This dyad belongs to the conflict Cameroon - Nigeria
Summary of conflict Cameroon - Nigeria
The border dispute between Nigeria and Cameroon concerns the Bakassi peninsula, an area rich in oil and natural gas. Both counties claim sovereignty over the area. Ever since the 1960s, there have been occasional border incidents but the most recent crisis dates back to the early 1990s. There were outbreaks of open hostilities in 1994 but the conflict became active in 1996. In 1994 the case of Bakassi was brought to the International Court of Justice who in 2002 granted sovereignty over Bakassi to Cameroon. Regional mediation over the years resulted in a peace agreement in 2006 that regulated the conflict.
Background and context
Poorly demarcated borders in central and west Africa are one of the many legacies of colonialism. This vagueness has led to numerous border disputes in these regions. The protracted border dispute between Nigeria and Cameroon concerns the Bakassi peninsula, a low-lying strip of coastal swamp, located at the southernmost tip of Nigerias Cross River State. The inhabitants mainly consist of poor fishermen, and a majority of them regard themselves as members of the Calabar kingdom of southeastern Nigeria. Since both the peninsula itself and the coastal areas around it have proved to be rich in oil, as well as in fish and natural gas, the area is of great economic importance. The dispute is based on disparate views of treaties signed by colonial powers Great Britain and Germany. Nigeria refers to a document signed in 1884, placing Bakassi in Nigeria, whereas Cameroon regards a treaty from 1913, placing Bakassi in Cameroon, to be the sole legitimate document.
Conflict Dynamics
Ever since the 1960s, there have been occasional border incidents on the peninsula, but the most recent crisis dates back to the early 1990s, when the situation became increasingly tense. In June 1991, Nigeria accused Cameroon of annexing nine Nigerian fishing settlements on the Bakassi Peninsula and following repeated claims of incursions by the Cameroon army, Nigeria sent some 500-1000 troops to the area in December 1993, in view to defend its citizens. The Nigerian troops were stationed on Atabong West and the Cameroonian ones on Atabong East, two small islands, separated only by a narrow creek. The situation grew more and more tense and in January 1994, Cameroonian security forces killed a number of Nigerian civilians, and the following month the two armies clashed on the peninsula. The conflict continued at a low intensity until 1996, when the conflict grew more intense for one year, with the most violent clashes taking place in April and May. After this, the conflict de-escalated, but there were occasional reports of fighting in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001-2002 and 2005.
Foreign involvement
There is no evidence of foreign troops being active in the conflict. However, after the violent clashes in 1996, Nigeria accused France of sending troops to the Bakassi peninsula. France had indeed dispatched 15 paratroopers and two helicopters to Cameroon, with which it had a mutual defence pact, but maintained that its personnel would not be deployed in the peninsula. With its increased military presence in Cameroon, France did, however, signal that it would not stand idly by if the conflict escalated further. Furthermore, in late 1999 and early 2000, France initiated the construction of a military base, close to the disputed territory, provoking angry Nigerian reactions. Apart from the French involvement, there has been no external help forthcoming to any of the parties.
Peace efforts
Bilateral negotiations on the border dispute date back to the 1960s. However, after the outbreak of open hostilities in 1994, negotiations were difficult to initiate. In mid-1994, Cameroons president Paul Biya refused to take up Nigerias head of state, Gen. Sani Abachas invitation to go to Nigeria for discussions, stating that he would not visit the neighbouring country as long as its troops occupied Cameroonian territory. During the same year, the Cameroonian Government decided to bring the case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. Apart from the issue of Bakassi, the court was also asked to investigate the sovereignty of areas in the Lake Chad Basin as well as some other sections along the two countries over 1700 km long land border. While the ICJ was reviewing the case, further attempts were made by a number of outside parties to bring representatives of the two states together. The Organisation of African Unity (OAU) mediated negotiations between Nigeria and Cameroon and separate talks were also instigated by Togo and Gabon. Even though some rounds of negotiations did take place, no bilateral agreement was reached concerning the peninsula. In September 2002, as the ruling of the ICJ drew closer, the parties met under the auspices of both UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and French president Jaques Chirac in Paris. At the meeting both Nigerias president Olusegun Obasanjo and his Cameroonian counterpart agreed to respect the ICJ decision and to not make any inflammatory statements. Furthermore, it was decided that the question of the demilitarisation of the peninsula would be discussed.
The International Court ruling on Bakassi status
In 1994, the Cameroonian Government had decided to bring the case of Bakassi to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. On 10 October 2002, the ICJ delivered its judgement, granting sovereignty over Bakassi to Cameroon. Furthermore, the court called for the immediate removal of all Nigerian army personnel and administrators from the peninsula. Nigeria, hard pressed to accept the ruling due to the September meeting, initially stalled, but in late October issued a statement, saying that the country would not cede sovereignty of the region. In the statement, Nigeria also accused Africas former colonial rulers of interfering in the courts judgement. Tension rose and there were speculations of an imminent outbreak of armed conflict. However, at an UN-sponsored meeting in November, president Obasanjo and president Biya agreed to renounce violence and embrace dialogue, which led to a marked reduction in tension. Furthermore, it was decided that the UN would set up a joint Nigerian/Cameroonian commission to negotiate the question. This commission called its first meeting in early December 2002 and through the following years a series of further meetings have been held.
Initially, the Joint commission focused on other, less complicated aspects of the ICJ ruling than Bakassi. After an agreement was reached on the Lake Chad Basin in December 2003, it was however announced that Bakassi was next on the agenda. In 2004, the negotiations and consultations continued, albeit without any breakthrough on the issue of the peninsular. While the process of withdrawal and transfer of authority was implemented in Lake Chad and along the common border, Nigeria failed to meet a new deadline set for the handover of the peninsular to Cameroon in September 2004, citing technical issues. Talks were deadlocked in the joint commission and the issue was referred back to the two countrys heads of state and the UN Secretary General. Through 2005, negotiations to agree on a timetable were unsuccessful and on the ground, the dispute flared again in June 2005, albeit not reaching the level of minor armed conflict.
Peace agreement
Following intensive negotiations in 2006, the two states eventually managed to come to an agreement and on 12 June the Greentree accord was signed, stipulating for Nigeria to withdraw its troops and administration within 60 days. Under the deal, the islands of Atabong and Abana, which form the western part of Bakassi, is to continue to be administrated by Nigeria for two years, however, and Nigerians living in southern Bakassi will have two years to decide whether to remain Nigerian citizen living in Cameroon, to take Cameroonian nationality or to return to Nigeria proper. On 14 August the troop withdrawal was completed and officials from Nigeria and Cameroon held a joint ceremony to mark the peninsulas transfer to the latter. However, the reaction from the local population, a majority of whom consider themselves to be Nigerian, has been far from positive and there have been indications that some are willing to go so far as to take to arms. In August a group of youths hoisted blue-and-white flags across the region and proclaimed the secession of a "Democratic Republic of Bakassi" and rumours speak of help being requested from militants in the volatile Niger delta.
