Diplomatic and Administrative Contributions in Peace Building on the Cameroon – Nigeria Border Conflict: From Colonial to Post Colonial Era

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue X, October 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186

Diplomatic and Administrative Contributions in Peace Building on the Cameroon – Nigeria Border Conflict: From Colonial to Post Colonial Era

René NGEK MONTEH

University of Yaoundé

Abstract: – Border conflicts in Africa especially during the post-colonial era have become too recurrent and have significantly affected the daily activities of individuals and the States. The cases opposing Cameroon and Nigeria over the disputed areas of Bakassi and Darak became recurrent during the early 1990s despite colonial early attempts to demarcate the borders. From this period, regular border skirmishes attracted international attention when the two sides became involved in a protracted war over the ownership and control of the Bakassi Peninsula and Darak located at the banks of Lake Chad, all rich in oil reserves. This paper thus examines the role played by diplomatic and administrative agreements in the resolution of border conflicts between Cameroon and Nigeria. In this paper, we used the historical approach, taking cognizance of existing scholarly works and researches. We equally used the model of a simple descriptive collation and analysis of historical data for objective precision so as to determine the authenticity of data and their relevance. Resulting from our findings, we noticed that diplomacy and administrative efforts were major tools in the realization of these agreements, treaties and declaration between all the actors involved in the conflict. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) looked at both the political and socio-economic impact of the border conflict before passing it final verdict in order to insure diplomatic continuity amongst the contesting States. The study ends by proposing to Cameroon government the way forward for rehabilitation or therapy needed for the restoration of peace and the development of the area. Infrastructural development and effective presence are considered to be essential elements in border management policies.

Keywords: diplomacy, administrative, peace building, Cameroon-Nigeria, border conflict.

I. INTRODUCTION

The subject of our study is the Cameroon-Nigerian border, 1500 km long and covering the Far North regions (Darak in Lake Chad) and the Southwest (Bakassi in the Gulf of Guinea) of Cameroon. The Bakassi area is located in the South-West Region, Ndian Division. It is bordered to the east by Ekondo-Titi Sub-division, to the south by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west by the Federal Republic of Nigeria and to the north by the Mundemba Sub-division.

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