Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque
French Cameroon joined the Free France in August 1940. The system established by Free France was similar to a military dictatorship. Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque established a state of siege throughout the country and abolished almost all public freedom. The objective was to neutralize any potential feelings of independence or sympathy for the former German colonizer. Indigenous people known for their Germanophilia were executed in public places. In 1945, the country was placed under the supervision of the United Nations. Despite this, in 1946 it became an "associated territory" of the French Union.