Project Description

CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Liberia‟s internal conflict can be traced back to at least 1847 when it gained its independence from the United States of America. The immediate root cause of the civil war was Samuel Doe a Liberian army master sergeant and his failed promises to institute democratic reforms and return to the country back to civilian rule after the 1980 bloody coup by assassinating president Tolbert and executing thirteen of his cabinet members. Doe‟s military regime was to stay in power until 1985 when he promised to end the system of corruption and redistribute the nation‟s wealth among the people. In 1989, Charles Taylor, a military man who was part of Doe‟s cabinet entered Liberia through, Côte d‟ Iviore seeking to overthrow Doe‟s regime. This resulted in a civil war which was brought to an end by African peacekeepers in 1996. In 1996 Charles Taylor was elected as president of Liberia.
The end of the Cold War witnessed intensification of intrastate conflicts in the West African sub-region. Prior to this era, the West African sub-regional body, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), had used traditional conflict resolution mechanisms to resolve conflicts. These notwithstanding, with the outbreak of conflict in Liberia in November 1989, ECOWAS employed ECOWAS Ceasefire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), a military intervention force, in August 1990 as another conflict resolution mechanism. The end goal of ECOMOG was to stop the carnage, destruction of property, and create the conditions for diplomacy and dialogue to be employed hopefully resulting in a long-term political settlement.

Since then, ECOMOG has been employed on four subsequent intervention operations in the countries of Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Côte d‟ Iviore, and Liberia for a second time
The last twenty-five years have witnessed intensification of intrastate conflicts in West Africa. The sub- region‟s leaders have tried to resolve these conflicts using various traditional conflict resolution mechanisms. These mechanisms have included commissions of mediation, ad-hoc committees, mediation by West African Heads of State and the use of the Chieftaincy Institution. Conflicts in the region have, however, revealed that the use of these mechanisms alone has not helped much in resolving the conflicts and preventing the outbreak of violence. Since 1990, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has resorted to employing military intervention forces as a major part of its conflict resolution mechanisms. These interventions have created an atmosphere conducive for diplomatic means and the traditional conflict resolution means to be employed to resolve conflicts in the West Africa sub-region.
The ECOWAS intervention force, known as the ECOWAS Ceasefire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) is a non-standing force whose troops are contributed by West African states militaries. ECOMOG has intervened in intrastate conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau and Côte d‟ Iviore. Even though these interventions did little to eradicate the root cause of the conflicts in these countries, the interventions halted the carnage and created an atmosphere for peace to be restored and political dialogue to begin. In particular, the ECOMOG operation in Liberia has been widely acclaimed as one of the most successful and unprecedented in the history of peacekeeping.
The history of Nigeria‟s involvement in peacekeeping in West African States is based on its foreign policy approach which since 1960 has constantly been changing, though the principles guiding its foreign relations remain the same. Nigerian leaders are largely responsible for these unstable external relations. Since Nigeria‟s foreign policy is deeply rooted in Africa with strategic emphasis on political and economic cooperation, peaceful dispute resolution, and global nonalignment, Nigerian leaders also have their attention fixed on the successful implementation of these principles.
Over the years, implementation of Nigeria‟s foreign policy show that her leaders operate within four “concentric circles” of national interest. The innermost circle represents Nigeria‟s own security, independence and prosperity and is centered on its immediate neighbors Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger; the second circle revolves around Nigeria‟s relations with its West African neighbors; the third circle focuses on continental African issues of peace, development and democratization; and the fourth circle involves Nigeria‟s relations with organizations, institutions and states outside Africa. With this in mind, each Nigerian head of state or president work to ensure that no single part is defected in pursuing the country’s foreign policy. Evidences abound on how past Nigerian heads of state or presidents have worked within these four concentric circles.
The African-centeredness of Nigeria‟s foreign policy stemmed from the various speeches made by Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa in the House of Representatives on August 20, 1960; Independence Day Address on October 1, 1960; and Acceptance Speech of Nigeria‟s admission into the United Nations in New York on October 8, 1960. These famous speeches became the fundamental principles that guided different Heads of State and Presidents of Nigeria towards other West African states for more than 50 years. Again, the military strength of Nigeria which soared after the civil war plays important role in the conduct of foreign policy on the African,……

1.2 Statement of Problem
In December 1989, civil war in Liberia broke out, having profound implications for the country and its neighbors. The horrific conflict devastated Liberia‟s natural, human and material resources; large numbers of Liberian refugees moved into other West African states, and human right abuses by all parties to the conflict were widely reported. The international community, especially the United Nations (UN) and the United States, failed to intervene stop the conflict. It then fell on Liberia‟s sub-regional partners to halt its total disintegration. After an initial failure to accomplish diplomatic and political means, the economic community of West African states (ECOWAS) decided in august 1990 to intervene with military monitoring group (ECOMOG). (ECOWAS peacekeeping monitoring group)

1.3 Objective of Study
This study seeks to achieve the following objectives:
(i) Elucidate the background to Nigeria‟s role in peacekeeping operations in West Africa with focus on Liberia Civil War;
(ii) Examine the factors that shaped Nigeria‟s mediatory role in Liberia;
(iii) Analyse the peacekeeping operations of ECOMOG in Liberia under the direction of Nigeria;
1.4 Significance of Study
This study elucidates the ECOMOG interventionist role in the Liberia crisis, under the leadership of Nigeria. It is important to examine and analyse towards party intervention in national conflict in order to identify the significance of ending domestic crises. Preventing the escalation of the Liberia crisis into regional boarders because necessary going by the number of killings, displaced people/persons and other humanitarian crisis, which emanated from the conflict. A critical analysis of ECOMOG intervention is an attempt to elucidate on the challenges of third party role in resolving violent domestic conflict. It also presents one with the opportunity to suggestive and making proposals for timely intervention in order to prevent serious damaging effects of such conflict.
1.5 Research Questions
To be able to give an historical analysis on the issue in question Nigeria‟s mediatory role in Liberia civil war, the following questions were raised.
1. What was the purpose for which the peacekeeping operation was set up?
2. What was the success and failures of the peacekeeping operation in Liberia?

3. What factors shaped Nigeria‟s mediatory role through ECOMOG in Liberia?
1.6 Scope of the Study
This study examines the factors that shaped Nigeria‟s mediatory role in Liberia during the civil war. However, the research is limited to case studies of Nigeria‟s involvement in Liberia‟s civil war
In producing such a work like this, the problem confronting the researcher is not the scarcity of materials but its availability some of which are bias in their presentation. Finally, there is the question of time and fund which may serve as impediments to this research. Nevertheless, these imitating factors will greatly be managed to make the research work more objective in its presentation.
1.7 Periodization
This study begins from 1990 and terminates in 2003. Specifically, the period covered includes ECOMOG Operations in Liberia (August 1990-July 1997 and August-October 2003).

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