Nigeria: Military Must Account for Abuses

President Obasanjo is on a state visit to Washington, D.C. and will be
meeting with President George W. Bush and U.S. government officials,
who should reiterate the need
for the Nigerian military to adhere to international human rights
standards.

The U.S. military is eager to have Nigeria, the largest country in West
Africa, take up peacekeeping duties in war-torn countries in the region,
such as Sierra Leone. But Human Rights Watch has documented war crimes
committed by Nigerian peacekeepers in Sierra Leone in January 1999, as
well as atrocities within Nigeria itself.

"The Nigerian military has been responsible for serious abuses," said
Peter Takirambudde, executive
director of the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch.
"If the United States wants to make the Nigerians a partner in
peacekeeping, they have to demonstrate a real commitment to human
rights."

The Nigerian military has a history of serious human rights abuse,
including under the current civilian government. In November 1999, the
army destroyed the small town of Odi, in Bayelsa State, in the heart of
the oil-producing area of the Niger Delta, following the murder of
twelve policemen by a gang of youths based in the town. The army killed
hundreds of people--possibly more than 2,000--the great majority of them
unarmed.

The lack of accountability for this massacre is reflected in ongoing
human rights abuses by the security forces, including summary executions
and arbitrary arrests of members of groups pressing for greater autonomy
for the southwest and southeast of the country.

President Obasanjo recently fired the three heads of the armed services
in Nigeria, reportedly for reasons linked to their opposition to US
training of Nigerian troops, which included a human rights element.

For more information on human rights in Nigeria, please see:

Human Rights in Nigeria (HRW Focus Page, last updated May 11, 2001) at
http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/nigeria/.