- Nigeria is finally to withdraw its troops from the oil-rich Bakassi peninsula, which the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2002 concluded was part of Cameroon. This, Nigerian Presidnt Olusegun Obasanjo promised in a meeting with his Cameroonian counterpart Paul Biya in Geneva.
The Presidents of Cameroon and Nigeria, who have been slow on implementing an ICJ ruling on their formerly disputed border, on Tuesday agreed to work out a new programme of Nigerian troop withdrawal from the area and to protect the affected populations, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced today.
Mr Annan on Tuesday had met one-on-one with the presidents of Nigeria and Cameroon ahead of today's "mini-summit" in Geneva on the work of a UN-led panel dealing with the two countries' boundary dispute.
The Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission was established as a follow-up to the ICJ ruling in October 2002 on the dispute between Cameroon and Nigeria over their 1,600-kilometre land border, extending from the Lake Chad to the Bakassi peninsula, and maritime boundary into the Gulf of Guinea.
Until now, most of the border has been demarcated and territories and villages have changed hands between Nigeria and Cameroon. The Bakassi peninsula, however, has remained in Nigerian hands following President Obasanjo's earlier announcement to the population that his government would not betray them. The peninsula's population considers itself Nigerian.
The UN Secretary-General on several occasions has had to intervene in the border dispute personally to assure that progress was made. With the promised withdrawal of Nigerian troops from Bakassi, the core dispute would now be resolved.
For a number of years, relations between Cameroon and Nigeria had been severely strained over issues relating to their land boundary and maritime claims. While some population groups in the north were affected, the dispute mainl has concentrated on the oil-rich land and sea reserves in the Gulf of Guinea.
Mr Annan today celebrated the decision by President Obasanjo. "Looking back at the progress already made, I want to commend both Presidents for the smooth transfer of authority that took place along the land border in 2004, as well as for the generally good atmosphere which prevails in the area and the good relations between the population and the new administrative authorities," he said at a news conference in Geneva.
- I called on both Presidents to give their full support to ensure the success of the work of the Commission, Mr Annan said, shortly after his two-hour meeting with President Biya and President Obasanjo. "It is important that the Mixed Commission proceed with its work as expeditiously as possible." He welcomed the additional funds the two countries themselves have donated to carry out demarcation operations.
In a communiqué issued after their meeting, all three also expressed their gratitude for recent contributions to the UN trust fund for demarcation, including the 1 million pounds sterling from the United Kingdom. They also welcomed the prospect of an additional 4 million euros from the European Commission in addition to the €400,000 previously granted.
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