Mandates and trusteeships

1916–1954

Defeated, German Kamerun was divided between France and the United Kingdom, first provisionally in 1916 and then, through the Treaty of Versailles (1919) and the League of Nations mandates (1922), into two separate territories: French Cameroun and the British Cameroons, the latter administered from neighbouring Nigeria. Turned into United Nations trust territories in 1946, they saw the birth of representative assemblies and, in 1948, the founding of the Union des Populations du Cameroun (UPC), which demanded independence and reunification.

Official sourceUNESCO – General History of AfricaPublished 1 Jan 1993Verified 4 Sept 2026

Events of this era

Events of this era
Date	Event	Source
February 1916 – March 1916	The Picot line and the provisional partition of Kamerun	Official sourceUNESCO – General History of Africa
28 June 1919	The Treaty of Versailles confirms the partition of Kamerun	Official sourceUNESCO – General History of Africa
1922	Indirect rule of the British Cameroons from Nigeria	Official sourceUNESCO – General History of Africa
20 July 1922	League of Nations mandates over French Cameroun and the British Cameroons	Official sourceUNESCO – General History of Africa
1924	The indigénat and forced labour in French Cameroun	Official sourceUNESCO – General History of Africa
13 December 1946	Cameroon becomes a UN trust territory	Official sourceUNESCO – General History of Africa
22 December 1946	Creation of the Representative Assembly of Cameroon (ARCAM)	Official sourceNational Assembly of Cameroon
10 April 1948	Founding of the Union des Populations du Cameroun (UPC)	Official sourceUNESCO – General History of Africa