Nigeria sends 680 additional troops to Sudan’s Darfur
October 7, 2007 (ABUJA) — Despite the killing of seven soldiers in peacekeeping operation in Darfur, Sudan last week, the Nigerian Army has said it is sending another 680 soldiers to the war-torn region.
“The GOC 81 Division of the Nigeria Army, Major General Azubuike Ihejirika, who made the announcement, said the soldiers would soon be airlifted to the troubled region, the Nigerian This Day daily newspaper reported .
Speaking with newsmen on Sunday at the Air Force Base, Ikeja, Lagos, Ihejirika said the army was not discouraged in anyway as their ultimate motive was to ensure peace in the entire continent, stating that by their singular action thousands of lives can be saved.
“The army is not in any way discouraged, because peace is the ultimate reason for the establishment of the Armed Forces and in the present global setting, peace support operation has assumed the primary role of the armed forces,” he said.
Ihejirika added: “Previously, the main concern was defence against external aggression. So the peace keepers themselves know that they are doing a risky job, and they also know that through their efforts thousands of lives are saved, so there is no way we can be discouraged from this lofty goal of striving for peace in Africa.”
An orchestrated attack on an African Union Army Base in the war-torn Darfur had resulted in the killing of seven Nigerian soldiers.
Ten peacekeeping soldiers were reportedly killed in total in the attack said to be the deadliest since the forces were deployed in 2003.
The remains of the dead Nigerian soldiers were brought home on Friday and buried at the military cemetery Abuja.
Ihejirika advised his men to pay more attention to new tactics to protect themselves and those they are meant to defend stating that what happened was quite unfortunate.
On whether the army would now move towards peace enforcement instead of peace keeping, he said that was not his decision to make and that if such decision would be taken, it would come from another level.
“If there is going to be a decision on peace enforcement, it should be taken at the level of African Union and the United Nations and as you are aware, an enquiry into what has happened is being conducted and that is what should inform any change should such a change becomes necessary,” he said.
He explained that the first batch of troops moving from their unit in Badagry to Darfur would replace another batch being pulled out of the place stating that the departing soldiers were the first set of about 200 soldiers of the total number of 680 to be deployed.
“The troops we have here are the first chalk of troops moving from the unit in Badagry moving to Darfur. They are going to replace another body of troops that are being pulled out from the place. So they are the first set and they will soon board. The total no of troops is about 680, but this first wave is about 200, and they are about seven batches,” Ihejirika said.
He said that the troop movement was rotational, “once they serve six months on the average, we rotate them so that they can come back and join their families. We want to avoid too long separation from their families and them having fatigue; that is just the basis.”
The troops were supposed to have left the country in the early hours of Sunday morning on board a Hercules C130 but could not do so due to the fact that the aircraft developed slight hitches.
Ihejirika said, “It is the normal thing with aircraft, it’s being serviced, and we are being informed that another aircraft is coming to take them. So they will depart tomorrow morning.”
(This Day)