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Although the border dispute between Cameroon and Nigeria has officially been resolved, the number of cross-border attacks is increasing, often involving new and unexpected protagonists. This is fuelling fragmented and proliferating threats that both States are attempting to bring under control. Politically motivated and mafia-style violence is emerging from communities that are hostile to the peace process and have a substantial ability to cause damage. Achieving lasting peace in Bakassi implies that these communities will have to be pacified. This paper examines the challenges facing the various protagonists, as well as the resulting implications (international, public, and private cooperation in the conflict zone). In particular, it describes the ongoing transformation of both States’ politico-military initiatives at the heart of these dynamics of vacillation between peace and violence.