Cameroon at the Brink.pdf

Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal, 2019

Legal scholars and other social scientists agree that political violence comprising assaults on civil and political liberties may occur in the context of contentious politics. Unfortunately, there have been instances in history where such politics is marked by intermittent attacks against people's rights and freedoms. Such attacks occur when politics has gone sour, and there are times when the violence exceeds the bounds of what is acceptable. From the documented atrocities of Nazi Germany, the horrendous crimes of the regime of Slobodan Milosevic in the former Yugoslavia, the outrageous crimes perpetrated during the genocide in Rwanda, the shameful and despicable inhumanities inflicted on the people of Darfur in the Sudan, and the violence in post-electoral Kenya, to the bloodshed in areas like Mali, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, etc, violent conflict has punctuated world history. Added to this list of countries is Cameroon, which in the la...

Over the years I have keenly observed the various speeches made by Cameroon's head of state, some senior government officials, and even casual conversations among ordinary fellow Cameroonians. I am baffled at how many of them define peace in this 21 st century. During last month's Africa-U.S. leader summit, I was (I would say fortunate) to attend one of the side events in Washington, DC titled "Investing in Africa," where president Paul Biya was scheduled to deliver a keynote speech. Though he was no-show (as usual), his minister in charge of private duties gave the president's speech in his stead. During the memorably absurd 20 minutes address, a single sentence quickly caught my attention: "our country enjoys peace and stability with democratic institutions, which are solid and functioning normally". Really?! These words left me pondering over what truly constitutes peace in any given society. Though everyone loves peace and would like to see it reign, the question that beats my imagination is: does the absence of war means peace? Jude A. Mutah is a peace activist. He currently serves as a Research Assistant with the Africa program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC.

2011

At independence, Cameroon and Nigeria adhered to the OAU principle of UTI POSSEDETIS JURIS by inheriting the colonial administrative borders whose delineation in some parts was either imperfect or not demarcated or both. The two countries tried to correct these anomalies. But such efforts were later thwarted by incessant geostrategic reckoning, dilatory, and diversionary tactics in the seventies and eighties that persisted and resurfaced in the nineties with a more determined posture. On two occasions, the border conflict almost boiled over to a full-scale war. First, in May 1981 when there was the exchange of fire between Cameroonian and Nigerian coast guards and second, in February 1994 when Nigeria marched her troops into Cameroon’s Bakassi Peninsula. Elsewhere in Africa, border incidents like these have often degenerated into war. But Cameroon and Nigeria together with the international community managed these protracted incidents from escalating into war. This book examines the...

International Journal of Liberal Arts and Social Science, 2021

This paper appraises Cameroon-Nigeria relations in the face of secessionist tendencies in both countries. An x-ray of secessionist wars in most countries reveal that they have been propelled by a variety of economic, socio-cultural and political factors in different dimensions. Based extensively on secondary sources, the paper argues that the empathy demonstrated by both Cameroon and Nigeria amidst secessionist trends in both countries between 1967 and 2020 were strategic responses to hard realities that obliged such reactions. The fear of spill over effects warranted the protection of national interest. In fact, there was the need to uphold national security, protect state unity and integration and it thus became imperative to show sympathy to the neighbour"s predicaments. Therefore both states have been forced to show ""good neighbourliness"", upholding the moral principle of ""one good turn deserve another"" in order to guard themselves from not falling victim to secessionist circumstances and by extension keeping their interest intact and not necessarily friendship as the empathy demonstrated was incidental.

1999

Abstract This paper attempts an answer to the question: What keeps Cameroon together despite widespread instability in Africa, despite the turbulence of the subregional environment in which it finds itself, and despite its own internal contradictions?

2013

The object of this paper is an examination of Nigeria – Cameroon border relations with special emphasis on the areas of conflict and co-operation from 1970 – 2004. The paper defines some key concepts like boundary, conflict, and cooperation. The paper traces the origin of the border conflict to the colonial period. The paper examines further the boarder situation before, during and after independence. The paper identifies the factors that were responsible for the boundary problems between the two countries and why amicable resolution was difficult to achieve. The paper made use of historical and descriptive method in analysing issues raised. The

2021

The Twentieth and twenty first centuries have been described as the age of anxiety. This is largely due to the many civil wars and conflicts that have been prevalent in our contemporary world, and especially with special reference to Africa which is the worst hit. In particular, armed conflicts been witnessed in Angola, Ethiopia Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia and Sudan among others. Equally, civil wars have been witnessed in Angola, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Sudan. Sadly, some of these States are at the verge of collapse due to the effect of these unfortunate civil wars and conflicts. Other countries that were affected by civil or ethnic conflicts, albeit at lower levels include: Burundi, Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Malawi, Senegal, and South Africa. The latter has witnessed xenophobic attacks, especially in May 2008. Terrorism activities have also Increased, as it continues to create tensions among nations, rel...