Thread by @DefenseNigeria

In 1994 Cameroon went to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to avoid war with Nigeria after many armed clashes occurred in the disputed regions. Heres a brief chronology of events that led to Cameroon taking this decision.

In 1987 after repeated clashes three Cameroonian soldiers were kidnapped and tortured. That same year Cameroonian troops attacked 16 villages around Lake Chad and exchanged the Cameroonian flag for the Nigerian flag.

Nigerian troops stormed the villages in an attack that took the lives of 50 civilians, hoisted the Nigerian flag and began boarding and inspecting every Cameroonian fishing boat close to Lake Chad.

In April 1990 Nigerian soldiers again kidnapped and tortured two cameroonian soldiers. A couple of months later Nigeria claimed that Cameroon was annexing nine fishing settlements on the peninsula

Between July 1990 Nigerian soldiers stormed the Cameroonian town of Jabane, replacing the Cameroonian flag with the Nigerian flag. In July 1991 Nigerian troops invaded and occupied the town of Kontcha in Cameroon.

The Nigerian Army then made veiled threats that it would occupy some areas around Lake Chad.

A 1993 Cameroonian attack in Lake Chad resulted in the oppression of Nigerians, some of whom were killed and subject to discriminatory taxation.

On 17 November 1993 Nigerian troops, backed by heavy artillery invaded and occupied Jabane and Diamond Island in the Bakassi Peninsula. In response the Cameroonian army launched an incursion into Bakassi.

In December 1993 Nigeria accused the Cameroonian Army of having launched incursions into Bakassi and sent 1,000 soldiers to protect Nigerian citizens on the peninsula.

Cameroonian troops then attacked Karena village in a vicious crackdown.

During the crackdown 55 Nigerians were burnt alive. The village itself was torched as thousands fled.

On 17 February 1994, the Nigerian army invaded and occupied territory close to Lake Chad and received 3,000 refugees from the village of Karena after they fled from Cameroonian troops.

Soon after Cameroonian gendarmes crossed the border into Nigeria and attacked the village of Abana in Cross River State, killing 6 people and sinking 14 fishing boats. A move that enraged the Nigerian Head of State. This time around the Nigerian military was put on a war footing

On 19 February 1994 Nigerian forces, backed by heavy artillery launched a full scale attack, and this time occupied the full peninsula, including the villages of Akwa Archibong, Atabong, and Kawa Bana. The ferocity of the attack took Cameroon by surprise.

On 29 March 1994 Cameroon referred the matter to International Court of Justice (ICJ) to avoid war with Nigeria.

In early August 1995 heavy fighting took place and 30 people were killed. On 3 February 1996, another clash occurred, resulting in casualties.

In March 1996 intelligence report revealed French helicopters and troops had been secretly deployed to Cameroon.

Nigeria said France had deployed soldiers and combat helicopters to the Peninsula, sparking the first operational deployment of the ROLAND air defence system.

France stated that it had stationed just two helicopters and fifteen paratroopers in Cameroon, but had not deployed to the peninsula.

Between late 1999 and early 2000 French forces established a military base close to the disputed territory. In response the NAF Special Operations Group in Port Harcourt was given one month to bring back to life all unservicable helicopters.

Now here's what Nigerians need to understand. France was ready to live up to its treaty obligation had tensions between Nigeria and Cameroon devolved into a shooting war. Make no mistake about it. There is no ambiguity. Building air base close to Nigeria meant one thing.

If war became inevitable, every Nigerian air base and military formations would have come under a pre-emptive attack by French fighter jets to chip away Nigeria's advantage The deployment of paratroopers meant they were ready for operations deep inside enemy lines.