c. 1350 Tikar migrations into the Grassfields Precolonial Cameroon c. 1394 Founding of the Bamum kingdom by Nchare Yen Precolonial Cameroon 1472 Portuguese contact and the naming of the Rio dos Camarões Early contact and the Atlantic trade c. 1500 Decline of the Sao and the rise of the Kotoko kingdoms Precolonial Cameroon c. 1550 Formation of the Bamileke chiefdoms Precolonial Cameroon c. 1660 Rise of the Duala as a coastal trading power Early contact and the Atlantic trade c. 1750 The Atlantic slave trade and the port of Bimbia Early contact and the Atlantic trade c. 1809–1847 Fulani jihad and the founding of the Adamawa emirate Precolonial Cameroon c. 1830–1860 Transition to so-called "legitimate" commerce Early contact and the Atlantic trade 10 June 1840 – 7 May 1841 Anti-slave-trade treaties signed by Bell and Akwa Early contact and the Atlantic trade 1845 – 1858 Alfred Saker’s Baptist mission and the founding of Victoria Early contact and the Atlantic trade 12 July 1884 – 19 July 1884 The Germano-Duala protection treaty and the proclamation of Kamerun German Kamerun c. 1896 Sultan Njoya and the invention of the Bamum script German Kamerun 1901 Capital moved to Buea and the colonial plantation economy German Kamerun c. 1909–1914 Railway construction and forced labour German Kamerun 6 August 1914 – 10 March 1916 The Kamerun campaign of the First World War German Kamerun 8 August 1914 Resistance and execution of Rudolf Duala Manga Bell German Kamerun February 1916 – March 1916 The Picot line and the provisional partition of Kamerun Mandates and trusteeships 28 June 1919 The Treaty of Versailles confirms the partition of Kamerun Mandates and trusteeships 1922 Indirect rule of the British Cameroons from Nigeria Mandates and trusteeships 20 July 1922 League of Nations mandates over French Cameroun and the British Cameroons Mandates and trusteeships 1924 The indigénat and forced labour in French Cameroun Mandates and trusteeships 13 December 1946 Cameroon becomes a UN trust territory Mandates and trusteeships 22 December 1946 Creation of the Representative Assembly of Cameroon (ARCAM) Mandates and trusteeships 10 April 1948 Founding of the Union des Populations du Cameroun (UPC) Mandates and trusteeships May 1955 – January 1971 UPC insurrection and the war in the Bassa and Bamileke regions · Contested Independence and reunification 18 February 1958 Ahmadou Ahidjo becomes Prime Minister as Cameroon gains internal autonomy Independence and reunification 13 September 1958 Death of Ruben Um Nyobè, secretary-general of the UPC Independence and reunification 1 January 1960 Independence of Cameroon Independence and reunification 11 February 1961 – 12 February 1961 1961 plebiscite in the British-administered Cameroons · Contested Independence and reunification 17 July 1961 – 1 October 1961 Foumban conference and the reunification of Cameroon Independence and reunification 1 September 1966 Formation of the single party, the Cameroon National Union (CNU) Independence and reunification 20 May 1972 1972 referendum and the creation of the unitary state · Contested Independence and reunification 2 June 1972 Proclamation of the United Republic of Cameroon United Republic of Cameroon 18 May 1973 1973 legislative elections and the unitary National Assembly United Republic of Cameroon 30 June 1975 Creation of the office of Prime Minister and Paul Biya’s appointment United Republic of Cameroon 1976 First general population census of 1976 United Republic of Cameroon 4 November 1982 – 6 November 1982 Ahmadou Ahidjo’s resignation and Paul Biya’s inauguration The Renouveau era (since 1982) 6 April 1984 – 30 April 1984 The 6 April 1984 coup attempt · Contested The Renouveau era (since 1982) 26 May 1990 Launch of the Social Democratic Front in Bamenda The Renouveau era (since 1982) 19 December 1990 December 1990 "Liberty Laws" and the legalisation of multiparty politics The Renouveau era (since 1982) 11 October 1992 – 23 October 1992 1992 disputed presidential election · Contested The Renouveau era (since 1982) 18 January 1996 1996 Constitution and decentralisation The Renouveau era (since 1982) 10 October 2002 International Court of Justice ruling on Bakassi The Renouveau era (since 1982) 12 June 2006 Greentree Agreement on Nigeria’s withdrawal from Bakassi The Renouveau era (since 1982) 14 August 2008 Handover of the Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon The Renouveau era (since 1982) 2 March 2014 Boko Haram insurgency in the Far North The Renouveau era (since 1982) October 2016 – October 2017 Onset of the Anglophone crisis in the North-West and South-West · Contested The Renouveau era (since 1982) 10 September 2019 – 24 December 2019 Major National Dialogue and the 2019 special status The Renouveau era (since 1982) 21 January 2025 – 28 January 2025 Report of the joint Franco-Cameroonian historians’ commission The Renouveau era (since 1982) 12 October 2025 – 27 October 2025 2025 disputed presidential election · Contested The Renouveau era (since 1982) Official source Constitutional Council