Nigerian troops deployed to The Gambia under the ECOWAS peacekeeping mission have cried out for help over severe neglect, alleging that they have been left to fend for themselves without food or allowances for over six months. The soldiers, deployed as “Contingent 9” on June 26, 2024, in a joint ECOWAS operation involving Senegal, Ghana, and Nigeria, have described their current living conditions as humiliating and life-threatening.
In an exclusive interview with NewdayReporters, the troops, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisal, disclosed that since January 2025, they have not received their operational allowances, habit allowances, or feeding stipends. This has forced many of them to depend on credit from local Gambian traders, with some reportedly borrowing money from their families back home to survive.
One soldier, in an emotional appeal, said:
“ECOWAS is supposed to cater for our feeding, medications, and operational allowances, but they have abandoned us. For six months, we have not received a single kobo for feeding. We are forced to collect foodstuffs on credit from market women. Sometimes, the sellers come to the camp to reclaim the food given in their absence. It’s disgraceful.”
The troops compared their plight with that of other contingents in the same mission. According to them, the Senegalese and Ghanaian soldiers enjoy adequate support from their home governments, which provide welfare independently of ECOWAS reimbursements.
“Senegal and Ghana have taken responsibility for their troops. Their soldiers are well-fed and cared for because their countries handle their upkeep and deal with ECOWAS separately. But Nigeria left us to ECOWAS, which has failed to meet its obligations,” a soldier said.
The frustration among the troops is further compounded by the knowledge that their counterparts deployed to Guinea-Bissau have been fully paid by ECOWAS.
“It is shocking that Nigerian troops in The Gambia are suffering while others in Guinea-Bissau are being paid without delay. We don’t understand why the ECOWAS Chairman, has allowed this to happen under his watch,” another soldier lamented.
Despite the critical role these Nigerian troops play in maintaining peace and providing security for The Gambia’s president under the ECOWAS mandate, their welfare appears to have been grossly mishandled. One of the soldiers expressed deep disappointment over the failed promises and lack of accountability:
“We were deployed with the assurance that all our needs would be taken care of. Now we’re being fed by our families back in Nigeria while we’re on duty in a foreign land. This mission ends on June 27, and many of us have no hope of being paid.”
The soldiers called on the Nigerian government to urgently intervene, questioning why the promise for the upkeep of deployed troops has been breached.
“There should be a memorandum of understanding that provides for the welfare of troops on this type of mission. The Nigerian government must demand answers,” a soldier added.
This troubling development has sparked outrage among citizens back home, many of whom expected Nigerian soldiers to receive better treatment and recognition, especially with President Bola Tinubu serving as ECOWAS Chairman. The silence from both ECOWAS and the Nigerian military hierarchy has only fueled more questions and concerns.
As the deployment nears its end, the fate of these soldiers hangs in the balance. Whether the Nigerian government and ECOWAS leadership will act swiftly to address this humanitarian and diplomatic embarrassment remains to be seen.
