Most Bakassi residents are Nigerian fishermen
BBC 15 August 2013 Last updated at 07:24 ET


Cameroon has formally taken full sovereignty of the oil-rich Bakassi peninsula, ceded by Nigeria in 2008.

The territory was handed over after an International Court of Justice ruling, ending years of border skirmishes.

The five-year UN-backed transition period exempted residents in the area, many of them Nigerian fishermen, from paying tax.

Now the Nigerians must also apply for a residence permit or take up Cameroonian citizenship if they wish to remain.



The BBC's Randy Joe Sa'ah in the capital, Yaounde, says official figures put the number of people living in the peninsula at 300,000, 90% of whom are Nigeria.

It is not clear how many have decided to leave the region, but it is believed most have decided to remain, he says.

Continue reading @ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-23710733