NIGERIA played a leading role in ending the longest civil war in Africa and the formation of the continent’s newest nation, South Sudan, according to Maj.-Gen. Moses B. Obi, a United Nations (UN) Force Commander.
Obi, who commanded the UN Mission in Sudan until last month, has also called for the supply of enough military helicopters to UN Missions in Sudan, especially the new mission in South Sudan, the 20th biggest African state that was created out of Sudan.
In an exclusive interview with The Guardian in New York, Obi, who is currently being tipped by the UN to head the new UN force in South Sudan (UNMISS), said it was a thing of pride for Nigeria that Nigerians alongside the UN played an active role in the creation of South Sudan, “ending a civil war that has been on since the 50s, over half a century in Africa.”
“The UN Mission in Sudan had a role in bringing an end to the war, and we as Nigerians also had a role to play in that, don’t forget that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement for Sudan was initiated in Abuja,” Obi said.
Apart from that, he said Nigeria produced the UN Force Commander that ended the war, and also oversaw the conduct of the referendum that birthed South Sudan.
The UN Mission in Sudan, which Obi commanded, had about 10,000 troops from 60 countries, which are member-states of the UN. Obi said that Nigeria provided military observers and officers.
The new UN Mission for South Sudan, whose composition is currently underway, is projected to have about 7,000 troops, Obi disclosed.
Arrangements are ongoing to transfer some of the resources of the UN Mission in Sudan to the new mission in South Sudan. Obi said the new nation would need a lot of help in terms of building capacities and infrastructure.
“It’s a new nation and needs support because there are currently no infrastructure to help the new government extend its authority,” he said. He said this would be the role of the new UN mission in South Sudan.
Speaking about the influence of Nigeria in UN peacekeeping, where Nigeria is among the top four contributors of troops, Obi said Nigeria needed to benefit more maximally from its contributions by ensuring that the country received the maximum reimbursement from the UN for its use of equipment in military missions.
The UN Force Commander urged UN member-states to supply the new UN Mission in South Sudan with military helicopters considering the huge landmass the new mission has to cover.
“The UN Mission in South Sudan will need a lot of mobility,” he said, lamenting that military helicopters had always been in short supply in previous UN missions in Sudan including even in UNIMAID, the UN force in Darfur.
Obi noted that the new mission in South Sudan was a “chapter seven mandate operation,” meaning that the UN troops he would be commanding would have the mandate to enforce the peace, not just peacekeeping.
According to the UN Charter, Chapter Seven sets out the powers of the UN Security Council, which issues mandates to UN forces, “to maintain peace.” The chapter allows the council to “determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression” and to take military and non-military action to “restore international peace and security.”
In that regard, Obi called for the provision of helicopters since the new mandate of the force has been declared as being under “chapter seven.”
Obi, who commanded the UN Mission in Sudan until last month, has also called for the supply of enough military helicopters to UN Missions in Sudan, especially the new mission in South Sudan, the 20th biggest African state that was created out of Sudan.
In an exclusive interview with The Guardian in New York, Obi, who is currently being tipped by the UN to head the new UN force in South Sudan (UNMISS), said it was a thing of pride for Nigeria that Nigerians alongside the UN played an active role in the creation of South Sudan, “ending a civil war that has been on since the 50s, over half a century in Africa.”
“The UN Mission in Sudan had a role in bringing an end to the war, and we as Nigerians also had a role to play in that, don’t forget that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement for Sudan was initiated in Abuja,” Obi said.
Apart from that, he said Nigeria produced the UN Force Commander that ended the war, and also oversaw the conduct of the referendum that birthed South Sudan.
The UN Mission in Sudan, which Obi commanded, had about 10,000 troops from 60 countries, which are member-states of the UN. Obi said that Nigeria provided military observers and officers.
The new UN Mission for South Sudan, whose composition is currently underway, is projected to have about 7,000 troops, Obi disclosed.
Arrangements are ongoing to transfer some of the resources of the UN Mission in Sudan to the new mission in South Sudan. Obi said the new nation would need a lot of help in terms of building capacities and infrastructure.
“It’s a new nation and needs support because there are currently no infrastructure to help the new government extend its authority,” he said. He said this would be the role of the new UN mission in South Sudan.
Speaking about the influence of Nigeria in UN peacekeeping, where Nigeria is among the top four contributors of troops, Obi said Nigeria needed to benefit more maximally from its contributions by ensuring that the country received the maximum reimbursement from the UN for its use of equipment in military missions.
The UN Force Commander urged UN member-states to supply the new UN Mission in South Sudan with military helicopters considering the huge landmass the new mission has to cover.
“The UN Mission in South Sudan will need a lot of mobility,” he said, lamenting that military helicopters had always been in short supply in previous UN missions in Sudan including even in UNIMAID, the UN force in Darfur.
Obi noted that the new mission in South Sudan was a “chapter seven mandate operation,” meaning that the UN troops he would be commanding would have the mandate to enforce the peace, not just peacekeeping.
According to the UN Charter, Chapter Seven sets out the powers of the UN Security Council, which issues mandates to UN forces, “to maintain peace.” The chapter allows the council to “determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression” and to take military and non-military action to “restore international peace and security.”
In that regard, Obi called for the provision of helicopters since the new mandate of the force has been declared as being under “chapter seven.”
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