VZCZCXRO1597
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMA RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHYD #0005/01 0061149
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 061149Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0599
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0253
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0444

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YAOUNDE 000005 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AORC CM MARR NI PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: CAMEROON AND NIGERIA BEGIN HISTORIC BORDER 
DEMARCATION 
 
¶1.  (U)  Summary:  On December 14, Cameroon and Nigeria laid 
the first pillar to demarcate their land border, in 
compliance with a 2002 International Court of Justice ruling. 
 In remarks at the event, Cameroonian Minister of Justice 
Amadou Ali called the border a "bridge" rather than a 
"separation wall" between Cameroon and Nigeria and praised 
bilateral ties as "united by destiny."  According to the 
local UNDP Resrep, this demarcation (which has taken seven 
years of difficult work) is a first for a UN-led peaceful 
resolution of a border dispute in Africa and one of the only 
such cases in the world.  It should further strengthen 
Cameroonian-Nigerian relations, which have improved since the 
handover of the Bakassi Peninsula in 2008; nonetheless, there 
is a long way to go to complete the installation of pillars 
along the 2,000 kilometer border.  The UN and Minister Ali 
highlighted the need for more funding to complete the effort. 
 The USG might consider providing Section 1207 or other 
assistance.  End summary. 
 
Laying Pillars of "Neighborhood and Friendship" 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶2.  (U)  On December 14, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of 
Justice Amadou Ali presided over a ceremony in the Far North 
Region to lay the first symbolic pillar demarcating the 2,000 
kilometer Cameroon-Nigerian land border.  This launched the 
final stage in implementing a 2002 International Court of 
Justice ruling which called for the demarcation of the border 
under the auspices of a UN-led bilateral Mixed Commission. 
Among those attending the ceremony, which took place in 
remote Amchide, near the town of Kousseri, were a 
representative of Nigerian Prince Bola Adjibola, Special 
Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations 
for West Africa and Chairman of the Mixed Commission Said 
Djinnit, and Ambassadors from the European Union, U.K., 
Canada, France, Germany and the United States (donor and 
"witness" countries). 
 
¶3.  (U)  In his remarks, Minister Ali highlighted that "the 
laying of border pillars does not in any case mean to 
separate the Cameroonian populations from their Nigerian 
counterparts, as in most cases, they are of the same ethnic 
group and from the same family.  It is just meant to let each 
and every administration know the limits of its sphere of 
competence, considering the border, which is far from being a 
separation wall, should be a bridge that causes the revival 
of neighborhood and friendship links among the Cameroonian 
and Nigerian populations."  He concluded by affirming that 
"Cameroon and Nigeria are two countries united by history and 
geography and their respective people are united by destiny." 
 Ali thanked the international community for its diplomatic 
and financial support and underscored the positive roles 
played by Cameroonian President Paul Biya, Nigerian former 
President Olusegun Obasanjo and current President Umar 
Yar'adua and the current and former UN Secretaries General. 
 
UN Seeks More Funding 
--------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  After the event, UNDP Resrep in Cameroon Thierry 
Mertens highlighted to Pol/Econ Chief the unique significance 
of this border demarcation, claiming it was the first time in 
Africa and one of the few cases in the world of such a border 
dispute being resolved peacefully through a UN-led process. 
He pointed out that the Commission's work over the past seven 
years has been logistically and financially very challenging. 
 Those demarcating the border had to master difficult 
terrain, which in some remote areas required helicopters to 
access.  They had to deal with climate extremes and some 
tricky security situations.  They had to help negotiate 
disputes and sensitize local populations.  The key to 
success, according to Mertens, was the fact that the 
governments of Cameroon and Nigeria were both determined to 
succeed and committed to a peaceful process. 
 
¶5.  (U)  Mertens and Ali, in his remarks, both pointed to the 
need for additional funding to complete the installation of a 
total of about 2,400 pillars.  Mertens acknowledged that 
substantial funds still remain in the pipeline from the 
donors to the effort - the European Union, and the 
governments of Canada and the United Kingdom.  Nonetheless, 
he anticipated the need for an additional $6 million and said 
the UN would organize a donor roundtable on the outstanding 
financial needs some time in 2010. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
 
YAOUNDE 00000005  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  The laying of border pillars should further cement 
the improved relations between Cameroon and Nigeria following 
the handover of the Bakassi Peninsula in 2008.  As Ali noted 
in his remarks, an estimated three million Nigerians live in 
Cameroon and about one million Cameroonians reside in 
Nigeria, creating people-to-people and commercial ties which 
should increasingly bond these two neighbors in friendship. 
The Government of Cameroon's excitement about this historic 
moment was underscored by the size of its delegation - 
Minister Ali chartered a plane and transported about 100 
people to the event and then to his nearby village for a 
celebration.  According to Martin, the Nigerians are also 
enthusiastic about the laying of pillars; he dismissed some 
Cameroonian press speculation that Prince Adjibola's absence 
from the December 14 event signified a lack of Nigerian 
commitment, saying that the Prince did not travel because of 
serious illness. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  While December 14 drew attention to an historic, 
rare peaceful resolution of a long-festering border dispute, 
the process is far from over.  A senior official at the 
European Union (the largest donor to the demarcation effort) 
remarked to Pol/Econ Chief that the UN management had been 
less than ideal, with significant inefficiencies and delays. 
He was not convinced of the need for millions of more dollars 
to finish the project.  He also pointed out that the Amchide 
border post was not the first pillar installed, just the 
first that was relatively easily accessible for a joint 
Nigerian-Cameroonian ceremony.  Nonetheless, he agreed 
December 14 was an important symbolic positive step that the 
EU will continue to support.  As a Greentree "witness" state, 
the USG might consider financially supporting this process as 
well, through Section 1207 funding or in other ways. 
GARVEY