Africa Gets A New Country As The U.N. Carves Portions Of Nigeria And Cameroon For Anglophone Cameroon
The new Anglophone country is expected to be declared this July.
A new country is about to emerge from the continent of Africa as the United Nations wrap up processes paving the way for its creation on July 10 this year.
Cameroon was split between Britain and France after its colonial power Germany lost the First World War. Half of the Britain’s part joined Nigeria whiles the other half joined French Cameroon to form its anglophone citizens.
Thus the British side which joined Nigeria and the side that joined French Cameroon would be united into one territory to form the new country.
The creation of the new territory to be known as United Nations Organisation(UNO) State of Cameroon will see Nigeria shed about 24 of its 774 local councils to the new country.
Cameroon will also release its southern territory which forms the country’s Anglophone community to the new country which is been spearheaded by the United Nations.
Olusegun Obasanjo, former Nigerian president and Paul Biya of Cameroon, on the invitation of the then United Nations boss, Kofi Annan, acquiesced to the deal in March 2003.
The agreement cedes their disputed territories (Northern and Southern Cameroons) to the proposed new country which would be located between both countries.
The new state will have a total landmass of 28, 214 square km, roughly the size of Lesotho with an estimated population of 20 million people who would be culled from both countries.
The southern part of Cameroon has been agitating for self-rule for several years now. It was plunged into war after Anglophone separatists declared independence from the French speaking country.
It follows years of systematic discrimination from the government which imposed French on the small territory that makes up just 20% in terms of land and population.
Nigeria will thus give out am area around the north-east of the country which would be added to the Anglophone portion of Cameroon to form the new country the indigenes prefer to call Ambazonia.
If the plan goes successful, it will be the 55th sovereign country on the continent. The new country will also be the 194th member of the United Nations.
South Sudan remains the youngest country on the continent. It ceded from the Republic of Sudan after years of war to gain it’s sovereignty on the 9th of July 2011.
