January · This Day in Africa
January 1
1960 — Cameroon Gains Independence
On January 1, 1960, French Cameroun became the independent Republic of Cameroon. It was the second of France's sub-Saharan colonies to break free, after Guinea. Ahmadou Ahidjo became the nation's first president, taking office as a new flag rose over a country long under French rule.
Freedom came at a heavy price. Thousands died in France's crackdown on the nationalist UPC before independence arrived, a reminder that liberty was fought for, not handed over. Cameroon's moment also opened a floodgate. The year 1960 erupted into the Year of Africa, as seventeen nations won their freedom and redrew the map of a continent.
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