Author(s) :

EMMANUEL Jebe Atewe, Ayoola Richard Olayiwola, PhD.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

The persistence of territorial disputes continues to pose significant challenges to peace, security, and regional integration in Africa despite the existence of international and regional mechanisms for conflict management. This paper examines the role of international organisations in the peaceful settlement of territorial disputes in Africa through an analysis of the Bakassi Peninsula dispute between Nigeria and Cameroon. Drawing exclusively on secondary data obtained from international legal instruments, judicial decisions, official documents, scholarly publications, and policy reports, the study evaluates how international law and multilateral institutions contributed to preventing the escalation of the dispute into a prolonged interstate conflict. Anchored in Liberal Institutionalism, the paper argues that the peaceful settlement of the Bakassi dispute resulted not from judicial adjudication alone but from the interaction of international law, preventive diplomacy, sustained political commitment, and coordinated institutional implementation. The paper demonstrates that the International Court of Justice provided legal certainty regarding territorial sovereignty, while the United Nations, through diplomatic engagement and the Cameroon–Nigeria Mixed Commission, facilitated the implementation of the Court's judgment and reduced the risk of renewed hostilities. The paper concludes that durable settlement of interstate territorial disputes in Africa requires an integrated approach that combines judicial settlement, diplomacy, political leadership, institutional coordination, and human security considerations. The Bakassi experience offers valuable lessons for strengthening Africa's continental peace and security architecture and demonstrates the continuing relevance of international organisations in promoting peaceful interstate relations within a rules-based international order. Keywords: Bakassi Peninsula; International Organisations; Peaceful Settlement of Disputes; International Court of Justice; Territorial Disputes.

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