January 11, 2010
QUESTIONS FROM THE CHAMPION NEWSPAPER
RESPONDENT: Carlson Anyangwe
1. Recently, gendarmes from Cameroun invaded homes of Nigerians resident in Bakassi. This is beginning to heighten diplomatic tensions between both countries. How do you view this act of provocation by the Camerounian government?
What you call an act of provocation is the stock-in-trade of that country and part of its policy. It is a policy that might well not be too far removed from state sponsored terrorism. The goal of terrorization is to procure submission to colonial occupation. République du Cameroun knows very well that its presence in the Southern Cameroons, including Bakassi of course, is legally untenable. So it seeks to impose a reign of terror in Bakassi in particular, and in the Southern Cameroons in general, in hopes that it can possibly limit the growing widespread and active opposition to the colonial occupation of our homeland.
Regarding the other aspect of your question, I fear there might be a perception in certain quarters that Nigeria could just be playing to the gallery and deceiving the Nigerians settled in the Bakassi Peninsula. There are two credible, peaceful and meaningful actions Nigeria could take to put an end to République du Cameroun’s continuing armed provocations: set up a committee in parliament to ascertain and report back whether there is any instrument of international law that fixes the boundary of République du Cameroun at the Bakassi Peninsula, and, secondly, execute the Abuja High Court Ruling on the Southern Cameroons. If your paper were to challenge the Federal Government to these specific actions, you may be surprised at the endless excuses it will give.
The only way the government can show seriousness is to address the Bakassi issue from its root cause, which is that République du Cameroun has no boundary with Nigeria at the Bakassi Peninsula. Handing over Bakassi to République du Cameroun was like Mauritania’s purported handing over of the southern part of the Western Sahara to Morocco. In handing over Bakassi Nigeria was in breach of the same international law it claimed to uphold because Nigeria did not only have to respect its boundaries acquired at independence; it is also bound, as a credible member of the international community, to insist on respect of the same principle by République du Cameroun. The principle of international law obliging countries to respect boundaries acquired at independence imposes a concomitant duty on states not to recognize any claim by a state to territory not included in that state’s territory at independence or not acquired by means recognized under international law. Bakassi Peninsula has never been part of the territory of République du Cameroun either before or at its independence, and no new frontier arrangement has ever been made to warrant a change in this territorial state of affairs.
2. Will Nigeria be wrong to seek to respond in equal measure against the Camerounian government?
Download Nigerian Interview-Published in Sunday Champion, Sunday January 10, 2010-Pages 32-33
