From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:NIGERIA: DOMESTIC OPPOSITION TO LIBERIAN INVOLVEMENT GROWS
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 07:31:05 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Area: Africa, southern
Title: NIGERIA: DOMESTIC OPPOSITION TO LIBERIAN INVOLVEMENT GROWS


an inter press service feature

by sunny ike

lagos, dec 3 (ips) -- two years after nigeria inspired the
deployment of troops from seven west african countries for
peacekeeping operations in liberia, government is battling
to contain growing domestic opposition to its involvement.

before the liberia, nigeria's participation in international
military operations was limited to an african multi-lateral
monitoring fiasco in chad, and u.n. peace keeping forces in
asia, east and central africa and recently europe.

but as domestic opposition to late president samuel doe of
liberia gradually degenerated into an ethnic conflict and
civil war, sub-regional leaders of the economic community of
west african states (ecowas), concerned over destabalisation,
were compelled to promote a west african peace keeping agenda.

''we could not afford to ignore the wanton killings in
that country not only as our brothers keeper but since the
conflict had the potential to destablise the sub-region'',
nigerian president ibrahim babangida said then in justifying
the initiative.

but the erosion of the fragile peace maintained since
august 1990 by troops from nigeria, ghana, senegal, gambia,
mali, guinea and sierra leone has led to domestic discontent
over the nigerian-led peacekeeping operations. nigeria
contributes the bulk of the troops and picks up most of the tab.

''we have no business committing resources and personnel
to a peace keeping campaign in a country where there is no
peace,'' says kimse okoko, a political scientist at the
southern university of port harcourt.

''the essential ingredient for peace keeping is that all
the parties in a conflict must be willing to accept the
intervention of the peace keeper to ensure the
implementation of its mandate'', argues okoko

leader of the national patriotic front (npfl) charles taylor,
the largest faction and thorn in the flesh of the peacekeeping
mission refuses to accept the role of the west african force and
in particular accuses nigeria of hegemony.

according to okoko, ''what we have in that country is a full
scale and unrelenting civil war among the armed forces of
liberia, the independent patriotic front of liberia, the
united liberation movement for democracy in liberia and the
npfl''. (more/ips)


nigeria: domestic (2)

along with growing numbers of nigerians, the accedemic is
unhappy with government secrecy over casualties.

it is widely rumoured that the wounded and dead are brought
home at night through the air force wing of lagos airport.

''information on troop movements and weapons deployments
could jeopardize the effectiveness of military operations'',
army spokesperson, col. fred chijuka, said in defence of
the news black-out.

signs of public dissent surfaced with the escalation of the
fighting in mid-october. former foreign minister, professor
bolaji akinyemi said that ''nigeria has two options: either to
withdraw from participation or to engage in full scale war to
ensure a quick resolution of the conflict.''

opponents of the ecomog peace effort are not only worried
about the loss of nigerian troops but also about the financial
cost of the exercise.

''in the midst of the country's deepening economic woes,
we cannot afford the diversion of badly needed resources to a
cause that will not improve our economic fortunes'', insists
ebenezer babatope, a public affairs commentator and political
activist.

steve oduah, an economist, estimates that about 100
million u.s. dollars ''has been sunk into this adventure
and there does not seem to be economic sense in such an
expenditure against the background of our economic crisis''.

it does not appear however that public opinion will sway
the military government as it did in 1979, forcing a withdrawl
from u.n. peacekeeping duties in the lebanon following scathing
criticisms after the death of four nigerian soldiers.

rather, babangida desperate for a foreign policy success
before handing over to civilian rule next august has upped
troop deployment from an initial figure of 3,000 to current
estimates of 10,000. nigerian jets and navy are also in action.

''we are determined not only to protect ourselves but
deal with the main rebel group decisively in line with the
broadened mandate,'' adetunji olurin, the nigerian peacekeeping
force commander said here this week following the go-ahead from
west african leaders last month for more decisive action.

olurin is optimistic that the conflict will be over by
the end of the year. it would be a befitting new year present
for a worried nation, but independent analysts are less
optimistic and calls for a halt can only grow.
(en/ips/si/ro/oa/92)
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