Kofi Annan Was A Friend Indeed!

#Politique

The late former United Nations Secretary General was instrumental in ensuring lasting peace between Cameroon and Nigeria after the dispute over the Bakassi Peninsular.

The world continues to mourn Kofi Annan, the only black African to become Secretary General of the United Nations organisation. He died on August 18, 2018 in the Swiss city of Bern at the age of 80. The career Ghanaian diplomat was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 for helping to revitalise the UN during a period that coincided with the Iraq War and the HIV/Aids pandemic.

But to Cameroonians and Nigerians, Kofi Annan, who from 1997-2006 was UN Secretary General, will forever be remembered for his tireless role in facilitating the signing of the June 12, 2006 Greentree Agreement. Signed in Greentree, a 400-acre estate in Manhasset, on New York’s Long Island, USA by former Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo and Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, the accord helped in ending the dispute over the gas and oil-rich Bakassi Peninsular by ensuring the phased transfer of authority over the island by Nigeria to Cameroon. The signature of the agreement was witnessed by France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The Greentree historic agreement set out the modalities and timeframe for the implementation of the October 10, 2002 ruling of the International Court of Justice ceding Bakassi Peninsular from Nigeria to Cameroon. On August 14, 2013, Cameroon regained total control of Bakassi after the ICJ ruling and implementation of the Greentree Accord. In his January 6, 2015 New Year wishes speech to diplomats, President Paul Biya commended the efforts of Kofi Annan.

“Wherever it was possible, the UN did everything to calm tensions and resolve conflicts. Mr Kofi Annan, this great African to whom I pay tribute, with the courage and perseverance that characterise him, tirelessly handled the most complex situations,” the President said. 

In the presence of Annan, Olusegun Obasanjo and Paul Biya met in November 2002 in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss the implementation of the October 10, 2002 International Criminal Court, ICJ verdict on Bakassi Peninsular. It was at this meeting that the two leaders agreed to set up a joint commission to monitor the implementation of the ruling.

On January 31, 2004, another evaluation summit between Nigeria, Cameroon and the UN on the Bakassi ICJ decision held in Geneva. It was attended by Presidents Obasanjo, Biya and Annan.

Kofi Annan was in Yaounde on January 31, 2015 – his third to the country – to follow up the implementation of the ruling that ceded Bakassi from Nigeria to Cameroon. He had earlier visited the country in May 2000.

During his stay in the country from May 1-3, 2000, the meritorious African son, as he was called, held talks with President Paul Biya at the State House, was conferred the title of “Honoris Causa” at the University of Yaounde 1 as well as met with political parties represented at the National Assembly.  

He was again in Cameroon in January 2001 on the occasion of the 21st France-Africa Summit. His participation gave the summit a universal outlook. Mr Annan equally paid a visit to Cameroon on January 31, 2005 during which time he held talks with President Paul Biya at Unity Palace followed by a State Dinner in his honour.

 In all, Presidents Obasanjo and Biya met on four occasions to discuss Bakassi with UN facilitation. The first was in Saint-Cloud, Paris, France on September 15, 2002 before the ICJ ruling, on November 15, 2002 in Geneva, January 31, 2004 in Geneva, and on May 11, 2005 in Geneva.

In Saint-Cloud, the two leaders agreed to respect and implement the pending ICJ decision, establish an implementation mechanism, with UN support, and resume ministerial-level meetings of the Joint Commission on September 30, 2002 in Abuja, Nigeria.

They also agreed on the need for confidence-building measures, including the eventual demilitarization of Bakassi Peninsula, with the possibility of international observers to monitor the withdrawal of all troops. They further decided on an early visit to Nigeria by President Biya, and agreed to avoid inflammatory statements or declarations on the Bakassi issue.