Hendrik Verwoerd become prime minister of South Africa on the death of J.G. Strijdom

The Transkei becomes the first African homeland, or Bantustan, within South Africa

Rwanda suffers the first nationwide outbreak of Hutu violence against Tutsis

UK prime minister Harold Macmillan, in Cape Town, warns the white settlers of Africa that 'the wind of change' is blowing through their continent

French Cameroun becomes independent as the republic of Cameroun, with Ahmadou Ahidjo as the first president

Kenneth Kaunda is elected president of UNIP, a new party fighting for an independent Northern Rhodesia

South African police fire on a crowd in Sharpeville, near Johannesburg, killing more than sixty people

French Togo becomes independent as the republic of Togo, with Sylvanus Olympio as president

French Sudan becomes independent as the republic of Mali, with Modibo Keita as president

Madagascar becomes independent (under the name Malagasy republic from till 1975), with Philibert Tsiranana as president

Patrice Lumumba becomes prime minister of the newly independent Democratic Republic of the Congo, previously the Belgian Congo

The South West Africa People's Organization is founded to fight against South African control of Namibia

British and Italian colonies merge as the independent Somali republic, also known as Somalia, with Aden Abdullah Osman as president

Moise Tshombe, taking advantage of chaos in the Congo, declares the independence of Katanga

Anti-European riots in the Congo cause some 25,000 Belgians to flee the country

Nelson Mandela leads a new armed section of the ANC (African National Congress), formed in response to Sharpeville

The French colony of Dahomey (known from 1975 as Benin) becomes independent but suffers six military coups in its first twelve years

Kenyatta, still in prison, is elected leader of KANU, a new political party in Kenya

The French colony of Upper Volta becomes independent as Burkina Faso, with Maurice Yaméogo as president

Félix Houphouët-Boigny, first president of the newly independent Ivory Coast, begins thirty-three years of relatively peaceful rule

The French colony of Chad becomes independent with François Tombalbaye as president

The French colony of Gabon becomes independent with Léon M'ba as president

The French colony of Ubangi-Shari becomes independent and takes the name Central African Republic

The French Congo becomes independent as the republic of Congo, with Fulbert Youlou as president

Mobutu Sese Seko takes power in a military coup in the midst of chaos in the Congo