PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS IN AFRICA: RETROSPECTING ETHICAL DIMENSION OF NIGERIA'S PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS IN LIBERIA AND SIERRA LEONE, 1990-2002

Between 1990 and 2002, Nigeria was crucial in regional peacekeeping missions in Sierra Leone and Liberia, primarily to restore peace and stability in these two countries. There have been ethical questions regarding official engagements by the Nigerian peacekeeping personnel. There were cases of negation of rules of engagement, as well as involvement of the peacekeepers in illegal and corrupt practices. Although there have been studies on Nigeria’s peacekeeping operations in Africa, ethical dimension of Nigeria’s peacekeeping missions in the two countries has not been given adequate attention. Hence, this study examined sexual exploitation and human right abuses as two critical ethical issues involving Nigeria’s peacekeeping troops in Sierra Leone and Liberia. The study employed qualitative-descriptive design and purposive sampling technique where 7 interviewees were selected to participate in a semi-structured interview. The responses of the interviewees were subjected to thematic and content analyses. Secondary data were gathered through review of books, journal articles, archival materials, official reports. Professional Ethics Theory was adopted as a theoretical framework of analysis. According to the findings, there were documented evidences of human rights violations which include: sexual exploitations, extrajudicial killings and abuses against civilians. These situations brought up moral and ethical questions regarding official military engagement and behavioural patterns of the Nigerian peacekeeper in two countries under investigation and Africa in general. The study therefore concluded that Nigeria played a key role in ending the internal conflicts in the two countries but issues revolving around ethical considerations raised major concerns. The study recommended that Nigeria improves on the training of peacekeepers on international humanitarian law. Peacekeeping missions should prioritize ethical considerations to ensure that peacekeeping operations by the Nigerian troops are carried out in line with globally acceptable standards.