Nigerian Army: Troops In Training Deployment In Guinea Bissau

- A new batch of Nigerian troops are
currently undergoing training at the Nigerian Army
Peacekeeping Centre, Jaji, in central Kaduna State,
towards deployment to Guinea Bissau, according to
Defence sources here. Nigeria, along with some
ECOWAS member nations, had already sent the
first set of troops who are helping to stabilise the
situation in the crisis-torn country. The Nigerian
Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Olusola Obada,
said on Tuesday in Abuja, while receiving the
President of the ECOWAS Commission, Kadre
Desire Ouedraogo, that the additional deployment
of troops to Guinea Bissau by Nigeria (a battalion of
about 500 troops), is in the spirit of cooperative
security and promotion of stability within the sub-
region.
Obada also said that the same focus of Nigeria in
tapping into the ECOWAS architecture of collective
security framework dictated its readiness to deploy
troops and equipment to Mali in order to stop the
combination of local insurgency and Al Queda
destabilization efforts in the country.
According to Obada, “the situation in Guinea Bissau
had prompted ECOWAS to invoke its mandate once
again leading to the formation of ECOWAS Mission
in Guinea Bissau. While acknowledging the political
and diplomatic efforts at stabilizing the country,
Nigeria, along with other member states have
pledged full participation within the framework of
the ECOWAS Standby Force.
'Currently, the pledged troops are generated and
are undergoing training at the Nigerian Army
Peacekeeping Centre, Jaji, Kaduna State pending
deployment to Guinea Bissau.
“The situation in Mali is cardinal to the continued
stability of the sub-region. This is particularly so as
a result of the multi-dimensional nature of the
conflict in Mali. We are contending with the local
insurgency, the Al Queda in Maghreb has added a
new dimension to it, making it more complex and
placing the challenge within the ambit of the
international community.
'While mediation is ongoing, President Goodluck
Jonathan reiterated the desire of ECOWAS to
deploy in Mali to contain the situation while seeking
the support of the United Nations and appropriate
Security Council resolution. We are very much in
the picture of the planning processes.”
Earlier, Ouedraogo said the troops being deployed
to Guinea Bissau will not only support the country’s
transitional government in ensuring peace and
security but will also assist Guinea Bissau in
reforming the security and defence sector.
The ECOWAS Commission President also stated
that both ECOWAS and Guinea Bissau would soon
sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on
how to assist the country “in this delicate exercise”
of reforming the security and defence sector.
He noted that part of his visit to the Nigerian
Ministry of Defence was to discuss the condition of
Nigeria’s deployment of troops “so that we can
improve on what is on the ground.”
Said Ouedraogo, “I want to place on record that
Nigeria is one of the most contributing countries in
our efforts to bring to an end the crisis in Mali and
in Guinea Bissau. As you know, Nigeria has already
sent troops to Guinea Bissau along with other
ECOWAS countries.
'We are very appreciative of what you are doing
there. I congratulate Nigeria for sending these
troops to assist us. It is my wish to discuss the
condition of this deployment so that we can improve
on what is on the ground in Guinea Bissau.
Hopefully, we have come to stabilise the situation in
Guinea Bissau. The political situation is under
control and we are now supporting the transitional
government to ensure peace and security. The
ECOWAS troops there are to assist in reforming the
security and defence sector. We have to sign an
MOU with Guinea Bissau whereby we assist them
in this delicate exercise.