# Nigeria in International Peacekeeping

> Nigeria has been one of the world's largest troop contributors to peacekeeping since the 1960s, leading the West African ECOMOG interventions in Liberia (1990–1997) and Sierra Leone (1997–2000) and serving as the military backbone of the UN Mission in Liberia (2003–2018). The record carries major human and financial costs, and, in Liberia's case, documented abuses by ECOMOG personnel.

**Category:** Military & Security · **Updated:** 2026-07-26 19:36:35 · **Canonical:** https://nigeriastuff.org/a/nigeria-peacekeeping

## Key facts
- **UN peacekeeping involvement since:** 1960s (early deployments to the Congo)
- **ECOMOG formed:** August 1990; initial force of c. 3,000, led by Nigeria
- **Liberia intervention:** 1990–1997 (ECOMOG); renewed as ECOMIL, 2003, c. 3,500 troops
- **Sierra Leone intervention:** 1997–2000; restored President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, February 1998
- **UNMIL:** 2003–2018; Nigerian troops described by the UN as its "military backbone"
- **Reported cost:** ≈$13bn spent by Nigeria on peacekeeping over 12 years, per one academic estimate
- **Reported Nigerian losses:** 800+ killed and 1,000+ wounded in Sierra Leone alone, per the same estimate
- **Documented concern:** Al Jazeera reporting notes a "trail of human rights violations" by ECOMOG personnel in Liberia, "especially against women"

## Sources
- Nigeria — United Nations Peacekeeping (https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/nigeria)
- Timeline: A history of ECOWAS military interventions in three decades — Al Jazeera (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/8/1/timeline-a-history-of-ecowas-military-interventions-in-three-decades)
- CNS: Nigerian Navy Was Logistics, Combat Backbone Of ECOMOG Operations — Arise News (arise.tv) (https://www.arise.tv/cns-nigerian-navy-was-logistics-combat-backbone-of-ecomog-operations-in-liberia-sierra-leone/)
- The Liberian Conflict and the ECOMOG Operation: A Review — European Academic Research / EA Journals (https://eajournals.org/wp-content/uploads/The-Liberian-Conflict-And-The-ECOMOG-Operation.pdf)
- About Us — Federal Ministry of Defence, Nigeria (defence.gov.ng) (https://defence.gov.ng/about-us/)
- About Us — Nigerian Air Force — Nigerian Air Force (airforce.mil.ng) (https://airforce.mil.ng)

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