Defense Ministry officials in Cameroon told a leading newspaper there that some members of the military argue that they helped orchestrate the delivery of what amounts to a multibillion-dollar parcel of land and deserve to be rewarded for their efforts.

The highly contested peninsula that once brought the neighboring West African nations to war was turned over last week after months of negotiations that at times turned heated.

Some of Cameroon's military officials contested that the deal might not have gone down as it had were it not for their calm while they were provoked by armed militants in the region, most notably those from the Niger Delta, infamous for their attacks on petroleum installations and oil worker kidnappings.

"In the face of any trans-boundary conflict, especially when the security of the state is at risk, the defense forces are given special attention and eventual compensation if they triumph," a military official told Cameroon's The Post newspaper this week on condition of anonymity.

"It happens (additional monetary compensation for soldiers) in many countries across the world as some sort of motivation, and Cameroon is no exception."

Representatives for the soldiers said skirmishes in the territory with gunmen among the mostly Nigerian population left several of their ranks dead or wounded during the last 15 years of the dispute over the territory.

Some 50 people have been killed in the region in the last year alone, despite Nigeria's decision in 2006 to relinquish control of the peninsula.

But the territory has been a point of contention between Nigeria and Cameroon for more than a century, dating back to the colonial period. Cameroon currently administers the territory to the north, while Nigeria controls the southern half.

The two countries appeared to be on the verge of war over the territory in 1981. Several armed clashes in the 1990s prompted Cameroon to first take the dispute to the International Court of Justice in 1994.

Relatively underdeveloped and considered one of the world's most fertile fishing grounds, the Bakassi Peninsula is believed to hold oil riches similar to those of the Niger Delta, which produces an estimated 2 million barrels per day.

Those prospective riches have prompted numerous foreign oil companies to inquire into securing the rights to explore the peninsula, though the territory remains untapped.

Meanwhile, Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua's decision to honor the International Court of Justice ruling on such a potentially lucrative piece of land has some praising the Nigerian leader for his diplomatic decision-making, while others lamented the loss of a potentially fertile oil-drilling territory.

"The handover event will be a very controversial move in Nigeria," noted Mark Schroeder, a sub-Saharan Africa analyst for Stratfor Strategic Forecasting Inc.

"While it will uphold the rule of law for President Umaru Yar'Adua and will resolve this outstanding issue with Cameroon, leading to improved relations with that country, it will expose Yar'Adua to severe criticism that he has undermined his country's geopolitical integrity for little in return."

(e-mail: [email protected])

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