Original treaty on Bakassi: 1885, 1890 & 1893

No. 260 - Arrangement between Great Britain and Germany, relative to their respective spheres of Action in portions of Africa 29th April - 16th June, 1885

Gulf of Guinea interior districts

GREAT Britain engages not to make acquisitions of territory, accept protectorates, or interfere with the extension of German influences in that part of the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, or in the interior districts to the east of the following line: that is, on the coast, the right river bank of the Rio del Rey entering the sea between 8¡ 42 and 8¡ 46 longitude east of Greenwich; in the interior a line following the right river bank of the Rio del Rey from the said mouth to its source, thence striking direct to the left river bank of the Old Calabar or Cross River, and terminating after crossing that river at the point about 9¡ 8 of longitude east of Greenwich, marked "Rapids" on the English Admiralty Chart.

Germany engages not to make acquisition, accept Protectorates, or interfere with the extension of British influence in the coast of the Gulf of Guinea lying between the right river bank of the mouth of the Rio del Rey, as above described, and the British Colony of Lagos; nor in the interior to the west of the line traced in the preceding paragraph.

Gulf of Guinea. Rio Del Creek: 1890 Anglo-Germany Treaty

It having been proved to the satisfaction of the two Powers that no river exists on the Gulf of Guinea corresponding with that marked on maps as the Rio Del Rey, to which reference was made in the Agreement of 1885 (No. 260), a provisional line of demarcation is adopted between the German sphere in the Cameroons and the adjoining British sphere, which, starting from the head of the Rio del Rey Creek, goes direct to the point, about 9¡ 8 of east longitude, marked "Rapids" in the British Admiralty chart.

No. 273 - Agreement between Great Britain and Germany respecting the Rio del Rey, on the West Coast of Africa. Signed at Berlin, 14th April, 1893.

The undersigned:

1. The Honourable P. Le Poer Trench, Her Britannic Majesty's Charge d'Affaires and First Secretary of Embassy.

2. Sir Claude Macdonald, Her Britannic Majesty's Commissioner and Consul-General of the Oil Rivers Protectorate:

3. Dr. Kayser, privy Councillor, Chief of the Colonial Department of the Imperial German Foreign Office;

4. B. von Schuckmann, Imperial Councillor in the Foreign Office;

After discussion of various questions affecting the fiscal interests of Germany and Great Britain in their respective territories in the Gulf of Guinea and without prejudice to the conditions laid down in Section 2, Article IV, of the Anglo-German Agreement of the 1st July, 1890 (No. 270), is also the conditions laid down in the Anglo-German Agreements of the 20th April and 7th May, 1885 (No. 260), and the 27th July and 2nd August 1886 (No. 263), have come to the following agreement on behalf of their respective governments:

Art I. - That the point named in Section 2, Article IV, of the Anglo-German Agreement of 1st July, 1890 (No. 270), as the head or upper end of the Rio del Rey Creek shall be the point at the northways, named Urufian and Ikankan, on the German Admiralty Chart of 1889-90.

Art II. - From this upper end of the Rio del Rey to the sea, that is to say, to the promontory marked West Huk on the above mentioned chart, the right bank of the Rio del Rey waterway shall be the boundary between the Oil Rivers protectorate and the Colony of the Cameroons.

Art III. - The German Colonial Administration engages not to allow any trade-settlements to exist or be erected on the right bank of the Rio del Rey Creek or waterway. In like manner the Administration of the Oil Rivers Protectorate engages not to allow any trade-settlements to exist or be erected on the western bank of the Backasay (Bakassi) Peninsula from the first creek below Archibong's (Arsibon's) village to the sea, and eastwards from this bank to the Rio del Rey waterway.

(L.S.) P. Le Poer Trench.

(L.S.) Claude M. Macdonald

(L.S.) Dr. Kayser.

(L.S.) B. v. Schuckmann.

Berlin, April 14th 1893.

Nov 2002