Conflict, Legal Displacement and National Identity Crises in Africa: Focus on the people of Bakassi

Ezechi, Kingsley C. and Umeh, Lucy Chinwe and okonkwo, Wilfred Onyekwelu and Ugwoegbu, Edmund Ugochukwu (2025) Conflict, Legal Displacement and National Identity Crises in Africa: Focus on the people of Bakassi. African Journal of Law and Justice System (AJLJS), 4 (1). 67- 88. ISSN 2753-3115

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Abstract

Displacements arising from conflict in Africa have been a recurring issue, some of which have led to national identity crises. The case of the Bakassians, stemming from the boundary dispute between Nigeria and Cameroon, presents a socio-political and cultural dilemma reflective of Lubkermann's concept of "displacement in place," as well as national identity crises caused by legal frameworks. In this context, the study hypothesized that unless the genuine wishes of the people are sought through a plebiscite, the gross human rights abuses faced by the people of Bakassi and other inhabitants of Southern Cameroon will persist. Utilizing the documentary method of data collection alongside Primordial and Instrumentalist theories, the study found that the national identity crisis experienced by the people of Bakassi was precipitated by the cession of Bakassi to Cameroon following the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in 2002. The study thus concludes and recommends that laws or sources of law, such as ICJ rulings and the resultant Green Tree Agreement (GTA), should not be the sole determinants of nationality and identity. Rather, these should also be based on the indigenous decisions of the people involved.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: A General Works > AC Collections. Series. Collected works
Divisions: Faculty of Management and Social Sciences
Depositing User: mrs chioma hannah
Date Deposited: 09 May 2025 11:02
Last Modified: 09 May 2025 11:02
URI: http://eprints.gouni.edu.ng/id/eprint/4472

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