Northern Cameroons - The Government of the Republic of Cameroon files an Application instituting proceedings against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

~onnwiiiué NO, 61/16

(unof ficicl)

The folloiving information fron the Begistryof the International
. Court of Justiceis com~iceted to the Press:

On 30 Ii!Ia1961,the Gomrmm.lt of the RepubXicof Camerounfiled in
the Registry of the Internationa Clourt of Jiistico an Application
lnstieuting proceedings%ainst the United Kingdor~ af Great Britain and
Nortkern Ireland.

The Bpplicat found~ the jwlsdictiofi of the Court on Article 19 of
the Trusteeship Ameenent fos the Territoryof the Cnneroons under
British isdciinistration, spprovedby the Generaldssenblyof the United
Nations on 13 Decer.lber1946.

The Applicationxecites that the Territory of the Cnneroons the
abinistration of ahich had bcen entmsted to the United Kingdon under
a rnandate of the Leagw of Nations was placed under interizatioml
0 tsusteeship 'ay the Agreement approved by the United Mations in 1946.

Since then, the administration of the northern part of the Tesritory
had tended simply to integrate it within the administrativ sy~tem of
the Northern Xegion of lTigexia and to separate the southern part of the
Territory which, under the naxe of the Southern Cmeroons, becane a
quasi-autonomou region of the Federstion of Nigeria.

In its report to the TrusteeshipGouncil in 1958, the United
Nations VisitingIIisslon noted the imediacy of the question of the
future of the populations of the Territorywhen those of the

neighbouring territories of the Federationof Nigeria and of the Tersitory
of the C meroons under French Adninis tration shoiald achieve inde pendence
in 1960. At its resw~ed sessian in Iiiiarc1959, the Genernl Asssrnbly of
the UnitedIT~tions had accepted the principle of separate plebiscites
under United Nationssupervision in the northernand southern parts of
the Cmeroons under British trusteeship.

Tho Republic of Cameroun alleges that th^ Morthern Cmeroons under
e British administration nexe not adninistered as itseparate territory
within an administrativ union, but as an intepal part of Nigeria;

thnt the objectives set forth in Article 6 of the Trusteesl-iip Agreettent
(the developrnent of f ree politicalinstitution s m increasing share
for the inhabitantsin the adrrilnistrative services, their participation
in advisory,and Legislative bodies and in the goverrment of the
~erritory) wexe not attainedg %bat the Trusteeship Agreement did not
authorize the Adminis teringPot~er to a&:linis ter the Territoryas two
separate parts, contsary to the mle of unity, in accordance with tno
aih~inistrative systens axidwith sepmate political evolutions p that
the provisions of $ 7 of Genaral Asseiabi'blResolution 1473 (XIV) of
12 Decomber 1359, relating La the sepzratianof the abinistration of

the ,,., the Nor-hem Gajiieroons fronthat of Nigeria, vere not folloned, and
.'-thzL.*he. masures .provided for in 5 6 for further decentralization '

aere- h'c;t implenented; that the ~onditi~ns laid dom in 4 of the
Resolution fox the draviing up of electorallists were interpretedin
a discrininator yannerg thaf the acts of the local authorities in
the period precedingthe. plebiscite &'d during the election altered .
the nomal course of that coniultation and invalved consequenees in'
cpnflictwith the Tnisteeship Agreemen-t..
I .-
The ~~~libant asks the Courttb adjudge and declare that in.the
hpplication of the Trustecship Agreement of 13 Decenber 1946 the
United Kingdon has Sailed to respect certainobligations fldng .
theref rom.

The Hague, 1 une 1961