Cameroon-Nigeria Border Conflict Prevention and Resolution Over the Bakassi Peninsula, 1884 – 2008: Model for Peacebuilding in Africa

Abstract

Purpose: Relations between Nigeria and Cameroon have been strained for a number of years due to conflicts over the ownership and administration of the resource-rich Bakassi Peninsula. After independence, Cameroon and Nigeria accepted the colonial borders, but Nigerian authorities decided in 1980 to question these borders. Following several failed diplomatic attempts to prevent and resolve the conflict, Cameroon approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague with a petition on March 29, 1994 and at the end of the process which lasted eight years, the ICJ rendered its final verdict on October 10, 2002 in favour of Cameroon. This study seeks to examine the geopolitics and historical context of the Bakassi dispute. It argues that, the different conflict prevention measures adopted through the creation of the Joint Cameroon–Nigeria Border Commission in 1965; Yaounde I Declaration of August 14, 1970; Yaounde II Declaration of April 4, 1971; Kano Declaration of September 1, 1974; Maroua Declaration of June 1, 1975; and the activities of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission from 2002 to 2007 provided a model for dialogue and mediation in the prevention of armed conflicts in Africa. Methodology: The study utilized primary and secondary sources to investigate the measures adopted in preventing the conflict and to ascertain that the methods of conflict resolution such as mediation, bilateral negotiation, facilitation, adjudication, agreement and dialogue applied were very successful. Findings: The study concludes that, addressing the shortcomings of conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms could improve stability, guarantee security and maintain peace. The study recommends that, governments, the general public, litigants, mediators and policymakers involved in the prevention and resolution of border conflicts should be educated and trained on alternative dispute resolution processes in Africa. Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: This study contributes to theory, policy and practice in the sense that, conflict prevention through dialogue, creation of joint and mixed commissions, and the arrival of consensus through declarations and agreements have significant potentials for handling and resolving the growing number of armed border conflicts in Africa.