Cameroon-Nigeria : Common Problems, Tactful Solutions

Cameroon and Nigeria are two neigbouring countries condemned by nature and history to be together. Cameroon shares the longest land and maritime border with Nigeria, spanning an estimated close to 2,000km which stretches from the Lake Chad Basin area to the Gulf of Guinea. Unfortunately, there is violent crisis on either side of these borders, either imposed by Boko Haram insurgency since the early 2000s or maritime piracy. The mayhem that these armed groups have imposed on localities along the Northern Cameroon and Nigeria borders have negatively impacted trade as closure of parts of the border for security reasons has led to a sharp decline in food exported to Nigeria like sorghum, rice and onions, on one hand, and commodities imported like fuel, are difficult to get into Cameroon. Trans-border insecurity has thus impacted the economic climate, giving birth to a humanitarian situation. 
Statistics published by the International Maritime Bureau indicate that 135 maritime kidnappings were recorded in 2020, with 130 of them happening in the Gulf of Guinea alone. The same report states that the Gulf of Guinea accounted for nearly half (43 per cent) of reported piracy incidents in the first three months of 2021, raising concerns on how to tackle the crisis in the area.
Given the consequences imposed on the economies of the two nations, both governments have come up and continue to envisage tactful solutions aimed at ensuring the security of the persons and counteract the obscure religious or political agenda of those perpetrating violence. Camer...