Impact of Independence of the Republic of Cameroun on the Future Independence and Reunification of British Southern Cameroons
Henry Kam Kah

Abstract
This paper examines how the independence of the Cameroun Republic or French speaking Cameroon on January 1 1960 impacted on the process of the independence through reunification of the English speaking part of Cameroon or British Southern Cameroons. Cameroon was annexed by Germany in July 1884 but when this European country was defeated by the Allied Powers in the First World War of 1914- 1916, the territory was temporarily jointly administered by Britain and France and then partitioned unequally between them. While France went away with four-fifth of the territory, Britain got one-fifth and both partitioned territories were administered as Mandates of the League of Nations between 1922 and 1945 and as Trust Territories of the United Nations between 1946 and 1960/61. The independence of the French sphere in 1960 in a way contributed to speed up the independence of the British sphere a year later. The territory opted out of the federation of Nigeria to re-join the Cameroun Republic. Talks were held with the leadership of the Cameroun Republic leading to reunification and attempts for integration with Nigeria were futile. Through essentially press releases from the National Archives of Cameroon in Buea, these issues are captured and analysed.

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