Ahmadou Ahidjo

Ahmadou Ahidjo Babatoura ( born August 24, 1924 in Garoua, † November 30, 1989 in Dakar ) was 1960-1982 President of Cameroon.

Life

Ahidjo began his political career in French Cameroon in the 1940s. When the country gained its independence in 1960, he was elected President and was able to convince a part of British Cameroon to join his country. 1965, 1970, 1975 and 1980 he was re-elected and established his party gradually as Unity Party until 1976 finally forbade all others.

In the 1960s, threatened him, the rebellion of a group called United Populations of Cameroon, but this was put down to 1970. In the early 1970s he created an unpopular constitution which ended the autonomy of British Cameroon and established a unified command. Although many of his actions were dictatorial character, his country became one of the most stable in Africa. The football stadium is reminiscent of Yaoundé with his name on it as the first President of Cameroon.

Ahidjo resigned on November 6, 1982 for health reasons. 1983, developed serious conflicts with his successor, Paul Biya, and in July Ahidjo went into exile in France. He was sentenced on February 8, 1984 in absence due to participation in a conspiracy against Biya to death. On March 14, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Until his death Ahidjo lived alternately in southern France and in Senegal.