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Cameroon
Area: 475,000 sq km (184,000 sq mi)
Population: (2005 UN estimate): 16,322,000
Capital City: Yaounde (population: 1.5 million). Douala is Cameroon's largest city (population 1.7 million. UN estimates).
People and languages: French and English are the official languages. There are around about 250 different African languages spoken in Cameroon and a similar number of ethnic groups. Pidgin English is widely spoken in Cameroon, especially in areas formerly ruled by the British.
Religion(s): Christian, Muslim and indigenous African religions
Currency:CFA Franc (fixed to Euro). Pegged at FCFA 655.957 = euro 1.00 currently (July 2006) approx 960 = £1
Major political parties: Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM), Social Democratic Front (SDF), Union des Populations du Cameroun (UPC), National Union of Democracy and Progress (NUDP), the Cameroon Democratic Union (CDU)
Head of State: President Paul Biya
Prime Minister: Chief Ephraim Inoni
Membership of international groupings/organisations: African Development Bank (AfDB), African Union (AU), Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), Commonwealth, International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF), International Monetary Fund (IMF), United Nations (UN).
GEOGRAPHY
Cameroon lies in the Gulf of Guinea and borders Nigeria, Chad, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea. The country is a mixture of desert plains and savannah in the north, mountains in the central regions and tropical rainforest in the south and east.
HISTORY
Modern Cameroon was created as the German protectorate of Kamerun in 1884. In 1919, under League of Nations Mandates, France was awarded administration of Eastern Cameroon, and Britain Northern and Southern Cameroons. These mandates were converted in 1946 to UN Trusteeships. In 1960, French administered Cameroun became independent and Ahmadou Ahidjo was elected as President. In February 1961 the populations of British administered Cameroons were asked to decide their future in a UN organised plebiscite. While the territory of Northern Cameroon voted to join Nigeria, the population of Southern Cameroon voted to join the newly independent Republic of Cameroon. Cameroon thereby became a federal republic encompassing East Cameroon (the former French territory) and West Cameroon (the former British territory). In 1972 Cameroon’s federal status was revoked and the country became the United Republic of Cameroon.
Ahidjo made Cameroon a one party state in 1966, following a major rebellion in the centre of the country, and concentrated power in presidential hands. In 1982 he resigned on grounds of ill health, handing power over to his Prime Minister Paul Biya, but retaining chairmanship of the ruling party ,the National Union of Cameroon. A power struggle ensued between the two men. In 1984, factions of the army seen as close to Ahidjo staged a coup. Biya survived, and later reasserted control over the army and ruling party, stating his intention to reform and reinvigorate Cameroonian politics and the omnipresent Cameroonian state. The ruling party’s name was changed to the Cameroonian People’s Democratic Movement. In 1990, in response to domestic and international pressure, Biya approved the introduction of a multi-party system.
POLITICS
The constitution which brought in multi-partyism was adopted in 1992, and substantially amended in 1996. It provides for a limit on Presidential tenure to two terms of seven years, while the 180-member National Assembly is elected every five years. It also provides for an Upper Chamber, the Senate. This has not yet been installed, though legislation is under way to establish it. It also provides for elected local councils, which now exist, and for the Provinces to become Regions with their own elected regional councils. The latter provision has not yet been implemented.
In the early days of multiparty democracy the regime was seriously shaken by widespread protest and an emboldened opposition lead by the SDF. The first presidential election under a multi-party system in October 1992 were fiercely contested and controversial. President Biya was elected by a narrow margin (39-36%) over the leading opposition candidate, John Fru Ndi of the Social Democratic Front (SDF). However since then, the CPDM and President Biya have managed to reassert their dominance over the Cameroonian political scene. The legislative elections of May 1997 were won by the CPDM and presidential elections of October 1997 were won by Biya with 81% of the vote according to the official results. Again the electoral process was denounced by the opposition.
Legislative elections of 2002 and Presidential elections of 2004 followed a similar pattern - the CPDM consolidated its grip on the national assembly and Biya won the Presidential elections of 2004 with 75% of the vote according to the official result. Legislative and local elections were held on 22 July 2007. The CPDM further consolidated its grip on power, gaining 152 out of 180 parliamentary seats (the exact results await final confirmation).
Under pressure from the international community to separate electoral organisation from the highly partisan administration, the government, on 29 December 2006 established a body to supervise elections (ELECAM). This body has not yet become operational, amid disputes concerning its the nomination of its members, and the elections of July 2007 were run by the Ministry of Territorial Administration.
In early 2006 a former minister, Alphonse Siewe, parliamentarians and several senior officials were arrested on corruption charges. In addition a law has been adopted on declaration of assets by officials and a new anti-corruption commission has been set up.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Cameroon's human rights record is poor. Extra-judicial executions, protracted detention without trial, torture of detainees and appalling prison conditions have all been highlighted by NGOs and by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. In some rare cases the victims are political activists, but in many cases they are victims of racketeering by the security forces. Although there is a free press, journalists are often harassed. The international community (through the European Union, the Commonwealth, the United Nations, and bilaterally) has been pressing the Government of Cameroon to implement reforms of the judicial system and put an end to the culture of impunity in the security forces. The Government set up a Human Rights Commission in 1992. A presidential decree, passed by the National Assembly in June 2005, confirms its official status and should ensure regular funding. The government has recently made other moves to improve the Human Rights situation, for example starting building new prisons to relieve overcrowding.
Human Rights Annual Report 2005
ECONOMY
Basic Economic Facts
GDP: US\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\$ 16.5bn (2006 est)
GDP growth: 3.8% (2006 est)
Inflation: 4.5% (2006)
Major Industries: Crude Oil, timber, cocoa, coffee, aluminium, rubber
Major trading partners: France, Italy, Nigeria, Spain, Germany, United States.
Exchange rate: 1 Euro = CFA 655.957 (fixed)
Cameroon has for decades relied on agriculture and timber for its export earnings, including extensive cocoa and rubber plantations in the south of the country. Petroleum has been exported from the 1970s and now accounts for 49% of export earnings. However, production at 94,000 bpd in 2006, has now levelled off and unless new discoveries are made, current reserves could be depleted within a decade, although the signature in March 2006 of an exploration agreement with Total shows that exploration for new off-shore reserves continues. Cameroon’s dispute with Nigeria over the oil-rich Bakassi peninsula has adversely affected investment in new exploration. The high international oil prices of 2004-05 have helped to offset declining output. While Cameroon’s agricultural exports are subject to the vagaries of the international market, exchange rate stability and manageable inflation rates are maintained through its membership of the Franc Zone. Cameroon is currently half way through its current 3 year Poverty Reduction and Growth Programme negotiated with the IMF.
Cameroon became heavily indebted in the 1980s. In October 2000 Cameroon became eligible for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC). HIPC completion point was achieved in May 2006 after several lengthy delays. These delays were due to concerns over the government of Cameroon’s financial management which have been partly addressed by a series of reform drives, including moves against corruption. Achievement of HIPC has led to significant debt relief, including 106M cancellation of bilateral debt from the UK government.
DEVELOPMENT
Cameroon faces significant development challenges. 50% of the population live on \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\$2 a day or less and life expectancy at birth is 46. According to the 2005 UNDP Human Development Index, Cameroon ranks 148 out of 177 countries. Crop failure, especially in the north, often leads to food shortages. The major urban centres, especially Douala, suffer from serious problems of overcrowding and sanitation. Cameroon is a major recipient of donor funds, from both multilateral and bilateral donors, of which the biggest is France. The UK has a long standing bilateral development programme in the forestry sector, and contributes to Cameroon’s development through the European Union and UN agencies. Details of further UK funded projects can be found on the High Commission website, the link to which is below.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Cameroon generally maintains good relations with its neighbours, but has a low profile and participates little in African regional bodies. Nigeria and Cameroon have a long-running dispute over their border, including the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula. This has occasionally escalated into armed clashes. The ICJ settled the dispute in October 2002, awarding sovereignty of the Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon. The territory was transferred to Cameroon in August 2006 under the June Greentree agreement which allows for a continued Nigerian security presence for a limited time.
Cameroon also has a low profile on the international stage. Cameroonian governments have always enjoyed close relations with France. The country joined the Commonwealth in November 1995. The Commonwealth has since expressed its concern at Cameroon’s record on human rights and good governance and has been in the forefront of moves to improve the electoral system. Former Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark is currently leading these efforts.
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