Yaounde & N’Djamena diplomatic row: Visiting Chadian delegation head says clouds surrounding relations cleared!.

The Minister of State, Secretary General at the Chadian Presidency, Dr Galin Ngoteh Gata, made the declaration at the Unity Palace Friday May 19.

This was shortly after a preliminary audience that was granted him by his Cameroonian counterpart, the Minister of State, Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, on behalf of the Head of State, Paul Biya. 

The delegation, comprising six Chadian senior government officials, included their Ministers of Petrol, Finance and Budget among others. 

They later had a high-level working session with a group of 11 Cameroonian officials led by Minister Ngoh Ngoh.

The Cameroonian delegation to the working session had in attendance the Minister of Trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana; the Interim Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development, Prof Fuh Calistus Gentry and a representative of the National Hydrocarbons Corporation among others. 

Emerging from the close to one hour brainstorming session, which is believed to have centred around fine-tuning diplomatic relations and cooperation ties existing between both countries, the head of the Chadian delegation told reporters that solutions over recent misunderstandings have been found with clouds in diplomatic corridors cleared.

“The clouds surrounding our relations have been cleared and Cameroon and Chad are now looking towards the same direction,” Dr Galin Ngoteh Gata told reporters. 

The head of the Chadian delegation added: “Cameroon and Chad are two countries connected by history and geography and share some economic and financial interests that both countries cannot undermine”.

The Minister of State, Secretary General at the Chadian Presidency, noted that leaders of both nations are more than ever before determined to not only normalise their ties, but also federate forces to strengthen relations. 

“We had some issues over the management of petrol, but it was important that, after the visit of the Cameroon Minister of State to Chad, that I come here to confirm the willingness of the two Heads of State to normalise relations in some essential issues that created some differences,” he disclosed. 

Efforts of President Biya to resolve row

The visit of the Chadian officials, it should be recalled, comes less than a month after President Biya, last April 26, dispatched Minister Ngoh Ngoh to his Chadian counterpart. This was to seek ways to resolve ongoing diplomatic row between both countries, in connection with some business deals relating to the Chad-Cameroon pipeline project.   

Minister Ngoh Ngoh, it should be recalled, had after the audience with Chadian President, said the diplomatic cable between Yaounde and N’Djamena is fluid, with both leaders more than ever before determined to consolidate such brotherly ties.

“I was sent by the Head of State of Cameroon, H.E Paul Biya, to his counterpart and brother, H.E Mahamat Idriss Derby. I was bearer of a message of friendship, of brotherhood and I can assure you that I was warmly received…,” Ngoh Ngoh had told reporters after the audience.

He had added: “The deep-seated relations between Cameroon and Chad that have always been excellent will remain so. The two Heads of State will continue to work together to strengthen these relations for the welfare of their states and their peoples”.

Minister Ngoh Ngioh had concluded by stating categorically that: “There is really no cloud between Cameroon and Chad”.

Revisiting roots of diplomatic row 

The Minister of State, Secretary General at Chad’s Presidency, Dr Gali Ngothe Gaita, had informed the world through a note made public April 20, that it had recalled its Ambassador to Yaounde to protect Chad’s interest.

Dr Gali Ngothe, in the note, explained that his country was not comfortable with the schemes of Cameroonian personalities to acquire the shares of petroleum giant, ExxonMobil, through a subsidiary of the company, Savannah Energy, which he said his country considers as “nebulous”.

It should be noted that ExxonMobil, Chad and Cameroon were the three main actors in the Chad-Cameroon Pipeline project but ExxonMobil had put up its shares for sale and quit the pipeline deal in 2021. The sold shares have now become a point of discord.

Beyond Cameroon, Chad also said there are personalities from other African countries who are behind Savannah Energy. The Chadian Minister said his country only learnt, through the media, of the signing of a convention; indicating that Savannah Energy had sold 10 percent of its shares to the National Hydrocarbons Corporation, SNH. 

Chad claimed they were not informed and that the deal didn’t follow the statutes of the Cameroon Oil Transportation Company, COTCO.

Chad had also faulted Cameroon for being the only country in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, CEMAC, that has not responded to its request to buy over the assets of Malaysian energy group, Petronas, on its soil. 

This, the letter noted, is supposed to have been done in line with the requirement of CEMAC’s Community Competitiveness Council.

The note had further explained that Chad decided to withdraw its Ambassador after what it describes as repeated provocation from Cameroon and its representatives within CEMAC institutions that have been frustrating documents from Chad.

“Chad has found itself in a situation where it has the obligation to defend its interests and respectability and denounce the actions of Cameroon and its representatives…,” the note from Chadian Presidency had detailed.

The note also indicated that the country had explored all diplomatic avenues to address concerns raised with Yaounde but all attempts were fruitless.

Understanding the conflict 

The Chad-Cameroon Pipeline, covering a distance of a little over 1,000 kilometres, eases the exportation of crude oil from Chad, a landlocked country, through Kribi in the South Region to the global market. 

Chad manages the pipeline on its soil which is incorporated as Chad Oil Transportation Company, TOTCO. Meanwhile, the portion of the pipeline in Cameron is incorporated as the Cameroon Oil Transportation Company, COTCO.

When ExxonMobil sold its 40 percent shares in the deal last year, Chad opted for a visional to nationalise the assets. Experts say opening up the venture for external investment could be viewed by Chad, which owns all the oil, as a potential threat.