In October 2012, China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation announced it had discovered new oil and gas resources in the Bakassi region. ==History== During the Scramble for Africa, Queen Victoria signed a Treaty of Protection with the King and Chiefs of Akwa Akpa, known to Europeans as Old Calabar on 10 September 1884.
Nigeria relied largely on Anglo-German correspondence dating from 1885 as well as treaties between the colonial powers and the indigenous rulers in the area, particularly the 1884 Treaty of Protection.
Nigeria relied largely on Anglo-German correspondence dating from 1885 as well as treaties between the colonial powers and the indigenous rulers in the area, particularly the 1884 Treaty of Protection.
Cameroon pointed to the Anglo-German treaty of 1913, which defined sphere of control in the region, as well as two agreements signed in the 1970s between Cameroon and Nigeria.
After Southern Cameroons voted in 1961 to leave Nigeria and became a part of Cameroon, Bakassi remained under Calabar administration in Nigeria until ICJ judgement of 2002. ==Population== Bakassi inhabitants are mainly the Oron people, the people of Cross River State and Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. ==Territorial dispute== Nigeria and Cameroon have disputed the possession of Bakassi for some years, leading to considerable tension between the two countries.
Cameroon pointed to the Anglo-German treaty of 1913, which defined sphere of control in the region, as well as two agreements signed in the 1970s between Cameroon and Nigeria.
These were the Yaoundé II Declaration of 4 April 1971 and the Maroua Declaration of 1 June 1975, which were devised to outline maritime boundaries between the two countries following their independence.
These were the Yaoundé II Declaration of 4 April 1971 and the Maroua Declaration of 1 June 1975, which were devised to outline maritime boundaries between the two countries following their independence.
In 1981 the two countries went to the brink of war over Bakassi and another area around Lake Chad, at the other end of the two countries' common border.
More armed clashes broke out in the early 1990s.
In response, Cameroon took the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 29 March 1994. The case was extremely complex, requiring the court to review diplomatic exchanges dating back over 100 years.
On 22 November 2007, the Nigerian Senate rejected the transfer, since the Greentree Agreement ceding the area to Cameroon was contrary to Section 12(1) of the 1999 Constitution.
The displaced people were then moved to Akpabuyo, and eventually established a new community of Dayspring. Despite the formal handover of Bakassi by Nigeria to Cameroon in 2006, the territory of Bakassi is still reflected as part of the 774 local governments in Nigeria as embodied in the First Schedule, Part I of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.
After Southern Cameroons voted in 1961 to leave Nigeria and became a part of Cameroon, Bakassi remained under Calabar administration in Nigeria until ICJ judgement of 2002. ==Population== Bakassi inhabitants are mainly the Oron people, the people of Cross River State and Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. ==Territorial dispute== Nigeria and Cameroon have disputed the possession of Bakassi for some years, leading to considerable tension between the two countries.
However, Nigeria never ratified the agreement, while Cameroon regarded it as being in force. ===ICJ verdict=== The ICJ delivered its judgment on 10 October 2002, finding (based principally on the Anglo-German agreements) that sovereignty over Bakassi did indeed rest with Cameroon.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan stepped in as a mediator and chaired a tripartite summit with the two countries' presidents on 15 November 2002, which established a commission to facilitate the peaceful implementation of the ICJ's judgement.
A further summit was held on 31 January 2004.
This secession was announced on 9 July 2006, as the "Democratic Republic of Bakassi".
The decision was reportedly made at a meeting on 2 July 2006 and The Vanguard newspaper of Nigeria reported the decision to secede.
The momentum achieved must be sustained." ===Nigerian withdrawal=== Nigeria began to withdraw its forces, comprising some 3,000 troops, beginning 1 August 2006, and a ceremony on 14 August marked the formal handover of the northern part of the peninsula.
The displaced people were then moved to Akpabuyo, and eventually established a new community of Dayspring. Despite the formal handover of Bakassi by Nigeria to Cameroon in 2006, the territory of Bakassi is still reflected as part of the 774 local governments in Nigeria as embodied in the First Schedule, Part I of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.
On 22 November 2007, the Nigerian Senate rejected the transfer, since the Greentree Agreement ceding the area to Cameroon was contrary to Section 12(1) of the 1999 Constitution.
The remainder stayed under Nigerian civil authority for two more years. On 22 November 2007, the Nigerian Senate passed a resolution declaring that the withdrawal from the Bakassi Peninsula was illegal.
Regardless, the territory was completely ceded to Cameroon on 14 August 2008, exactly two years after the first part of it was transferred. Website: ==Geography and economy== The peninsula lies between latitudes 4°25′ and 5°10′N and longitudes 8°20′ and 9°08′E .
The government took no action, and handed the final parts of Bakassi over to Cameroon on 14 August 2008 as planned, but a Federal High Court had stated this should be delayed until all accommodations for resettled Bakassians had been settled; the government did not seem to plan to heed this court order, and set the necessary mechanisms into motion to override it.
In October 2012, China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation announced it had discovered new oil and gas resources in the Bakassi region. ==History== During the Scramble for Africa, Queen Victoria signed a Treaty of Protection with the King and Chiefs of Akwa Akpa, known to Europeans as Old Calabar on 10 September 1884.
After the Nigerian 2015 General Elections, Nigeria's 8th National Assembly still accommodates the Calabar-South/Akpabuyo/Bakassi Federal Constituency represented by Hon.
All text is taken from Wikipedia. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License .
Page generated on 2021-08-05