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Bakassi Peninsular: Signs Of Worst Things To Come By Elie Smith
The presumed oil rich Bakassi peninsular, has until a UN court decided to handover to Cameroon, symbolised the territorial disputes, which has often rattled relationship between Abuja and Yaoundé. It was thought by some specialists that, because the October 10th 2002 verdict of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) was in favour of Cameroon and Nigeria did not challenge it energetically, all was over and done with. Perhaps their optimism was based on the grounds that, Nigeria was not duty bound to adhere to the ruling of the ICJ. And had Nigeria failed to respect the ruling of the far away court, she won’t have been the first nation on earth to act that way. She would have just contributed to elongate the list of nations that have territorial disputes with their neighbours, and that, the verdict of the ICJ has been in their disfavour. Some nations that have ignored the verdict of the ICJ on territorial disputes with their neighbours are: China, Chile, France, Russia, Morocco and Iran. Fortunately for Cameroon and the ICJ, the 2002 verdict came at a time when Nigeria was making her petty steps back into the concert of nations, after years of military rule, especially the alleged brutal periods of late General Sani Abacha.
International error
Furthermore, Nigeria also had at her head, General Matthew Olusegun Obasanjo (retired), who was flamboyant and also had a certain image, which he thought Nigeria should demonstrate, toward her neighbours and the World. Obasanjo also acquiesced to the verdict because, he was dangled the prospect of Nigeria obtaining a permanent seat at the UN Security Council to represent the African continent. But sadly for Mr Obasanjo, that seat has not come and it is also actively converted by two other African giants: South Africa and Egypt. But while specialists rejoiced at the attitude of Nigeria, what they ignored were the genuine concerns of the indigenes of Bakassi. It became an equation that, specialists thought and expected that; the concerns of the natives of Bakassi will sort themselves out as time rolled by. It was mindful of such an error and the intricacies that it will engender, that, I humbly recommended that, Cameroon and Nigeria, should ignore the UN court’s verdict, and carryout direct negotiations, with the objective of jointly administering the territory[1]. I also added that, the hand over of Bakassi to Cameroon will ignite a Niger Delta-like-conflict in the area. I continued that; Cameroon will not be able to stand an insurrection of the approximate intensity of the Niger Delta.
Suspects
Why? It was and is still simply because, Cameroon has a lot of centrifugal problems of her own and as things stand, she is smouldering and the Bakassi that has been handed over to her, is synonymous to pouring oil on fire. Aware of the difficulties that Cameroon will encounter to control any insurrection in Bakassi, even if she were to call France to her aid, I also recommended greater cooperation between both countries[2]. But since the kidnapping of Mr Fonya Félix Morfan, the sub divisional officer of Kombo-Abedimo, an administrative unite within Bakassi, along with an unspecified number of Cameroonians soldiers, and in the same process, a number of soldiers, who were protecting the convey of the sub divisional officer were also killed, some Cameroonian papers have been pointing figures at MEND (Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta). But it is not certain that MEND even had a distance hand in the palaver, for their focus is in the Niger Delta and they are also too wise to open another front, in a zone that is far from their epicentre and the raison d’etre of their own revolt. More, the MEND knows fully well that, nosing into the Bakassi uproar, will discredit them the more. One plausible suspect is a group who call themselves Bakassi Movement for Self Determination (BAMOSD). They started making themselves known on the 9th July 2006, by declaring the creation of the Democratic Republic Bakassi (DRB). But the government Cameroon still refers to those who have kidnapped the highest state representative in area and also killed a number of Cameroonian soldiers, simply as pirates. Either the government of Cameroon doesn’t know the existence of those bodies later mentioned, which is in fact one movement, having political and military wings, and in that case, it will be sad and shocking, or the Cameroon government wants to act in their characteristic I-don’t-care-attitude, as they have acted with mainland Anglophones, especially with their umbrella nationalist group SCNC (Southern Cameroon’s National Council). The government of Cameroon can afford to play or ignore the SCNC because of their plethoric wings and disorganisations.
Playing with death
But using the same arrogant and aloof behaviour/strategy with the Bakassi Movement for Self Determination is tantamount to playing with death or playing with the existence of Cameroon in her present configuration. The efficiency with which those who have stricken the Cameroonian Army and this, for the second time, should force the authorities of Cameroon to place a name on their enemies and stop prevaricating. The first time that they stroke, they killed 21 Cameroonian soldiers. The easy with which, those without names ensnare the Cameroonian Army is not only frightening but shocking. It is clear as things stand now that, they can strike anywhere along the coast of Cameroon. While the Cameroonian authorities don’t want to place a name on the enemies of the state, who also have their genuine reasons, for acting the way they acting, it is evident that, those responsible for kidnapping and killing of Cameroonian soldiers are elements of the Bakassi Movement for Self Determination. They are of the opinion that the Cameroon and Nigerian governments and also the UN don’t listen to peaceful appeals but only to violence. These sad events are happening now while Nigeria, in respect to the verdict of the UN court, is still occupying the North of Bakassi.
Need for assurance
It is therefore possible that, when Nigerian soldiers pull out from the area completely, Bakassi will become an ungovernable area and one of the cherished slogans of Cameroon: island of stability in the region, will become a thing of the past[3]. But Cameroon still has the chance to plug the holes on her ship that is taking water. How? Cameroon should first start showing to Bakassi natives that, they are bona fide Cameroonians. It is true that, Bakassi natives prefer to look toward Nigeria, where part of those with whom they share the same language and culture a natives and citizens, especially in Cross River and Akwa Ibom states. Bakassi natives who are Anglophone Cameroonians do have deep seated apprehension toward Yaoundé, because they have seen what mainland Anglophones have undergone in the hands of the majority French-speaking Cameroonian central government. In addition, things are also complicated by the racketeering and brutalities of Cameroonian security forces on Bakassi natives, who are mostly businessmen and women whose principal trade are fishing. The people of Bakassi therefore need assurance from Yaoundé that, they will respect the documents under which they have appended their signatures. The native of Bakassi don’t want to become victims of another Foumban-like conference, where, Anglophones agreed on a platform for unification and just to discover with shock and stupefaction that, the Francophones have changed and reneged on everything they agreed on.
Solutions
But one way to show Bakassi natives that, the government of Cameroon has interest for them and truly wish to bring them under the national flag, like any other Cameroonian, will be to invite Chief Etinyin Etim Okon Edet, the paramount monarch of Bakassi to Yaoundé, in order to discuss with him and also hear from his mouth, the genuine trepidation of his subjects. Such an approach will calm down their fears and also help isolate those who want to use violence. Cameroonian authorities had a golden opportunity to appease the people of Bakassi ones and for all, but they squandered it. The opportunity presented itself last year and the authorities would have used it to demonstrate to Bakassi natives that they are Cameroonians and not Nigerians as some ignorant and myopic French-speaking Cameroonians are claiming. The opportunity squandered was during the twin legislative and municipal elections that took place last year, Cameroonian authorities would used the occasion to affirm the presence of the state. How? By organising elections on the territory and also by allocating two parliamentary seats to Bakassi natives and not to some mainland political barons and the government would have also seized on the opportunity to increase the number of parliamentary seats or redraw the map of electoral constituencies in the South West province that Bakassi is attached to. Or the government would and can still elevate Bakassi into a full-fledged province and in doing so, she will guarantee and increase her presence and also attract other Cameroonian population. But what they instead did was to gerrymander with electoral constituencies on the mainland greater West province( North west, South west, West and Littoral ) in a baseless venal and mercantile bid to assure the ruling CPDM party preponderance in parliament, simply because, Paul Biya had in mind, his plans to elongate his stay in power. Bakassi is not yet on the brink, Cameroon should try to enter into negotiations with those rebels, before they construct a network of discontented Cameroonians and thus wreck the fragile peace currently enjoyed in the country. But for this to happen, Cameroon must not go it alone or run to seek France’s support as they usually do, but they must work in tandem with Nigeria.
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