Nigeria has expressed its readiness to contribute troops to a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Lebanon to end the hostilities between Israel and the Hezbollah militia.
“Nigeria is a member of the United Nations and if the UN agrees to deploy troops to Lebanon to effect a ceasefire, Nigeria is ready to contribute its quota to the peacekeeping force,” Defence Minister Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso told reporters here Saturday.
“The conflict in Lebanon is disturbing and any sane person will be disturbed by TV footage of destruction and killings in Lebanon,” he said.
“Nigeria doesn’t want conflict anywhere in the world which is why we participate in a number of UN-led peacekeeping operations and I’m happy to say we have a well-kitted military that is up to the task,” Kwankwaso said.
He said the international community must intervene to end the war that has claimed more than 300 lives amid growing fears of a humanitarian catastrophe.
“This is not a Nigerian issue, it is a world issue and as a member of the UN Nigeria is willing to contribute its quota to any decision the UN might reach on how to end the war, including troops for a peacekeeping mission”, the minister said.
He added that President Olusegun Obasanjo was already making contacts and consultations with other world leaders to find a solution to the Middle East crisis.
“Nigeria has a stake in both Lebanon and Israel because of the large number of Nigerian citizens residing in both countries,” he added.
The minister could not confirm the reported death of a Nigerian couple in Lebanon, but said that the government was in contact with its embassies in Lebanon, Israel and Syria for the evacuation of some 5,000 citizens.
