The Special Representative of United Nations Secretary General to West Africa and Sahel, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas has said that the Nigeria-Cameroon mixed commission has eight-point border disputes to resolve. According to him, only five-point border disagreements were resolved out of 13 by the border mixed commission. Chambas disclosed this recently, while briefing Cameroonian Prime Minister and Head of Government, Joseph Dion Ngute in Yaoundé. He said that after a break in the mixed commission’s work caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak, it resumed in December last year.
“At the time the commission broke off, there were 13 points of disagreements remaining between Cameroon and Nigeria,” he disclosed. He said since work resumed in December, five of these points have been resolved. While assuring the two countries, he said: “I personally feel optimistic that the remaining eight can be resolved peacefully.” He also expressed the belief that; “If the remaining eight points of disagreement (without disclosing them) are resolved; it will strengthen relations between the two countries. “Already Nigeria and Cameroon are cooperating in so many ways,” he said. His listed the cooperation in the fight against Boko Haram terrorism; piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, maritime security and free trade. He said Cameroon and Nigeria are the respective giants of Central and West Africa and are also taking advantage to implement the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He said that the countries could work jointly to merge the two regions for socioeconomic development and prosperity of the populations. While announcing the resolve of the remaining eight points, he said: “The sub-committees would work to resolve the remaining eight points of disagreement from February 21-28, 2021. “I will come back in early March this year and work out the framework of the extended Mixed Commission meeting and to find concrete progress.”
