« All these are unacceptable and all those doing that uninformed and misdirected negotiations should stop. The people of   Southern Cameroons are not for it. »
 
In 1961, West Cameroon leaders met with East Cameroon political leaders in Foumban to draw the constitution of the Federal Republic of Cameroon. That conference was a fatal error for the people of Southern Cameroons. How? / Why? As we now know in retrospect, Foumban turned out to be the setting for the annexation of Southern Cameroons and, following in the wake of annexation, the dismantling of Southern Cameroons’ statehood and carving that state into two provinces of the Republic of Cameroon.  Could these have been avoided? If so how?

            Before the UN plebiscite of February 1961, it was OK for Prime Minister Foncha to hold bi-lateral talks/negotiations with Ahidjo in order to ascertain precisely where he was leading Southern Cameroons to. But once the General Assembly of the UN adopted Resolution 1608 XV prescribing an International Post-plebiscite conference (paragraph 5 of that resolution) the bilateral talks between Southern Cameroons and Republic of Cameroon should have stopped and the UN directives in paragraph 5 of Resolution 1608 XV implemented. The bi-lateral talks could not be a substitute for the International Post Plebiscite Conference which both the UN and the UK were to attend. Southern Cameroons’ decolonization was a matter for the UN and the UK – not an internal matter of the Republic of Cameroon. Republic of Cameroon’s occupation of the Southern Cameroons cannot be justified under international law.

            Presently there is a flurry of secret meetings with Ministers from Yaounde with some Southern Cameroonians. If a meeting is one by the Minister of Justice talking professional issues with Lawyers, we have no comments. If the meeting is one by teachers with the Ministers of Education on professional matters, we have no comments. However, if the meeting is one in which any Southern Cameroonians (lawyers and teachers included) selected (and invited by a Minister) are sitting to talk about Federation, we wish to strike a note of warning.  In the first place, such Southern Cameroonians should read the story of The Washerman’s Donkey which follows in Part II of this article and ask themselves what became of the defunct Federal Republic of Cameroon (1961-1972). Who killed it?

Secondly, they must learn from the bitter experience of Foumban. The leadership of La Republique du Cameroun tricked our leaders and summoned them (even chaired) the bi-lateral talks in Foumban without the presence of the U.K and the UN. Ahidjo succeeded in Foumban to revise the constitutions of his country and to annex the Southern Cameroons. And striking to note, this was the same Ahidjo who earlier as Prime Minister of La Republic du Cameroun had told the United Nations: “We do not wish to bring the weight of our population to bear on our British brothers (by which he meant Southern Cameroonians) 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”
Today the two States Federation (both equal in status) is defunct, and Southern Cameroonians do not want to hear that someone from Southern Cameroons is negotiating Federation on their behalf.
Please, take note.
 
We know those of our leaders who made the mistake in 1961 to sideline the UN prescribed international conference and went to Foumban.