Just imagine such a disposition in the 90s! Unbelievable! Most of Africa’s wars today are around the control of petroleum resources. Analysts are quick to blame many of the hotbeds of tension in Africa today to the desire of States and other non-State actors to have influence over areas rich in mineral resources. This is particularly important for the Gulf of Guinea which harnesses huge reserves, not only of petroleum and other minerals, but is also very strategically located. Of course, these predators of the wealth of Africa can only be happy to see African States at each others’ necks because, at the end of the day, they come in with a “solution” which almost invariably incorporates their greedy interests as, in their view, Africa must remain a source of cheap raw materials.
The June 2006 Greentree Agreement by which Cameroon and Nigeria definitively put an end to their boundary dispute has become a veritable case-study in the successful resolution of disputes not only in Africa, but in the entire world. But why is an issue not being made of such a solution? And, this is happening when Africa is swaddled in similar border conflicts? We are more familiar with alarming messages of Africa’s demise in the face of similar situations and very few people point to the fact that a serious border problem such as that between Cameroon and Nigeria was resolved around a round table!
One cannot imagine that the head of the Nigerian delegation to the Commission, the respected Nigerian jurist, Prince Bola Ajibola was simply wise-cracking when he said our two countries had become icons in matters of peaceful settlement of disputes. Hear him: “Let me put it on record that, as a special conflict resolution arrangement designed to implement the judgment of the International Court of Justice in respect of the Land and Maritime boundary disputes between Cameroon and Nigeria, our Mixed Commission has cause to celebrate…In its eight years of existence, the Mixed Commission has recorded milestones hitherto never thought of, therefore providing a shining example for the international community to emulate.”
In the eyes of the Nigerian diplomat, cooperation between Cameroon and Nigeria has returned to “its pre-1994 robust status” and so Cameroonians have no reason to complain. In the main urban agglomerations of Cameroon, Cameroonians and Nigerians live side by side without any suspicions. Apart from the Cameroonian civil service, Nigerians are found virtually in every aspect of national endeavour and feel very much at home. Moreover, many point to the numerous possibilities that the huge Nigerian market has to offer for several Cameroonian goods; a market far larger than the formal CEMAC region to which Cameroon belongs. The numerous road projects and the developmental package designed for the border areas, notably in Bakassi, by the Cameroonian government, are signs that cooperation is sincere.
After all is said and done, cooperation is exemplary for the international community to see. All too often, Africa is portrayed in a cartoon form. Here is one good example to show that Africa can set the pace. Côte d’Ivoire, Sudan, DRC, and the others, take note!
