History
The name "Cotonou" means "mouth of the river of death" in the Fon language. At the beginning of the 19th century, Cotonou (then spelled "Kotonou") was a small fishing village. Though originally ruled by the Kingdom of Dahomey, in 1851 the French made a treaty with the Dahomean King Ghezo that allowed them to establish a trading post at Cotonou. During the reign of Glele, his successor (1858–89), the territory was ceded to France by a treaty signed on May 19, 1868. In 1883, the French navy occupied the city to prevent British conquest of the area. After Glele's death in 1889, his son Behanzin tried, unsuccessfully, to challenge the treaty. From then on, the town developed quickly to become the largest harbour in the region.
In June 2000, the Cotonou Agreement treaty was signed between the European Union and the group of African, Caribbean, and Pacific states (ACP countries) in Cotonou. The Cotonou Agreement replaced the Lomé Convention which had been the basis for ACP-EU development cooperation since 1975. The Cotonou Agreement has a much broader scope, and is aimed at the reduction and eventual eradication of poverty while contributing to sustainable development and to the gradual integration of ACP countries into the world economy. The revised Cotonou Agreement is also concerned with the fight against impunity and promotion of criminal justice through the International Criminal Court. It was signed by 79 ACP countries and the then fifteen member states of the European Union. It entered into force in 2003 and is the latest agreement in the history of ACP-EU Development Cooperation.
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