Already 57 years old Signed on the 26th December 1959 by President Ahidjo and the France of President Charles de Gaulle. Up till date, neither Paul Biya, nor Georges Pompidou, Valery Giscard d’Estaing, Francois Mitterand, Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy or Francois Hollande have changed anything. However, article 6 raises a lot of concern.
Article 6 of this Cooperation Agreement between France and Cameroon reads;
1- France shall determine Cameroon’s political, economic, and sociocultural orientations.
2- France shall manufacture money for Cameroon, the FCFA
3- France shall guide the determination of Cameroon’s educational programs at all levels
4-The French public treasury shall have a portfolio named operations account to cover 100% of Cameroon’s foreign exchange. NB: This percentage has been revised to 65% in 1972 and 1973 in Brazzaville and Dakar for BEAC and UMOA respectively, and finally sits at 50% today.
5- France shall be given priority in the exploitation of Cameroon’s strategic raw materials. In the event where France is not interested Cameroon may seek other partners or exploit the raw material herself.
6- 10th November 1961: Military Assistance. Each time that the Cameroonian president is overwhelmed by an external aggression or internal rebellion, he may call on French military assistance. In the event where the Cameroonian president is unable to seek this assistance by any form of communication, the French ambassador to Cameroon can make the request instead of Cameroonian authorities.
