Nova Southeastern University NSUWorks Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses CAHSS Theses and Dissertations and Dissertations 1-1-2015 A Gift of aN ture and the Source of Violent Conflict: Land and Boundary Disputes in the North West Region of Cameroon The aC se of BaliKumbat and Bafanji Moise Oneke Arrah [email protected] This document is a product of extensive research conducted at the Nova Southeastern University College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. For more information on research and degree programs at the NSU College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, please click here. Follow this and additional works at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/shss_dcar_etd Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons, and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Share Feedback About This Item NSUWorks Citation Moise Oneke Arrah. 2015. A Gift of aN ture and the Source of Violent Conflict: Land and Boundary Disputes in the North West Region of Cameroon The Case of BaliKumbat and Bafanji. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences – Department of Conflict Resolution Studies. (109) https://nsuworks.nova.edu/shss_dcar_etd/109. This Dissertation is brought to you by the CAHSS Theses and Dissertations at NSUWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of NSUWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Gift of Nature and the Source of Violent Conflict: Land and Boundary Disputes in the North West Region of Cameroon The Case of BaliKumbat and Bafanji by Moise O. Arrah A dissertation presented to the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences of Nova Southeastern University in Partial Fulfillment for the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Nova Southeastern University 2016 Copyright © by Moise O. Arrah June, 2016 Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to the Loves of My Life: My Wife, Sheryll Tumenta Arrah. My children, Camille Arrah, Makayla-Rose Arrah, Maya-Bree Arrah, Madison-Serenity Arrah and to my unborn baby on the way. You all make my life beautiful and I Love you all endlessly. Acknowledgments I owe a huge debt of gratitude to several people without whose effort, this dissertation should not have had a positive outcome. My ultimate gratitude goes to God Almighty who has never wavered in His Love and Compassion on me. I would like to acknowledge the untiring efforts of my Supervisor, Dr Ishmael Muvingi whose availability and insightful comments helped to keep me on track. My committee members, Dr Duckworth and Dr. Hoffman played a very pivotal role in reading and providing feedback on this dissertation and I thank them very much. To all my instructors at Nova, I thank each of you for the knowledge you imparted on me and helping shape my intellectual progress. With deep appreciation, I want to acknowledge the guidance and inspiration I received from my parents Chief Arrah Thomas Takang and Mrs Arrah Bridget Ojong. They are the pillars that I have leaned on to be able to journey this far. My brothers and sisters, Peter, Joseph, Florence, Justine, Rosemary, Frida and Theodore have been an incredible support throughout this process and I thank them. So many friends and relatives helped me along the way. My gratitude goes to Laika Rene, for formatting the work. To those whose names do not appear here, I do remain grateful for the moral, spiritual, intellectual and material support. Table of Contents List of Tables................................................................................................................ vii List of Figures ............................................................................................................. viii Abstract ......................................................................................................................... ix Chapter One ....................................................................................................................1 Background of the Study ..............................................................................................2 Historical Backgrond ...................................................................................................3 Geographical Background ............................................................................................5 Socio-Economic Background .......................................................................................7 Contextual Background ................................................................................................7 Brief History and Description of the Bafanji Fondom ...................................................8 A Brief History and Description of Balikumbat Fondom ............................................ 12 Understanding the Balikumbat vs Bafanji Conflict in the Context of Intractable Conflict ...................................................................................................................... 14 Land Conflict Defined................................................................................................ 15 Indigenous Affinity to the Land and Land Demarcation Mechanisms ......................... 18 The Advent of Colonialism and Poor Land Demarcation Policies ............................... 20 The 1995 Land Dispute .............................................................................................. 25 Problem Statement ..................................................................................................... 27 Research Objectives ................................................................................................... 28 i Main Objective .......................................................................................................... 28 Specific Objectives .................................................................................................... 28 Research Questions .................................................................................................... 29 Justification and significance of the study .................................................................. 29 Definition of Key Concepts ........................................................................................ 31 Intractable Conflict .................................................................................................... 31 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 32 Chapter Two: Review of Relevant Literature ................................................................. 34 Cameroon Land Tenure System from Pre-Colonial to Post Colonial Era .................... 40 The Pre-Colonial Era ................................................................................................. 41 The Colonial Era ........................................................................................................ 42 The Period of German Rule (1884-1914) ................................................................... 42 The Anglo-French Colonial Era (1914-1961) ............................................................. 45 The Post-Colonial Era ................................................................................................ 46 Causes of Land and Boundary Disputes ..................................................................... 48 Systemic Causes of Land Conflict .............................................................................. 49 External Systemic Causes of Conflict ......................................................................... 49 Internal Systemic Causes of Conflict .......................................................................... 52 Proximate Causes of Conflict ..................................................................................... 53 External Proximate Causes ......................................................................................... 54 ii Proximate Internal Causes .......................................................................................... 55 Theoretical Framework .............................................................................................. 62 Human Needs Theory ................................................................................................ 62 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1970) ......................................................................... 64 Post-Colonial Theory ................................................................................................. 66 Empirical Framework (Studies) .................................................................................. 72 Chapter Summary ...................................................................................................... 80 Chapter Three: Research Methodology .......................................................................... 82 Research Design ........................................................................................................ 82 Area of Study ............................................................................................................. 84 Sources of Information ............................................................................................... 86 Sample Population ..................................................................................................... 86 Sampling Technique