Geopolitical Analysis and Conflict Management Process Over Small Peninsulas (A Case Study: Bakassi on the Cameroon-Nigeria Border)

The Bakassi Peninsula is located on the border of Cameroon and Nigeria on the shores of the Gulf of Guinea. The peninsula has energy reserves and fishery resources and was disputed between the two countries. From 1993 to 2006, a serious conflict occurred over its ownership, leading to military confrontation and the loss of life and property. In 1994, Cameroon recorded a lawsuit against Nigeria in the International Court of Justice. In October 2002, the International Court of Justice ruled in favor of Cameroon and considered Bakassi to belong to this country. Nigeria did not accept the judgment and did not leave the peninsula. This research has been done by descriptive-analytical method and using library resources, and by examining the Cameroon-Nigeria conflict over Bakassi and the process of its cessation, it seeks a geopolitical analysis of the roots of the conflict over small and strategic peninsulas, and offers suggestions for the optimal resolution of these disputes. The main question is what are the most important geopolitical causes of the conflict over the strategic small peninsulas? And what is the best way to stop this kind of conflict? The results show that several main geopolitical components in historical, natural and economic, positional, identity, and demographic dimensions are effective in the occurrence of conflict over strategic small peninsulas, and multi-level intervention and mediation according to the demands of the inhabitants of the peninsulas, etc. is effective in stopping and optimally resolving the conflict.