THE BORDER CRISIS between Liberia and Guinea has generated so much emotional reaction from Liberians of different political and social persuasions. Of the emotional reactions, there are those who think Liberia must react in ways to regain its self-respect as a sovereign nation.
WE ARE NOT OK with the belligerent actions initially taken by the Guinean President, Mamady Doumnouya when he sent a huge contingent of soldiers to the border prior to his meeting with President Joseph Boakai and President Julius Maada Bio in Conakry, Guinea.
SOME COMMENTATORS HAVE said that we too should march troops to the borders but that’s not the best way to approach the issue. Cooler heads must prevail. The issue should be dealt with through diplomacy at the levels of Manor River Union, Ecowas,
AU AND THE ICJ (INTERNATIONAL Court of Justice) if it can’t be resolved through the regional diplomatic efforts. What the Guineans were doing was saber rattling and it's not called for in this situation between the fraternal republics of Guinea and Liberia. People on both sides of these borderlines are the same people. The three countries have longstanding fraternal relationship and that should take precedence over everything in finding amicable solutions to the border crisis.
FROM THE COMMENTARIES IN the media, there are many people who favor the diplomatic approach, rather than physical confrontation. We at the Public Agenda choose the side of diplomacy as the best way to deal with the crisis. So far, that’s the path our president,
HIS EXCELLENCY JOSEPH Nyama Boakai has taken. This was demonstrated quite recently when our president travelled to Conakry, Guinea to participate in a tripartite meeting with his Guinean and Sierra Leonean counterparts.
AMONG THE THREE OF them, President Boakai was the elder statesman, followed by President Julius Maada Bio of Siera Leone. The youngest among them was the president of Guinea, Mamady Doumbouya. It is our prayer and hope that the discussion held among the three will lead to positive resolution of the border crisis.
THERE IS NO NEED for war when diplomacy can solve the problem, especially among three nations which are interculturally connected. The diplomatic approach must be exhausted before any further step.
AS ALREADY STATED, the diplomatic approach can be pursued through three routes: Mano River Union, Ecowas and then the AU. There is a greater chance that if we follow these diplomatic channels, a solution could be found that can prevent the unnecessary bloodshed between the three sisterly nations.
OTHER THAN THE DIPLOMATIC approach, the next step is the international legal system. That is to take our case to the International Court of Justice where border crisis can be resolved through the legal process. The most immediate example of this is the land dispute between Nigeria and Cameroon over the Bakassi Peninsula.
OVER THIS PIECE OF land which is far bigger than the piece of disputed land between Liberia and Guinea or Guinea and Sierra Leone, there was a shooting war between Nigeria and Cameroon and Cameroon was not a match for Nigeria militarily. Knowing that it was not possible to defeat Nigeria militarily, Cameroon decided to pursue legal process through the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
IT WAS IN 1994 WHEN Cameroon claimed the ownership of the Peninsula. This happened during the reign of Nigeria’s military Head of State, General Sani Abacha. As a result of this claim, Nigeria deployed troops with the establishment of the Bakassi Local Government Area. This local government area was recognized on December 12, 1996. Until his death on June 8, 1998, Bakassi remained under the firm grip of Nigeria.
SEEING THE MILITARY option as unwinnable, Camerron went to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which ruled in its favor on October 10, 2002. The ruling was based on the Anglo-German border treaty of 1913. This became the legal basis for the decision over Bakassi Paennisulla by the ICJ.
THE RESOLUTION TO the Bakassi Peninsula crisis was contained in the Greentree Agreement which was signed on June 12, 2006. This agreement outlined the peaceful turnover of the territory from Nigeria to Cameroon. This took place at a formal ceremony on August 14, 2008.
THIS BECAME THE closure to the Bakassi territorial dispute between the two countries, Nigeria and Cameroon. This is one clear example of how to solve the border dispute between any two or multiple African countries such as Guinea and Liberia. If all the diplomatic approaches fail to resolve our border crisis with Guinea, this should be our next course of action. Our prayer and hope is for peace among the three nations, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
