International Court of Justice disputes Cameroon Nigeria Boundary Case International Law explained

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ICJ summary disputes visualized International Court of Justice disputes: Cameroon versus Nigeria Boundary Case, visualized by Hesham Elrafei

In 1994, Cameroon filed a case at the International Court of Justice against Nigeria, concerning the dispute related to the sovereignty over the Bakassi Peninsula and the delimitation of the maritime boundary between the two States, and to consider a further conflict linked the sovereignty over a part of the territory of Cameroon in the area of Lake Chad.

Cameron argued that the court has jurisdiction to hear the dispute, based on the declarations of the two parties under the Optional Clause of article 36 of its Statute, and Nigeria filed preliminary objections to the jurisdiction of the Court and the admissibility of the application.

In its judgment in 1998, the Court found that it had jurisdiction to decide upon the merits and that Cameroon’s applications were admissible.

Nigeria requested the court to interpret that judgment. However, the Court rejected that request and found that Nigeria’s application for interpretation was inadmissible.

In 1999, the Republic of Equatorial Guinea successfully asked for permission to intervene in the case under article 62 of the Court’s Statute. The Court approved that intervention because Equatorial Guinea has an interest of a legal nature, that could be affected by any judgment issued by the court to determine the maritime boundary between Cameroon and Nigeria.

In 2002, the Court issued its judgment. It held that the land boundary between the two countries had been fixed by treaties entered into during the colonial period and upheld the validity of those treaties.

In doing so, the ICJ rejected the theory of historic consolidation advanced by Nigeria.

The Court proceeded to delimit both the land and maritime boundaries between the two States, and as a result of its delimitation, the Court asked Nigeria to withdraw from the Bakassi Peninsula.

Finally, the Court denied Cameroon’s reparatory claims, holding that any damage to Cameroon sustained due to Nigeria’s occupation of its land would be sufficiently addressed by evacuating those territories.