True to her reputation as one of the largest contributors to UN missions in the world and Africa in particular and an enviable "big brother" in the continent, Nigeria on Thursday despatched 100 soldiers to Mali. This is the first batch of 1,200 soldiers pledged by President Jonathan to help combat the rebels in Mali. Today, Nigeria leads the world in international peacekeeping. Of the 80 countries contributing troops to over 20 global operations, Nigeria has more than 6,500 men keeping the peace outside its borders in places such as Bosnia Herzgovena, Iraq, Kuwait, Western Sahara, Liberia, Angola, Rwanda. Nigerian troops have also served in Somalia, Mozambique and Cambodia, The Congo, Chad, Lebanon, India, Pakistan (Kashmir). The key thing in global peacekeeping are the men and women risking their lives in the interest of peace. Nigeria has more of those people than any other country in the world.
Going by what a top military officer was quoted as saying, this particular move will however also help Nigeria in her fight against islamist insurgents in the nothern region of the country as some of the insurgents had been trained in Mali. Nigeria's Boko Haram terrorists, like the Malian Islamist rebels, have for years held the Northern part of Nigeria by the jugular, killing and maiming people, especially Christians in their quest to Islamise Nigeria.
Nigeria's Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Onyeabo Azubike Ihejerika, speaking at the departure of the troops for Mali, said that Nigeria is sending troops as part of its efforts to stabilize and bring peace to the region.
Ihejerika said Nigeria's mission to Mali will complement the efforts to bring about peace in Nigeria. Ihejerika said Nigeria has "evidence that some of the terrorists operating in Nigeria today were trained in Mali." Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist extremists are blamed for attacks that killed more than 780 people last year.
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