Nigeria and Cameroon near completion of border demarcation — Premium Times Nigeria

Nigeria and Cameroon are nearing the completion of the physical demarcation of their shared border following the 2002 ruling of the International Court of Justice. As Premium Times Nigeria reports, Adamu Adaji, director general of Nigeria’s National Boundary Commission, said that the remaining work is concentrated in the Adamawa sector.

According to him, more than 260 boundary pillars need to be installed in this sector. Adaji expects the demarcation of the international border to be completed within two to three months, by the end of the year. After that, the countries plan to move on to border management issues and the needs of the population affected by the boundary determination.

The 2002 court ruling

On October 10, 2002, the International Court of Justice settled the land and maritime dispute between Cameroon and Nigeria. The court transferred sovereignty over the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon and defined the land and maritime borders of the two states.

According to the publication, implementation of the ruling began in 2002 following an agreement between the governments of Nigeria and Cameroon with UN assistance. To resolve outstanding issues, the countries established a mixed Nigeria-Cameroon commission chaired by the UN.

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Agreements for communities

Adaji said that disagreements over certain omitted sections were resolved after the intervention of the presidents of both countries. According to him, the sides took into account the interests of communities that could have ended up on different sides of the border.

As an example, the official cited the Koja community. Under the initial line defined by the court, about 90% of the community was to end up in Cameroon. However, following an agreement between the states, the entire community remained in Nigeria, while in other areas the sides made mutual concessions. In particular, the settlement of Turu, where Cameroonians predominate, was considered a concession to Cameroon.

The Nigeria-Cameroon border is about 2,100 kilometers long and is Nigeria’s longest international land border. After the demarcation is completed, the countries should focus on developing border communities, exchanging information, combating smuggling and irregular migration, as well as documenting legal movements across the border, Adaji said.