page_title: Ambazonia
section_title: The plebiscite (1961)
hierarchical_section_title: Ambazonia / History / The plebiscite (1961)
caption_attribution_description: English: Emblem of the Ambazonian Governing coulsel
context_page_description: Ambazonia, officially the Federal Republic of Ambazonia and commonly referred to as Amba Land, is a self-declared state, internationally considered an autonomous anglophone state of the UN-created Cameroon federation of 1961. The federation was controversially abolished between May 1972 and January 1984 by the majority French-speaking political leadership of Cameroon. Since that time the component federal state of French-speaking Cameroon has attempted to re-emerge with English-speaking Ambazonia tagged onto herself as mere regions in an admitted assimilation project amidst fierce resistance. Ambazonia is the successor state to the former British Mandate Territory of Southern Cameroons. Situated in the Gulf of Guinea, Ambazonia is bordered by the Cameroon Republic to the east, Nigeria to the north and west, and the Bight of Bonny of the Atlantic ocean to the south. Its territory and population constitute an area of 42,710 square kilometres populated by roughly five million people.
context_section_description: The United Nations had decided to put an end to all trusteeships by the end of 1960. All trusteeship territories were granted unconditional independence but British Southern Cameroons was faced with a choice: attaining independence by joining the French Cameroun Republic in a federation of two equal states or joining Nigeria as one of its federated regions. The reason for this position was based on the 1959 Phillipson Report, which claimed that Southern Cameroons was not economically capable of sustaining itself as an independent state. The United Nations initiated discussions with French Cameroun on the terms of association of Southern Cameroons  if the outcome of the plebiscite was in favour of a federation of the two countries. The plebiscite was precipitously organised and took place in 1961 amid deep confusion and discontentment: most of the people neither wanted to join Nigeria nor French Cameroon, which spoke French, was in a bloody civil war, and had a very different political culture. The people of the Southern Cameroons could not understand why the option for independence had been denied them. The colonial power sought to prevent the emergence of any kind of pro-independence movement. This ensured that the people chose only one of the two options that were on the table and rather than other alternatives. With no better option available, Southern Cameroonians voted to associate with French Cameroun in a federation of two states, equal in status.
  On 21 April 1961, UN resolution 1608 (XV) set 1 October 1961 as the date of independence for the Southern Cameroons, following a vote at the UN general Assembly in which 64 countries voted in favour of the independence of the Southern Cameroons. Although Southern Cameroons had voted to join French Cameroon upon achieving independence, French Cameroon voted against her independence. It was agreed that Britain, the UN, Southern Cameroons and French Cameroon would together discuss the terms of federation.
  In July 1961, the United Nations and Britain declined to attend the planned meeting that was set for discussions on the concrete terms of the federation. Instead only the Southern Cameroons and the French Cameroon Republic delegations met in Foumban, a town in French Cameroon. (The UN and Britain gave no reasons for keeping away from the meeting.)  However instead of frank discussions, President Ahidjo of the French Cameroon Republic, presented the Southern Cameroons delegation with a copy of the French Cameroon constitution of 1960 and requested them to make suggestions for modification which might or might not be taken into account. The Southern Cameroonian delegation deeply disappointed by the condescending approach of Ahidjo returned home in the hope that the government of French Cameroon would reconsider its stance and open the constitution for amendment that will befit a federated state with two equal partners. However this was not to be. In August 1961 a Southern Cameroons delegation met with French Cameroonians in Yaoundé for further discussions about the constitution. Again no agreement was reached. Thus though the plebiscite was an expression of willingness to associate with French Cameroon, the discussions that were necessary to hammer out an agreed document and set the legal basis of the federation never took place, nor were any agreements subsequently signed between the two countries.
caption: Ambazonian Governing Council emblem
exif: {"Image Software": "Google"}