BAKASSI INDIGENES THREATHEN VIOLENCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 001537 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/16/2031 TAGS: PBTS MOPS NI CM SUBJECT: BAKASSI INDIGENES THREATHEN VIOLENCE Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Thomas P. Furey for Reasons 1.4 (b and d) ¶1. (C) Summary. Representatives of the Nigerian indigene community of Bakassi met with Embassy officers to discuss their concerns over the recent agreement to implement the ICJ decision on the Bakassi. The representatives felt betrayed by the agreement, and threatened violence to impede the implementation of the agreement. EmbOffs encouraged the leaders to use their influence in the community to diffuse tensions, and clearly stated that the USG supported the Obasanjo-Biya agreement and would not/not support recourse to violence. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Bakassi Local Government Area (LGA) chair Ani Eric Esin and Bakassi Natives Association representative Tony Ene met with DATT and PolMilOff at the Embassy on 16 June to voice their concerns over the recent agreement reached between Presidents Obasanjo and Biya over the Bakassi peninsula. The Bakassi representatives sought increased engagement by the USG in the Bakassi, and expressed hope that the US would protect the interests of the Efik community. ¶3. (C) The two Bakassi representatives warned of "a lot of trouble" if the Bakassi is handed over to Cameroon, saying they would "rather die like dogs on the side of the road" than be subjected to Cameroonian authority. They went on to claim that their "blood ties" with groups in the Niger Delta would give them access to weapons necessary to maintain an insurgency. Returning to this point, the representatives stressed that "we may all die as a people, but we will die with pride, die with satisfaction." They mentioned, as they had in a previous meeting with the Embassy's Air Attach, that they were ready to declare a republic and had both a flag and national anthem prepared. ¶4. (C) The two representatives displayed a sense of betrayal by both the GON and the international community. President Obasanjo had repeatedly assured them that he would not cede "even an inch" of Nigerian territory, and then there was a sudden settlement in New York that ceded the entire Bakassi peninsula. There was no preparation of the Bakassi residents, and no consultation prior to the negotiations, they said. A question repeatedly raised was why the idea of a plebiscite has been minimized. The two representatives felt that before transferring the Bakassi to Cameroon, the people should have a chance to vote, in accordance with their perceived right to self-determination, on which country they would like to call home. They said they would rather be handed to the US or the UN in a trustee arrangement than to Cameroon, a country and people they have nothing in common with, not even language (Note: DATT debunked this notion, emphasizing the official bilingual status of Cameroon, and the Efik communities in western Cameroon. End note). ¶5. (C) PolMilOff stressed in unambiguous terms that the USG would not/not support any sort of armed movement opposing the transfer of the Bakassi, a position both Bakassi representatives seemed genuinely surprised by. PolMilOff went on to emphasize that violence would not address the issues of underdevelopment and lack of infrastructure voiced by the people of the Bakassi, and would in fact destroy the development and international engagement that already existed. The DATT implored both representatives to use their positions as community leaders to calm their people and to make the transition period peaceful and successful for all parties involved, a message echoed by PolMilOff the next day. ¶6. (C) Comment. The transfer of Bakassi is a very emotional issue for the residents of the peninsula. The sudden compromise agreement implementing the ICJ verdict came as even more of a surprise to them than it did to international observers. The threat of local violence in Nigeria can never be taken lightly, and the ubiquitous presence of small arms and disaffected youth make the threat all the more real. Mission will continue to press the GON for permission to visit the Bakassi (a request that has been repeatedly denied) to expand engagement with the local community. End Comment. FUREY