1. The Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed
Commission, which was established pursuant to the Joint Communiqué
adopted at the meeting held on 15 November 2002 in Geneva between His
Excellency President Paul Biya of Cameroon and His Excellency President
Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, in the presence of the Secretary-General of
the United Nations, held its sixth meeting in Abuja on 29 and 30 October
2003.
2. His Excellency Mr. Amadou Ali,
Ministre d’Etat in charge of Justice, Keeper of the Seals of Cameroon,
led the Cameroonian delegation. His Excellency Prince Bola Ajibola (CFR),
former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, led the Nigerian delegation. The Special Representative of the
Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chairman of the Mixed
Commission, Mr. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, chaired the meeting.
3. At the opening ceremony of the
meeting, a keynote address was delivered by His Excellency Chief Akin
Olujinmi (SAN), Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria. In his speech, the Minister noted that the Mixed
Commission is a novel paradigm of conflict resolution for Africa.
Acknowledging the importance of protecting the rights of the populations
affected by the 10 October 2002 judgment of the International Court of
Justice, the Minister reaffirmed Nigeria’s willingness to cooperate with
Cameroon in search of genuine solutions. He emphasized that the search for
peace in Africa is at the heart of Nigeria’s foreign policy.
4. The Mixed Commission considered and
approved the report of the sixth meeting of the Sub-Commission on
Demarcation, held in Abuja from 24-27 October 2003. In so doing, the
Commission has approved the specifications for all the contracts for the
demarcation of the boundary and requested that the procedure for the call
for bids and the posting of announcements on the United Nations website be
initiated by the Secretariat as soon as possible. The Mixed Commission
adopted a preliminary list of assignments for the Joint Technical Team,
including the field verification with the contractor for the imagery of the
pillar emplacements shown on the ortho-imagery, and preliminary
instructions for the demarcation. It also adopted a revised version of the
provisional schedule of demarcation operations and approved the pillar
designs for both the geodetic datum stations and the demarcation of the
boundary. The Mixed Commission also requested that the Secretariat submit
a draft program for the field visit by interested contractors, including a
list of actions to be taken by the Parties in order to facilitate that
visit.
5. The Mixed Commission took note of the
need to carry out the demarcation of the segment of the boundary between
pillar V and the point of bifurcation of the Ebeji river. To that effect,
the Mixed Commission mandated the Sub-Commission on Demarcation to include
this task in the overall demarcation of the boundary.
6. The Mixed Commission received a
briefing from the Chairman on the activities undertaken by the Secretariat
relating to the mobilization of funds for the demarcation.
7. The Mixed Commission considered and
approved the report of the fifth meeting of the Sub-Commission on Affected
Populations, which was held in Abuja from 21-23 October 2003, including
the report of the Sub-Commission’s field visit to the Lake Chad area.
The Mixed Commission also approved the Sub-Commission’s planned
itinerary for the first phase of the field visit to the land boundary
area, to be undertaken from 22 to 25 November 2003.
8. During the consideration of the
report of the Sub-Commission on Affected Populations, Nigeria expressed
its concern about the fate of its citizens after the withdrawal and
handover of authority in the Lake Chad area. It expressed particular
concern at the idea of retribution or conflict between individual persons
in that area. Cameroon expressed its own concern over the rights and fate
of those Cameroonian citizens who formerly resided in that area and who
had to leave it subsequently. It reaffirmed its commitment to guarantee
the rights of all people affected by the Court’s decision, both
Cameroonian and Nigerian. The two Parties agreed that this issue must be
handled with caution, care and understanding, and should be further
considered later, in the aftermath of the withdrawal and transfer of
authority. Both Parties further agreed that the overall process must be
carried out peacefully, smoothly, and in an organized manner, in order to
ensure continuing peace and stability in the area.
9. The Mixed Commission noted with
appreciation the progress achieved by the two Sub-Commissions since it
fifth meeting.
10. Bearing in mind its forthcoming
meeting in Yaoundé on 30 November and 1 December 2003 with the Working
Group on the withdrawal of civil administration and military and police
forces, and transfer of authority in the Lake Chad area, the Mixed
Commission urges the Working Group to carry out its mandate expeditiously
in order to present at that meeting a draft Operational Plan for
Withdrawal and Handover in the Lake Chad area.
11. The Mixed Commission’s seventh
meeting in Yaoundé will be held from 2 to 3 December 2003, with a
possible extension to 4 December 2003.
