House of Assembly; Endeley, leader of KNC, was appointed Leader of Government Business
Nationalist cooperation
1954
*First session of the Southern Cameroon’s House of Assembly, traditional rulers requested the creation of the Southern Cameroons House of Chiefs (SCHC). The British administration rejected the request and KPP accused KNC of responsibility for rejection. KNC’s Foncha strongly favored idea of House of Chiefs.
The first glimmer of the coming of the “Coastal-Grassfields cleavage” occurred in 1954, when Foncha and Jua left the KNC.
1955
*Kamerun National Democratic Party (KNDP) founded by Foncha and Jua, who made the creation of a SCHC one of the major campaign pledges. Fons of the Bamenda Grassfields, a region that had nearly 57 percent of the population, emerged as the most vocal supporters of SCHC. Foncha and Jua, both natives of the region and proponents of the SCHC, exploited the afon in their search for votes.
Sectional divide, the “coastal-grassfields cleavage,” gains momentum as the KNDP is formed and the case for a SCHC is made a major pillar of KNDP’s platform.
1956
· Southern Cameroons Chiefs Conference (SCCC), spearheaded by Fon Galega II of Bali, Fon Achirimbi II of Bafut, and Fon Sehm III of Nso among others, was founded as a precursor of the SCHC.
Supposedly non-political, both the KNC and KNDP understood the power of the SCCC
1957
*General Elections were contested by four parties in March: KNC, KPP, KNDP, and UPC. KNC won six seats, KNDP five, KPP three, and UPC none because it stood opposed to the creation of the Southern Cameroons House of Chiefs (SCHC).
*The London Conference, attended by KNC (Endeley, Galega II, V.E. Mukete, J.T. Ndze), KNDP) Foncha, and Jua), and KPP (Kale and Mbile), met to review the Nigerian Constitution and to deliberate on the evolution of the constitutional process in Southern Cameroons .
A major issue of this election was the creation of the SCHC.

Leader of Government to be called Premier. Commissioner to appoint Speaker of House in consultation with premier and ministers.
1958
KNPD organized anlu in Kom against the KNC and Premier Endeley’s visit used women for political gain. Jua was the brain behind this coup.
The seed of bad blood: Sectional divide about to take concrete form
1959
Elections. Four political parties contested: KNC, KNDP, KPP, and OK (One Kamerun). Endeley’s KNC and Kale’s KPP formed a coalition during the campaign, while Foncha’s KNDP allied with Nde Ntumazah’s OK. The sectional division in Southern Cameroons was complete with these obviously sectional alliances of the major political parties.
· KNDP-OK won with 75,325 votes to the KNC-KPP’s 51,384.
· Foncha became Prime Minister
The ossification of “coastal-grassfields divide” and origins of the politics of suspicion in British Southern Cameroons, as political power gravitates to the politically ill-quipped Grassfielders.
1959-1960

The UN Plebiscite Question, embodied in Resolution 152 XIV of October 16, 1959, read as follows: (a) Do you wish to achieve independence by joining the independent Federation of Nigeria? (b) Do you wish to achieve independence by joining the independent Republic of Cameroon?

Commissioner J.O. Field instructed Foncha to convene a meeting of all Southern Cameroons political parties to discuss the form reunification would take, in it was victorious. Foncha decided to engage Ahidjo in discussions alone, without the inputs of the other parties. Both men in Douala and agreed that reunification would take the form of a Federation.
Only Kale’s KUP, Chief Nyenti’s CCC, and Jesco Manga Williams CIP, argued for a third option: an independent Southern Cameroons.

Before the Anglophone and Francophone delegations met at Foumban in 1961, Ahidjo and Foncha had already decided on what was to be.
1960
· In May, J.O. Field signed the Southern Cameroons House of Selected Members Regulations 1960, which officially instituted the SCHC. The first session of the SCHC met on Sept. 6, 1960 and was presided over by Commissioner J.O. Field.
Distribution of seats by Division: Victoria 2; Kumba 4; Mamfe 3; Bamenda 6; Wum 3; Nkambe 3
1961
· Plebiscite of February 11. KNDP won 233,571 votes against 97,741 votes for the CPNC 97,741.
· Bamenda Conference, June. Representatives of KNDP, CPNC, OK, SCHC, and Native Authorities. Endeley could not attend the conference but sent a letter.
Chairman: J.H. Beeley (Briton)
Legal adviser: B.G. Smith (Briton)
Secretary: J. Dixon (Briton)

· Foumban Conference, July 17-21. Representatives from the Republic of Cameroun led by Ahidjo and those of Southern Cameroons led by Foncha to debate and agree on a constitution.

· Yaoundé Tripartite Conference, August.
Southern Cameroons (led by Foncha)
Rep. of Cameroon (led by Ahidjo)
British Government delegation

Conference sought to sensitize Southern Cameroons government on aspects relating to consultations with the govt. of the Rep. of Cameroun, including the term of office of the President, Education, the Judiciary, and official languages.

Foncha failed to share draft constitution given him by Ahidjo. This faux pas rendered the Southern Cameroons delegation to Foumban ill-prepared and ill-equipped.
1962
· Ahidjo’s Grand National Party, May, June, July. Ahidjo visited Buea to sound the virtues of his single party scheme on the KNDP and CPNC
The idea of the coming of the CNU was already in the works.
1963-1965

· The KNDP Debacle occasioned by the struggle for power between Jua and Muna in Southern Cameroons. Object of struggle was the position of Vice president of the KNDP, since Foncha was prospecting to move to Yaoundé as Federal V.P. after the elections of 1965.
Struggle destroyed KNDP cohesion and revealed Anglophone acrimony. Ahidjo flew from Yaoundé to preside over the Jua-Muna struggle for power
1965
· Jua becomes Prime Minister of West Cameroon. Muna and his supporters were expelled from the KNDP.
· Muna and his supporters founded the Cameroon United Congress (CUC) Party.

1966
· The CNU Party. In June Ahidjo summoned a meeting of the leaders of the KNDP, CPNC, CUC, and the Prime Minister of West Cameroon to form a single party and all concerned--Ahidjo, Foncha, Endeley, and Muna—agreed. In August the various political parties were dissolved, and on September 1 they formally merged to form the Cameroon National Union.

One can hardly argue that the leaders of West Cameroon were oblivious of Ahidjo’s machinations when they willingly dissolved and merged their parties with Ahidjo’s UC.
1968
· Ahidjo appointed Muna as Prime Minister of West Cameroon

1970
· Ahidjo drops Foncha as his Vice Presidential running mate for Muna, and amended the constitution for Muna to simultaneously occupy the posts of Federal Vice President and Prime Minister of West Cameroon.

· On March 20, Ahidjo and Muna were elected President and Vice President by 99.9%
Constitutional amendment was approved by the Federal and West Cameroon Assemblies.
1972
· Demise of Federation/Birth of Unitary State, May 20.

1982
· Presidential Succession, November 6. Biya succeeded Ahidjo as President of Cameroon

1984
· Constitutional amendment of January 25 changed the name of the country from United Republic of Cameroon to Republic of Cameroon

1985
Demise of CNU and birth of CPDM, March 1985.

KUP Kamerun United Party (P.M. Kale, leader)
CCC Cameroons Commoners Congress (Chief Stephen E, Nyenti of Mamfe, leader)
CIP Cameroons Indigenes Party (Jesco Manga Williams, leader) "The problem of power is how to get men of power to live for the public rather than off the public." Robert F. Kennedy