With the closure of Nigeria's window of opportunity to appeal
the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) decision granting sovereignty of the
Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon, increasing tensions in the region have forced the
UN team which is demarcating the maritime boundary to suspend their activities.
On 21 November, local people, angry about Abuja's failure to
appeal the ICJ ruling, demonstrated in front of the building in Ikang where
members of the demarcation team were meeting local officials. The crowd,
composed mainly of youths holding placards condemning the UN's 'contempt' for
self-determination of the Bakassi people, prevented the demarcation team from
moving to the peninsula.
Their leader, Augustine Omini Iwara, said that
it was surprising the demarcation was being undertaken despite the fact that
local people had filed a case affirming their right to self-determination.
The crowd was already angered by the presence of three ships
carrying Cameroonian gendarmes on to the beaches at Ikang. The ships were
reportedly connected with the demarcation process but provoked a confrontation
with around 300 local youths. The demarcation committee is now consulting with
the Federal Government about its next step.
For more news and expert
analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria
Politics & Security.
© 2012 Menas Associates
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