Nigeria / Cameroon Border Redrawn Along Colonial Lines

The presidents of Nigeria and Cameroon have signed an agreement settling the dispute over whether the Bakassi Peninsula belongs to Nigeria (which occupies it) or Cameroon. Under the agreement, Nigeria has finally recognised the ruling made in 2002 by the International Court of Justice, which granted the peninsula to Cameroon, citing a 1913 agreement between Britain and Germany over the border. Nigerian troops are to be withdrawn within 60 days and the Nigerian administration over the next two years.

In the United Nations press release on the agreement Nigeria's President Obasanjo is quoted as saying the agreement "is a great achievement in conflict prevention, which practically reflects its cost effectiveness when compared to the alternative of conflict resolution ... Its significance therefore goes much beyond Nigeria and Cameroon. It should represent a model for the resolution of similar conflicts in Africa, and I dare say, in the world at large." You can't help but wonder, however, whether it would ever have been an issue if the Bakassi Peninsula didn't have oil.

Read More:
• United Nations press release on Bakassi Peninsula agreement
• International Court of Justice 2002 Ruling
• Cameroon Info Net
• BBC News report
• BBC News Bakassi Peninsula Photo Gallery