The Study On The Sovereighyt Of The Bakassi Peninsula

The history of Colonial rule brought two found mental problems to the African countries after independence.One is the political Cultural differences caused by the integration of different ethnic groups in a political entity;Second conflicts between countries caused by disputes over sovereignty.It is clear that territorial over eighty dispute between Nigeria and Cameroon is a only reflection of two major problems of the post colonial era.During the colonial period Nigeria became a British dependency,while Cameroon was First occupied by Germany.After the defeat of Germany in the world war Cameroon was placed under the joint control of British and France.The colonial boundary drawn by British and France in the colonial period laid the foundation for the territorial dispute between the two countries which lasted for more than 30 years.The two countries initially struggled off Bakassi's barren landscape,but the subsequent discovery of the oil and gas reserves on the Peninsula has increased their interest in the peninsula.The Nigerian side emphasizes the demographics?ocial and cultural homogeneity and historical links with Nigeria in the Bakassi peninsula;Cameroon stressed the legitimacy of the treaty demarcate the borders between the colonists.Both sides are facing domestic political pressure.So the tussle over the Bakassi began.During this period,both countries create the public opinion context of fighting for the peninsula at home,but they maintained the relative tolerance towards each other in diplomacy.Nigeria and Cameroon have been negotiating closely over the Bakassi peninsula disputes,which has been punctuated by clashes of varying sizes but not led to war.However,more 20 years of borders negotiations between the two countries have failed to resolve the disputes,and the ongoing tug of war is sapping bilateral confidence.In 1994,Cameroon appealed the Bakassi dispute to the international court of justice.After the international court of justice heard the case the sovereignty of the Bakassi peninsula was decided by Cameroon in 2002.Cameroon rejoiced,but the Nigeria reacted coldly.Therefore,the Dispute peninsula has not been completely resolve.Subsequently,with the meditation of the African union,the United states,the United Nations and other countries,Nigeria and Cameroon signed the agreement of transfer of the peninsula.The dispute over the sovereignty of the Bakassi peninsula came to an end.The peninsula disputes is the result of mixed colonial history,special domestic environment and international pattern.The proper settlement of the dispute on the peninsula has also actively shown to the outside world that it is preferable to solve the conflict through cooperation rather than war.last but not least,it is worth noting that the situation on the peninsula in the post-judgement era remains complex,problems left over from history have not been completely resolved,and citizen' human rights and the right to life have not been adequately guaranteed.