Real Reason Why Nigeria is Withdrawing Troops from Mali

Indications have emerged that the Federal Government and particularly
the country's military are no longer comfortable with the politics
being associated with the United Nations peacekeeping operations in
West Africa.
This is said to be the real reason behind the recent request for
thewithdrawal of most of the country's troops from peace support
operations in Mali.
The Federal Government had confirmed that more than two-third of the
over 1000 troops deployed in Mali would be withdrawn.
The height of what was viewed in official circles as UN politics
skewed against Nigeria was the appointment of Rwanda's Major-General
Jean Bosco Kazura to command UN Multi-dimensional Integrated
Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MNUSMA).
The source clarified that Nigeria did not have anything against Kazura
but felt aggrieved over the growing trend of being used by the UN to
"do all the dirty jobs without getting any glory or recognition for
it".
The source said: "We feel cheated by the UN who used us to do all the
dirty works in Mali only to now dump us. We feel aggrieved,cheated and
disappointed, to say the least".
Further investigations revealed that even though the Federal
Government needed to withdraw the troops to strengthen its forces
against the Boko Haram insurgents and combat other internal crises
rocking the country, the action was an indirect protest against UN
treatment of Nigerian contributions in peacekeeping operations.
The source added: "You remember what happened in Sierra Leone,after
our troops had done the major thing, won the war, secured thepeace.
First came the British to take the glory and then an IndianLt-Gen.
Vijay Jetly was given the command of the operations by the UN. Now
they are bringing one Maj-Gen from Rwanda after using us to do the
dirty work.
"It is an issue of racism and feeling that Nigeria should not be made
to feel powerful. It is totally about the disdain for the blackman".
The Defence Headquarters had confirmed on Thursday that Nigeria
requested that some of its troops be withdrawn from Malian operations
because of the ongoing internal security challenges back home in the
country.