On 31 December 1966, there was a violent uprising by the autochthonous Bakossi against the Bamileke ‘invaders’ in the Tombel area in Cameroon. The author highlights the long history of autochthony movements in Cameroon, focusing on this so-called Bakossi-Bamileke war in the immediate postcolonial era. He identifies several explanatory factors for this violence. One factor was what the Bakossi styles the Bamileke ‘invasion’ of their area: the Bamileke had settled in large numbers in the area, grabbed their lands and had begun to dominate food and cash-crop production as well as local commerce. Another factor was what the Bakossi perceived as Bamileke provocation: the Bamileke settlers were suspected of supporting the local ‘maquisard’ attacks in Bakossi territory and even of being terrorists themselves. A final factor was the fuelling of existing anti-Bamileke sentiment among the local population by the Bakossi elite in their struggle for power. The author presents evidence that the uprising was the result of long-term planning on the part of the Bakossi. He also pays attention to the vital comntributions made by traditional medicine men and secret societies in the bloody incident. Notes, ref. [ASC Leiden abstract]
