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And Now, Lies From The UN:
The Original Agreement Between Ahidjo and Foncha
During the Fourth Committee meeting of the UN General Assembly on the 25th of February 1959, president Ahidjo addressed UN member states in the following words ;
“……. I would not like the firmness and clarity of our stand to be interpreted as a desire for integration on my part which would sound the death knell to the hopes of our brothers under British Administration.
We do not wish to bring the weight of our population to bear on our British brothers. We are not annexationists. In other words, if our brothers of the British zone wish to unite with an independent Cameroun, we are ready to discuss the matter with them, but we will discuss it on a footing of equality”.
This, and other speeches and signed documents, have now proven to be an unmitigated lie designed to hoodwink the international community.
On atleast 10 different occasions, President Ahmadou Ahidjo of the independent La republique du Cameroun, made pronouncements, pledges and written agreements to the effect that Southern Cameroons was joining La République du Cameroun in a union of two equal states to be styled a United Federal Cameroon republic.
These positions are hugely consistent with the structural disposition embedded in the Federal Republic of Cameroon that lasted between 1961-1972.
During the Fourth Committee meeting of the UN General Assembly on the 25th of February 1959, president Ahidjo addressed UN member states in the following words ;
“……. I would not like the firmness and clarity of our stand to be interpreted as a desire for integration on my part which would sound the death knell to the hopes of our brothers under British Administration.
We do not wish to bring the weight of our population to bear on our British brothers. We are not annexationists. In other words, if our brothers of the British zone wish to unite with an independent Cameroun, we are ready to discuss the matter with them, but we will discuss it on a footing of equality”.
Progressively, towards the 11th of February 1961, several meetings were held between Ahidjo and Foncha to negotiate and agree on the type of union that would be entered into.
During two of those meetings held in Yaoundé, and Buea between the 10-13th Oct 1960, Foncha and Ahidjo agreed on a federal constitution and co-signed a joint comminuqué that was brandished during campaigns for the plebiscite.
The communiqué provided for a United Federal Cameroon. During campaigns for the 11th Februaray plebiscite, this agreement was widely publicised by the UN elections officer in a campaign document titled THE TWO OPTIONS.
This document, reinforced speeches and pronouncements made by UN officials and Ahidjo to assure Southern Cameroonians that their values, institutions and way of life would not be compromised, and that the state of Southern Cameroons would not be tampered with.
This agreement ; published in the Southern Cameroons Gazette No.4/Notice No. 36/ Vol. 7/ 27th January, 1961 : The Two Alternatives ; forms the basis on which Southern Cameroonians voted to join La republique du Cameroun.
The UN even backed the agreement with the following statement ;
“A vote for attaining independence by joining the Republic would mean that, by an early date to be decided by the United Nations after consultation with the Governments of the Southern Cameroons, the Cameroun Republic and the United Kingdom as Administering Authority, the Southern Cameroons and the Cameroun Republic would unite in a Federal United Cameroun Republic.
The arrangements would be worked out after the plebiscite by a conference consisting of representative delegations of equal status from the Republic and the Southern Cameroons. The United Nations and the United Kingdom would also be associated with this conference.
Excerpts ;
CONSTITUTIONAL POSITION OF THE SOUTHERN CAMEROONS IN THE EVENT OF IT ELECTING TO BECOME A PART OF THE REPUBLIC OF CAMEROUN COMMUNIQUE
CONSIDERING that in the application of the Republic at the 14th Session of the United Nations a plebiscite is to be organised in February 1961 to allow the people ofthe Southern Cameroons
under British Trusteeship and the people of the Northern Cameroons under British Trusteeship to declare whether they wish to join the Federation of Nigeria or to be united with the Cameroun Republic,
CONSIDERING that in the event of the result of this plebiscite being in favour of Reunification the application of this reunification on a federal basis allowing for the particular conditions of each group, could not be automatic but gradual,
CONSIDERING that the representatives of the Cameroun Republic and of the Government Party of the Southern Cameroons vigorously reaffirm the desire of their peoples to be reunited in one Nation,
CONSIDERING that the political heads have already met twice to examine the broad outlines of the Constitution of the two Federated States, they have, at the conclusion of their third meeting of the 10, 11, 12 and 13th October, 1960, decided to adopt the broad outlines of the Constitution which they will adopt in the event of the plebiscite vote being favorable to them.
JOINT DECLARATION
The representatives of the Cameroun Republic and the Government Party of the Southern Cameroons under British Trusteeship met for the third time to continue their discussions on the projected Constitution which would govern the reunified Cameroun.
At the conclusion of these talks, the Hon. J. N. Foncha, Prime Minister of the Southern Cameroons, His Excellency Ahmadou AHIDJO. President of the Cameroun Republic, and M. Charles ASSALE. Prime Minister and Head of the Cameroun Govemment.
STATE:
1. that they wish to use every available means to bring to a successful conclusion the task of national reunification which they have set themselves;
2. that in no case will the United Cameroun be a part either of the French Community or the British Commonwealth;
that they wish to create a Federal State whose institutions could be broadly outlined as follows:
The Federal United Cameroun Republic will be a democratic state. It will have its motto, its anthem and its flag. The nationals of the federated states will enjoy Camerounian nationality.
The Federal State in the first stage will have power to deal with matters listed below as a minimum: public freedoms, nationality, national defense, foreign affairs, higher education immigration and emigration, federal budget, posts and telecommunications
A list of powers which would fall within the competence of the Federal Government in the second stage will be set out in the Constitution.
The Federal Authorities will be composed of: a Federal Executive headed by the President of the Republic, Chief of the Federal State, Federal legislature consisting of a Federal Legislative Assembly and a Federal Senate.
Certain federal laws will only be enacted in such a way that no measures contrary to the interest of one State will be imposed upon it by the majority (system of second reading with a qualified majority).
In the event of a conflict of laws between the Federal State and the Federated States, the federal law will prevail.
In non-federal matters, the Authorities of each of the Federated States will have exclusive competence. Each of the Federated States will be ruled by a Government and will have a Legislative Assembly.
A federal Court of Justice will have as its purpose to unify judicial systems and to act as the Highest Court of Appeal of the Federal State.
Federal services will be established to carry out federal Administration. Legislation (or systems of legislation in force) will remain valid until the enactment of federal legislation.
4. The Federation will be created by the Cameroun Republic and the Southern Cameroons under British Trusteeship. The two parties hopes that the Northern Cameroons under British
Trusteeship will also enter into this federation, either as a separate State, or as a part of the Cameroons at present under British Trusteeship.
JOINT COMMUNIQUE
5. In the event of the Southern and Northern Cameroons voting in favor of reunification, those entrusted with the responsibility of the affairs of the Unified Cameroons would, through
mutual agreement, specify the manner in which the populations of the Cameroons would be asked to express their opinion on the Federal Constitution.
The representatives of the government party of the Southern Cameroons under British Trusteeship, led by the Hon. J. N. FONCHA, Prime Minister, on their return from London where they had talks with the United Kingdom Minister for the Colonies on the future of their territory, had on the 1st and 2nd December a fourth meeting with the delegation of the Cameroun Republic, led by the President of the Republic, Ahmadou AHIDJO.
The two parties were in full agreement :
1. that the United Nations General Assembly has stated with clarity the two questions which will be put at the time of the plebiscite on the 11th February, 1961, i.e.,
(a) Do you wish to attain independence by Unification with the Independent Federation of Nigeria; or
(b) Do you wish to attain independence by Unification with the Independent Cameroun Republic.
2. that the two delegations ‘;,hilst in agreement with the interpretation of the second question which was accepted in London, regret that the representatives of the Northern Cameroons were not present at this Conference and ask:
(a) that immediately after the plebiscite and in the event of the people voting in favor of unification with the Cameroun Republic, a Conference should be held attended by representatives of the Cameroun Republic and the Southern and Northern Cameroons.
(b) that this Conference, at which representatives of the Trusteeship Authority and possibly those of the United Nations would be present, would have as its aim the fixing of time limits and conditions for the transfer of sovereign powers to an organisation representing the future Federation.
Signed FONCHA Signed AHIDJO