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Soldiers killed in Bakassi clash Soldiers killed in Bakassi clash
(10 minutes later)
More than 20 Cameroonian soldiers have been killed during fighting in the Bakassi peninsula near the border with Nigeria, say Cameroon army officials.More than 20 Cameroonian soldiers have been killed during fighting in the Bakassi peninsula near the border with Nigeria, say Cameroon army officials.
Details are unclear, but Nigerian security officials acknowledge there may have been a clash in the region. Details of the clash remain unclear. Cameroonian military sources told the BBC the attackers wore Nigerian military uniforms.
A Nigerian army spokesman said the Nigerian military was not involved, but the army was investigating reports that local militants carried out an attack. But the Nigerian military are blaming militants from the volatile Niger Delta for the attack.
Nigeria handed the Bakassi peninsula over to Cameroon more than a year ago. The Niger Delta lies just west of the sensitive and oil-rich peninsular.
This was in compliance with a ruling by the International Court of Justice. Nigeria handed the Bakassi peninsula over to Cameroon more than a year ago in compliance with a ruling by the International Court of Justice.
Cameroonian military sources told the BBC the attackers wore Nigerian military uniforms. The Nigerian army said the raid could have been carried out by the same group of gunmen that had earlier attacked a nearby oil terminal run by Exxon Mobil.
If so, this will be the first time that Nigerian militants have attacked Cameroonian territory, says the BBC's Alex Last in Nigeria.
He says there are a number of questions to be answered about why such a raid would be carried out now; was it simply an opportunistic attempt to grab weapons, or was it an attempt to show local Nigerian dissatisfaction with the Bakassi handover, or was it a deliberate attempt by a militant group to escalate the violence in the region?
So far, no-one has claimed responsibility.
Sovereignty dispute
There were a series of bloody clashes between Nigeria and Cameroon in the 1990s.There were a series of bloody clashes between Nigeria and Cameroon in the 1990s.
The peninsula has been administered by Nigeria since independence from Britain in 1960. Many living in Bakassi before the ruling saw themselves as Nigerian
However, Cameroon based its claim of sovereignty over the region on maps dating back to the colonial era. The peninsula had been administered by Nigeria since independence from Britain in 1960.
However, Cameroon based its claim of sovereignty over the region on maps dating back to the colonial era and was successful at the International Court of Justice after a lengthy case.
Bakassi juts into the Gulf of Guinea, an area which may contain up to 10% of the world's oil and gas reserves.Bakassi juts into the Gulf of Guinea, an area which may contain up to 10% of the world's oil and gas reserves.
It is also rich in fish. It is also rich in fish and most locals are fishermen.