Cameroon became French in 1919 according to the Treaty of Versailles. The French government now forced the moving of Alexandre Douala-Bell to France, expecting this would give a benefit to the legitimacy of the new French rule in Cameroon. On the other hand, the French government distrusted him because of his German background and insisted on "frenchifying" him before returning to Cameroon. In mid-1919, the couple moved to Paris. After some temporary stays, Alexandre Douala-Bell returned to Cameroon in 1922, but without his wife Andrea Manga Bell and the children who remained in Europe. In the following years he had to fight for his position in Cameroon, as well as for his family property, around which he led an 18-year-long lawsuit.Richard Joseph: The Royal Pretender: Prince Douala Manga Bell in Paris, 1919-1922. in: Cahiers d'Études Africaines, Vol. 14, No. 54, p. 339-358, Paris 1974
