Nigeria and Cameroon recently negotiated a draft border agreement that would, among other things, allow hydrocarbon exploration along the countries' shared border. In an email interview, John Campbell, the Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, discussed Nigeria-Cameroon relations.
WPR: What is the current state of diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Cameroon?
John Campbell: Diplomatic relations between Abuja and Yaoundé appear to be excellent, certainly at the presidential level. There is ongoing dialogue about regional issues, especially those involving the Gulf of Guinea. Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and Cameroonian President Paul Biya personally resolved a significant territorial dispute over the Bakassi Peninsula. Implementing a decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the two arranged for the transfer of Bakassi from Nigeria to Cameroon.