UN-backed Cameroon-Nigeria border commission presses for swift resolution

The United Nations-backed commission set up to help Cameroon and Nigeria resolve their border dispute has called for swift agreement to resolve the remaining border areas that have not yet been fully demarcated.

At a two-day meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, that wrapped up yesterday, the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission instructed its sub-commission on demarcation to find “effective and practical solutions? on the remaining 350-kilometre land border areas that include the skipped areas, areas of disagreement and inaccessible areas,” according to a press release issued by the commission.

The Mixed Commission – which contains representatives of Cameroon and Nigeria, as well as the UN – was established by the world body at the request of the African neighbours to help implement a 2002 International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision on the delineation of the border. It has already reached agreement on more than 1,600 kilometres of the border.

In a communiqué issued at the end of this meeting, Cameroon and Nigeria reiterated their commitment to complete the demarcation by the end of next year.

The commission, chaired by Said Djinnit, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for West Africa, also noted the progress made by the two nations regarding the confidence-building initiatives for the populations affected by the demarcation.

The next session of the commission will be held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on 8-9 December.