Internal conflict: A challenge to peace keeping - Abubakar

General Abdusallam Abubakar

Internal conflict: A challenge to peace keeping - Abubakar
Anulika Menanya, Lagos

A former Nigerian Military Head of State, General Abdusallam Abubakar, says that peacekeeping operations in the continent and the world over have been challenging due to internal conflicts between all parties involved.

General Abubakar said this at the public presentation of books by the National Institute of International Affairs, NIIA, in Lagos, South-west Nigeria.

He said:“African peacekeeping has been particularly challenging because there are usually internal conflicts between legitimate state authorities and insurgent groups that are not professional soldiers, and who know very little or even nothing at all about rules of engagement.”

Role of public enlightenment

He pointed out that due to the nature of internal conflicts, public enlightenment was necessary as it plays a key role in the professional conduct of the military and highly beneficial to the civilian population in Africa.

General Abubakar stated that it was important for the armed forces to be well informed on the rules of engagement in the countries where they were involved in peace keeping operations across the globe.

In recent years, many African regions have witnessed war and external conflicts with the commitment of over 7,000 Nigerian troops to more than 40 UN, AU and ECOWAS missions in over 10 countries.

“It is necessary for the Nigerian armed forces to acquire knowledge to guard them in their professional conduct,” he noted.

The books

One of the books presented, “The Law of Armed conflict and African wars,” looks at the different dimensions of armed conflicts in Africa. It also addresses the issues of dissemination of information on international law for the benefit of the military and the civilian population.

The second book, “From Rebellion, Insurgency to Belligerency: The Niger Delta Oil War in International Law”, talks about the conflicts in the Niger Delta and the role of foreign countries and Nigerians in Diaspora in addressing the issue.

The author of the books, Fred Agwu, who is also an associate professor of the NIIA, said the books would help both civilians and soldiers to know what steps to take during conflicts.

In his words, “the teaching of armed conflict is not given the appropriate emphasis giving the fact that for both the military and the civilian population, it is a very critical area because if war breaks out there is need for people to know what to do. The commander who is leading his troops to battle should know his limits, his do’s and don’ts. The civilians should equally know what they are expected to do when the conflict breaks out.”

With the publication of the books and more to come, the National Institute of International Affairs is set to compete with world renowned research institutes by 2025.

Former Nigerian head of state, General Abdusallam Abubakar, assisted by a former special representative in the UN, Chief Arthur Mbanefo, presented the books. 

Williams Osewezina