Nigeria: Why Nigeria Needs to Refrain From Membership of the Islamic Military Alliance

31 December 2015
blog

... the Nigerian government must withdraw its steps from joining the alliance, particularly within the context of the "Islamic" label attached to the alliance... The non-inclusion of key players in the region - Iran, Iraq, and Syria - should be a tell-all sign that the intentions of Saudi Arabia for pushing forth the alliance are intrinsically hidden. Therefore, the focus of the government must be to make decisions that not only reflect Nigeria's commitment to credible international action, but also favour all Nigerian's irrespective of ethnic or religious affiliation.

In the joint statement released by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the formation of the Islamic Military Alliance to fight terrorism, the Kingdom announced that 34 countries "have decided to form a military alliance to fight against terrorism led by Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a joint operations centre shall be established in the city of Riyadh to coordinate and support military operations to fight terrorism and to develop the necessary programmes and mechanisms for supporting these efforts." The statement further stated that "more than ten other Islamic countries have expressed their support for the alliance and will take the necessary measures in this regard, including Indonesia." Nigeria is not only listed as a member of the alliance but also as a country that has confirmed to support and play military roles in the alliance.

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