The first of Africa’s six new nations toget its independence in 1960 celebrated its beginnings last week withhalf the country in a state of emergency.
On the morning of the first day of independence, terrorists killed fivepeople in the capital of Yaounde, and the foreign dignitaries whostreamed in by air at Douala the day before could see the ruins of thecontrol tower ransacked by another insurgent gang. In six months ofstruggle 22 whites have died—more than were killed in a similar periodduring the Mau Mau war in Kenya—and 500 or more Africans.
Responsible for most of the slaughter are the exiled leaders of adissident political party banned in 1955, who are working to undermine35-year-old Premier Ahma-dou Ahidjo’s fledgling government. The partyis led by Dr. Felix-Roland Moumie, who has been issuing Czech pistolsto Bamileke tribesmen. Just back from Moscow, Moumie operates from hisrefuge in nearby really independent Guinea. His followers hide in thehills or attack from across the border in the neighboring BritishCameroons.
Hoping to compel new elections before independence, Moumie set out toterrify the population by setting whole villages afire. Last monthterrorists decapitated two Catholic missionaries, carrying the headsoff into the jungle as trophies. Premier Ahidjo sought to win Moumie’ssupporters away by amnesty offers. So far, 1,000 members havesurrendered but the remaining hard core will be hard to flush out ofthe dense jungle. With the help of the French, who will remain asadvisers at least until mid-1960, Ahidjo is drafting a new constitutionand promises new elections in March. But he stubbornly refuses to liftthe ban against Moumie’s party.
As Cameroon’s new green, yellow and red flag fluttered proudly on polesthat had carried the French Tricolor for 40 years, thousands gatheredbefore the Legislative Assembly building at midnight to greetindependence day with cheers. Later that morning Premier Ahidjo proudlyassembled his distinguished guests for the formal ceremony pronouncingindependence. The foreigners, who included U.N.
Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold and the U.S.’s Henry Cabot Lodge, allhad words of good wishes, and one, First Deputy Premier Frol Kozlov ofthe U.S.S.R., was happy to bring news that Moscow would promptlyrecognize the new nation.