BASIC INFORMATION
Full Country Name: The Republic of Cameroon
Country Profile: Cameroon
Area: 475,000 sq km (184,000 sq miles)
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 especially in the North-West, South-West, West and Littoral provinces.
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 (UNDP), the Cameroon Democratic Union (UDC)
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), Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC), 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, following a referendum in West Cameroon, the Cameroon’s became a unitary state, 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 2 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 2 terms of 7 years, while the 180-member National Assembly is elected every 5 years. It also provides for an upper chamber, the Senate, which has yet to be set up. Cameroon has elected local councils, but constitutional provisions for Provinces to become Regions with their own elected regional councils have not 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, eventually gaining 153 out of 180 parliamentary seats once elections were re-run in five districts in September. The SDF won 16 seats. The electoral roll was computerised which has aided transparency but there remain widespread concerns about the low turnout. Voter apathy has been exacerbated the difficulty of registering and widespread irregularities in the electoral system.
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 and the elections of July 2007 were run by the Ministry of Territorial Administration.
In the last 2 years President Biya has acted to discourage corruption in his government. A law has been adopted on declaration of assets by officials and ministers. In December 2007, former minister and former General Manager of the Port of Douala, Alphonse Siyam Siwe, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for corruption. Others in the same case, including the former port Chairman and Government Delegate in Douala Colonel Eduard Etonde Ekoto, were also given substantial prison sentences. A new anti-corruption commission, CONAC, has been established and its members sworn in.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Cameroon's human rights record has been poor but has improved recently. NGOs and the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture have highlighted extra-judicial executions, protracted detention without trial, torture of detainees and appalling prison conditions in recent years. In some rare cases the victims are political activists, but in many cases they are victims of racketeering by the security forces. It is probably fair to say that the number of cases highlighted has declined in the last 5 years.
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 and implementing a new Criminal Procedure Code in 2007 which ensrines key legal principles such as habeas corpus and the presumption of innocence. Over time, one of the effects should be to bear down on the prison population since less people will be held on remand for such long periods.
Human Rights Annual Report 2006
ECONOMY
Basic Economic Facts
GDP: US$16.5bn (2006 est)
GDP growth: 3.8% (2006 est)
Inflation: 5.1% (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 has now levelled off at around 85,000 bpd, despite some new but small production sites coming on stream. Exploration for new off-shore reserves continues, but unless new discoveries are made, current reserves could be depleted within a decade.
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 just over 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 the country 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 keeps a low profile on regional and international issues. Nigeria and Cameroon had a long-running dispute over their border, including the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula. This at times occasionally escalated into armed clashes. The ICJ settled the dispute in October 2002, awarding sovereignty of the Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon. Nigerian Forces withdrew from Bakassi in August 2006 under the June Greentree agreement which allows for a continued Nigerian civil authority presence for a limited time in part of the region. The resolution of the conflict by Presidents Obasanjo and Biya was widely heralded as model for Africa and the rest of the World.
On 12 November 2007, 21 Cameroonian soldiers were killed in the Bakassi peninsula. It is not yet clear who is responsible for the attack, but the Governments of Cameroon and Nigeria have agreed to work together to establish their identity.
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.
Cameroon's Relations with the UK
UK representation in Cameroon
High Commission for the Republic of Cameroon
Cameroon and the UK enjoy good relations. The UK has worked alongside the Commonwealth and the EU and, in an attempt to complement their efforts, has provided funding to help strengthen the role of the National Elections Observatory. The UK has a High Commission in Yaounde. The British Council also operates from Yaounde, Douala and Bamenda. The British High Commissioner to Cameroon is Syd Maddicott.
HRH Prince Edward visited Cameroon in June 2004 in his capacity as Patron of the International Award. Baroness Amos, as Minister for Africa, visited Cameroon twice in 2003. HRH Duke of Edinburgh visited Cameroon in March 1999 as part of a working visit in his capacity as Chairman of the Worldwide Fund for Nature. President Biya made an official visit to the UK in March 2004.
Trade and Investment with the UK
Several British firms are present in Cameroon, including Diageo (formerly Guinness), BAT, Standard Chartered and Shell. UK exports of goods to Cameroon were worth £22.8m in 2006 and UK imports from Cameroon over the same period were worth £70.5m.
Travel
FCO Travel advice for Cameroon
Health requirements: Travel Health Advice
For parliamentary interest in Cameroon, see the Hansard website.
Last reviewed: 7 January 2008
