Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lagos (Agenzia Fides) – Tensions have sparked once again over the Bakassi Peninsula, where in recent days, three Cameroon soldiers were wounded in an assault on a military post on the border with Nigeria.
Bakassi is a land rich in oil and fishing resources, and has been long-disputed over by Cameroon and Nigeria. An international decision awarded the peninsula to Cameroon and last August 15, the last piece of the territory will be handed over to the Nigerian and Cameroon authorities. 90% of the inhabitants of Bakassi are of Nigerian background and many have decided to move back to Nigeria. Recent months have been characterized by attacks, even mortal ones, performed by unknown armed groups against the Cameroon Army, which is taking over the Nigerian outposts. The most serious attack occurred on June 9, when a high-ranking official and 5 soldiers on a boat were killed in a Nigerian pirate attack. In Cameroon, there is a growing concern of having to face an organized guerrilla movement, or at least a series of armed groups that could cause problems for an army that does not appear to be sufficiently prepared to face a situation of this kind.
In the meantime, other worrisome signals are coming in from Nigeria. Nigerian soldiers, in fact, in the course of federal Parliament hearings, stated that they had not been consulted by former President Olusegun Obasanjo during the negotiations prior to the signing that took place at Green Tree (United States) in 2006, where Nigeria ceded the peninsula to Cameroon. The Navy, in particular, affirms that the treaty forces Nigeria to request permission from Cameroon in order to pass through a narrow canal in Bakassi that leads to the Calabar Port. The Nigerian Major Chief of State stated that the treaty that cedes Bakassi to Cameroon goes against national interests and “is not acceptable.” The difficult position held by the military comes in addition to declarations already made by several Nigerian members of Parliament who say that the Green Tree Accords are not valid because they were never ratified by the Nigerian Senate.
The Nigerian military has also shed light on the fact that in the conflict between Nigeria and Cameroon, the latter could use the defense agreements that tie it to France.
The high-ranking Nigerian officials observe that Abuja does not have similar accords with any power. Great Britain, however, is making an effort to train and support the Nigerian security forces in order to place order in the Niger Delta region (not far from Bakassi), where pirates, smugglers, and guerrilla soldiers hinder oil mining on the part of various multi-national companies. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 17/7/2008)
