On Thursday, Nigeria and Cameroon announced they would forego seeking a court ruling to settle their border dispute. Instead, the two nations have opted to validate a demarcation plan through joint delegations, aiming to resolve long-standing territorial disagreements.
The countries share approximately 2,100 kilometers (1,300 miles) of border stretching from Lake Chad in the north to the Atlantic Ocean coast in the Gulf of Guinea.
Leonardo Santos Simao, chairperson of the United Nations-established Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission aimed at resolving territorial disputes, expressed satisfaction with the countries’ decision to settle their differences without pursuing lengthy and costly proceedings at the International Court of Justice.
During a meeting of the Mixed Commission held on Wednesday and Thursday in Yaounde, an agreement was reached to peacefully resolve border disputes by the end of 2025.
Simao, chairperson of the United Nations-established Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission, hailed this agreement as a milestone.
Before the end of 2024, both nations have pledged to visit contested territories in Rumsiki and Tourou in northern Cameroon, as well as Koche in eastern Nigeria.
Leading the West African state’s delegation to the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission, Nigerian Justice Minister Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi confirmed that both countries have agreed to complete the project within 12 months.
“It’s a consensus between Cameroon and Nigeria. By the end of 2025, this project should be concluded,” he stated.
“We have managed the situation admirably and maturely, with minimal dissent. We are pleased with the outcome of the two-day meeting and optimistic that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
Cameroon and Nigeria have cited Boko Haram terrorism in both countries as a previous obstacle to border demarcation.
They now state that with the group’s firepower significantly reduced, they can proceed with the demarcation process.
Both countries have agreed to resolve current disagreements over the precise border locations in around 30 villages.
The Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission was created in 2002 at the request of President Paul Biya of Cameroon and then-Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo to oversee the implementation of an International Court of Justice ruling dated October 10, 2002.
This ruling granted Bakassi, an oil-rich border peninsula, to Cameroon.
Initially, Nigeria rejected the verdict, with its senate arguing that the ruling, based on a colonial-era agreement, was unjust and should be appealed.
However, Nigerian officials eventually decided that the verdict should be honored and respected.
YOU MAY ALSO READ: West African defense chiefs propose $2.6 billion annual plan for 5,000-strong standby force