French Equatorial Africa (French: Afrique équatoriale française, or AEF) was a federation of French colonial territories in Equatorial Africa, established in 1910. It consisted of four main territories: Gabon, French Congo, Ubangi-Shari, and Chad.
Map of French Equatorial Africa in 1913
Formation and Structure
French Equatorial Africa was first formed in 1910 by the federation of three French imperial colonies - Gabon, Middle Congo, and Ubangi-Shari-Chad - comprising a total area of 969,112 square miles (2,500,000 sq km). The French conquest of what would become Equatorial Africa began around 1897, when France was beginning to expand south of its North African colonies of Algeria and Tunisia.
The federation contained four colonial possessions: French Gabon, French Congo, Ubangi-Shari and French Chad. In 1908 French Equatorial Africa was divided into four colonies in hopes of strengthening French authority within the region. The postal administrations of the four territories were separate until 1936, each issuing its own stamps.
The French governor general's office was established in Brazzaville, Congo. As of 1942, the AEF was administered by a governor-general, who had "the supreme direction of all services, both civil and military."
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Under the unified colony, three of the constituent territories, Chad, Gabon, and Ubangi-Shari, were administered by a governor, while Moyen-Congo was under the purview of the governor-general. Each had a council of local interests (Conseil des Intérêts Locaux) similar to the council of administration.
Key Figures
- Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza: A French-Italian explorer instrumental in establishing French control in the region. On September 10, 1880, Brazza signed a treaty with King Makoko of Teke, whose territory occupied a strategic position in the Congo River basin. He became the most important colonial administrator in French Equatorial Africa.
- Governor General Adolphe Félix Sylvestre Éboué: Chose to side with the Britain-based Free France and the Allies during WW2.
Colonial Policies and Practices
French Equatorial Africa began with the concept of association, which was implemented through treaties promising French protection by the Italian-French explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza during the mid-1800s, who convinced indigenous communities to cooperate with the French in exchange for greater trade opportunities.
The AEF was perceived by France as an unstable colony. Therefore, France granted private companies contracts for the exploitation of natural resources like ivory and rubber, rather than sustainable investment. French Equatorial Africa, especially the region of Ubangi-Shari, had a similar concession system as the Congo Free State and similar atrocities were also committed there.
In French Equatorial Africa, the French authorities long tolerated indigenous slavery, but finally acted against the slave trade of the Sultan of Dar Kuti in 1908, and took action against his slave raids in 1911, declaring the slaves in Dar al Kuti free and annexing the territory in 1912.
Until 1934, French Equatorial Africa was a federation of French colonies like French West Africa. "Most important legislation is enacted in Paris," wrote the authors of the 1942 British naval intelligence handbook for the colony, "whilst the governor-general fills in minor details and penalties."
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World War II and the Free French Forces
Thrifty History - The Battle of Gabon
During WW2, after the French capitulation and the establishment of the new government in Vichy, France, most of the French colonies proclaimed non-belligerency, following the footsteps of their Vichy-French leaders. French Equatorial Africa was one of the exceptions.
Governor General Adolphe Félix Sylvestre Éboué, along with most of his deputies, chose to side with the Britain-based Free France and the Allies. French Cameroun and the entirety of the AEF except for Gabon rallied to the Free French Forces in August 1940, Gabon instead remained loyal to Vichy France until 12 November 1940 when the Vichy administration withdrew following the Battle of Gabon.
Wishing to use French Equatorial Africa as a whole as a staging point for a possible over-land Free French invasion of North Africa, Charles de Gaulle called for the elimination of Vichy-leaning forces in Gabon. The conflict between the two French factions lasted from late Oct to mid Nov 1940, with French (and colonial) troops fighting each other on land and French warships firing on each other at sea.
On 12 Nov 1940, after seeing his forces reduced to ineffective pockets, Masson negotiated surrender to the Free French before committing suicide. The federation became the strategic centre of Free French activities in Africa.
Some of the officers and troops who served Masson joined the Free French after that point, but those who refused, including General Marcel Tetu, were kept as prisoners of war in Congo for the duration of WW2.
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After the war, French Equatorial Africa was given representation in the French parliament.
Dissolution and Legacy
In Sep 1958, French Equatorial Africa was dissolved after a referendum showed the people wished for independence. When the territories voted in the September 1958 referendum to become autonomous within the French Community, the federation was dissolved.
The federation ended in 1959 after the territories had chosen - in 1958 - to become self-governing republics of the French Community. In 1959, the Union of Central African Republics was formed as an interim entity to government the former colony.
Middle Congo was renamed Republic of the Congo, and Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic. Accounting for a little less than an eighth of Africa, across modern day Central African Republic, Republic of Chad, Republic of the Congo, Republic of Gabon, and most of Cameroon, the greater part of French Equatorial Africa extended over a granite plateau, framed by the Tibesti, Ouadaï, and Fertit massifs to the northeast, Darfur to the east and the Crystal mountains and Mayombe in the southwest.
Many former French colonies adopted the simple vertical stripes of the French tricolor when they designed their own flags.
Territories of French Equatorial Africa
| Territory | Present-Day Country |
|---|---|
| Gabon | Gabon |
| Middle Congo | Republic of the Congo |
| Ubangi-Shari | Central African Republic |
| Chad | Chad |
Location of Chad, one of the territories of French Equatorial Africa
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