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Cameroon: 10 ans de Ahmadou Ahidjo
Ahmadou Ahidjo was born in August 1924, in Garoua, an inland river port on the Benue River in northern Cameroon. The son of a Fulani chief, he attended secondary school in Yaoundé, the Cameroon capital, to prepare for a career in the lower echelons of the civil service. Unable to complete his education, he became a radio operator for the post office, a position he held until 1946 when he entered territorial politics. In 1947 he was elected to the trust territory’s first Assembly and was reelected in 1952. His growing importance in Cameroon politics was emphasized when, in 1953, in addition to his functions as territorial deputy, he was elected to the Assembly of the French Union. He served that body as one of its secretaries in 1954 and as vice president for the 1956-1957 session.Cameroon was granted responsible government in 1957, and André Marie Mbida, leader of the Démocrates Camerounais party, became the territory's first prime minister. Ahidjo, who had joined the Démocrates during the previous year and whose influence among the northern deputies was widely acknowledged, was appointed vice premier and minister of the interior in the Mbida government. When Mbida was forced to resign in February 1958, Ahidjo, who had broken with him earlier, took over as premier.On January 1, 1960, the former French Cameroon Trust Territory became an independent republic, and in May Ahidjo was elected his country's first president. When, on October 1, 1961, the Cameroon Republic and the former British Trust Territory of the Southern Cameroons merged to become the Federal Republic of Cameroon, he became president of the federation. On March 23, 1970, Ahidjo, as the only candidate of the ruling Cameroon National Union (CNU), was reelected to his second seven-year term as president.Personality and Political ViewsAhidjo began his career as a deputy from the Benué region in the north, representing northern sectional interests. As his outlook broadened, he helped found a number of n...
Video Length: 293
Date Found: September 08, 2009
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