Musa Claims ECOMOG, Not Foreign Powers, Saved Liberia

During a ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria's Defence Minister Christopher Musa reopened the debate on who should be credited with restoring peace in Liberia and Sierra Leone, asserting that the decisive role was played by African troops under the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG). Musa challenged narratives that foreign powers liberated the countries, emphasizing the sacrifices made by Nigerian soldiers, including the loss of 10 of his coursemates from the Nigerian Defence Academy.

The event also honored former ECOMOG commanders and journalists, such as Krees Imodibie and Tayo Awotusin, who lost their lives documenting the conflicts. Musa's remarks were made at the unveiling of the book "Fighting Bushfires: ECOWAS and Peacemaking in West Africa," which documents the regional bloc's interventions in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea-Bissau.

He stressed the importance of Africans documenting their own history to prevent it from being rewritten by others.