Cameroon denies firing on Nigerian positions

The Cameroon government has denied reports by Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Major General Victor Malu, that its troops regularly fire at Nigerian positions on the Bakassi peninsula and violate its airspace. “I wasn’t aware of these reports until now but I can tell you we have not fired on our brothers and have not overflown Nigerian territory,” a Cameroonian government minister told IRIN on Tuesday. Malu made the accusations to reporters in Lagos. He said that incidents of provocative firing and overflying take place “almost every 15 days,” according to AFP. “We have no interest in fighting, we want justice not war,” the minister said, referring to the dispute between the two countries over ownership of the oil-rich Bakassi peninsula which is now under arbitration at the International Court of Justice in the Hague. Both countries have troops in the disputed territory.