Nigeria: October 23, 2002

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Nigeria has officially rejected the International Court of Justice ruling that the disputed Bakassi peninsula belongs to Cameroon. Nigeria bases it claim on the fact that the people living in Bakassi belong to a Nigerian tribe. Nigeria also rejects borders drawn up during the colonial period. This, however, is an exception. Since the colonial powers left in the 1960s, African leaders have been very respectful of  the borders drawn up by the colonizing nations. The Nigerians also accused the judges of being biased. It would appear that Nigeria really wasn't interested in the International Court of Justice unless it ruled in Nigeria's favor. Nigeria has far more troops in the Bakassi area than Cameroon, but it is feared that Cameroon will support guerilla operations against Nigeria over the issue.