Sierra Leone - The Nigerian Army and ECOMOG

The Nigerians weren't happy with Johnny Paul Koroma seizing the government and sending their buddy Kabbah scampering through the bush to Guinea. They began lobbing shells into Freetown as soon as all the foreigners had been evacuated by U.S. Marines. With a force of about 10,000-two-third's the make-up of ECOMOG-the Nigerians scored one of the greatest accomplishments in their military annals by finally ousting Koroma and reinstalling Kabbah as president in February 1998. But Nigerians weren't doing an a-go-go in the streets-as were the residents of Guinea and Ghana, ECOMOG's other players-after the July 1999 peace treaty was signed. Instead, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo came under major heat for announcing his troops would remain in Sierra Leone. Most Nigerians don't see the sense in pumping buckeroos into an expensive peacekeeping operation abroad while their own country is awash in poverty. And the Nigerian government has been tight-lipped about its intervention in Sierra Leone. Casualty figures aren't released, nor are any other details about the conflict. But you can bet your backside that Obasanjo is just making sure that Johnny and Foday don't start up another game of King of the Hill.