President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday said the deployment 1200 soldiers to Mali was necessitated by the need to combat armed and terrorist groups including Al-Qaida in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM) whose activities pose grave consequences on the security and stability in the northern parts of Mali and beyond, Including Nigeria.
Jonathan stated this yesterday in a letter seeking the consent of the National Assembly.
The Senate however gave its backing to the request of Jonathan for the deployment of the soldiers to serve as part of the African-led force (AFISMA) combating the insurgency in Mali.
The Senate however directed its committees on Defence and National Security to visit the troops to monitor that “they are well equipped and prepared to effectively carry out the roles they have been sent to undertake.”
Jonathan in the letter to the Senate entitled “notification of the senate on the deployment of members of the armed forces on a limited combat duty to Mali and request for consent” said “the deployment of troops in line with Security Council resolutions 2085 (2012) is necessitated by the need to combat armed and terrorist groups including Al-Qaida in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM) and their activities, as well as the proliferation of weapons, from within and outside the region with grave consequences on the security and stability in the northern parts of Mali and beyond, Including Nigeria.
“Senate is invited to note Security Council concerns on the continuing deteriorating humanitarian and security situation in the north of Mali, which is further complicated by the presence and entrenchment of armed and terrorist groups including Al-Qaida in the Islamic Mareb (AQIM) and their activities; the proliferation of weapons from within and outside the region; the consequences of instability in the northern parts of Mali on the region and beyond; and the need to respond swiftly in order to preserve stability across Sahel region.”
He added that “respective resolutions of the Security Councils on the crises in Mali, particularly resolution 2071 (2012) which declared its readiness to respond to Mali’s request for an international military force; Mali’s request to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for military assistance, and ECOWAS letter of 28th September 2012 to the UN Secretary General requesting a Security Council resolution authorising the deployment of a stabilisation force in Mali under chapter VII mandate of the United Nations Charter.
“Distinguished Senate President, in furtherance of the foregoing resolutions of the Security Council and other initiatives under the auspices of the UN Secretary General, the African Union and ECOWAS, and having satisfied myself that our national security is under imminent threat or danger as a result of the crisis in northern Mali, I, in consultation with the National Defence Council, approved the deployment of a contingent of 1200 (one thousand, two hundred) members of the Armed Forces to serve in the African-Led force (AFISMA) in Mali for limited combat duties.
“Nigeria is currently facing daunting security challenges and given its proximity to the Sahel region, the crisis in Mali, if not brought under control, may spill over to Nigeria and other West African countries with negative consequences on our collective security, political stability and developmental efforts. As a responsible member of the international community and given our recent experiences with the insurgency and terrorist activities especially in the northern parts of the country, I felt compelled to urgently approve the deployment of Nigerian troops.
“In view of the foregoing, the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is respectfully invited to exercise its powers under section 4(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended and to consent to the deployment of a contingent of 1200 members of the armed forces to serve in African-led (AFISMA) in Mali on limited duties” he said.
During the deliberation of the request at the Senate, Senators pointed out that the present scenario calls for a review of the country’s foreign policy to accommodate the economic interest of the country.
Others emphasised that government should have acted earlier than it did in sending troops advancing that Nigeria should have been the lead government in the mission.
On his part, the President of the Senate, David Mark, said “Nigeria is not just a big brother in ECOWAS, we are actually a big brother in the whole of Africa and whatever happens in any part of Africa we will definately be concerned, particularly is such an activity would have ripples in Nigeria. The situation in Mali is such that if we don’t get involved we will not be able to cope with the consequences of it. And I think it is on that basis that we act, and act fast. I believe that the request is in order and our troops have performed extremely well anytime they have gone outside this country and I think by their training they are well equipped to be deployed as quickly as possible.
One important thing is because of the nature of the crisis in Mali and because of the characters involved I strongly believe that if we don’t intervene even on our own. The rest of the African countries and a lot of European countries would request that we intervene for obvious reasons. It is not just that the rebels want to take over Bamako, I think they also have a grand design to spread their tentacles beyond the boundaries of Mali. That is the more reason why we should try and join the other forces to nipp it in bud.”
However, in the House of Representatives the Minority Leader, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, via a point of order said the president ought to have sent the request seven days before the deployment as contained in the constitution.
However, his position did not hold ground as the request of the president for “limited combat duty” was supposed to be sent to the Senate alone according to the constitution.
The president however is mandated by the constitution to request the approval of both chambers to deploy soilders in a war situation.