[A SPECIAL REVIEW] AFRICAN PEACEKEEPING, SECURITY & POLITICS: GHANAIAN GENERAL QUAINOO FIRST ECOMOG COMMANDER SPEAKS ON THE PLOT BY WEST AFRICAN STATES LEADING TO CAPTURE AND BRUTAL KILLING OF SGT. SAMUEL DOE LATE PRESIDENT OF LIBERIA. What a serious indictment, compromise, mistrust, with adverse impact on peacekeeping and military interventions in West Africa. QUOTE General Quainoo said he was not responsible for the death of the late President Doe, as was being alleged. The former Army Commander said a West African state was behind the assassination of the late Liberian President Doe, adding that the plot to kill President Doe, “was done behind me” and he knew nothing about it. “I am not prepared to mention the name of that West African country, but I will do so when I write my own book,” he said. “I had decided not to respond to the allegations, but because people have read the book, it is important I set the record straight,” he said Excerpts of the 764-page book titled, “The Political History of Ghana (1950-2013) – The Experience of Non-Conformist,” sought to create the impression that General Quainoo was behind the killing of President Doe. “On September 9, 1990, President Doe appeared at ECOMOG Headquarters with a contingent of about one hundred men to query the Force Commander for not showing due recognition of his position as head of an independent state. Before any discussion took place, President Doe and his men were disarmed. The Force Commander admitted taking President Doe’s weapon from him and giving it to an aide. Soon thereafter, Prince Johnson arrived with a contingent of about twenty-five men. It is alleged that they were not disarmed as Doe’s men had been. He was agitated, and fighting soon erupted between the Doe and Johnson’s forces. Doe was captured by Prince Johnson and later killed. The incident evoked widespread suspicion of ECOMOG’s complicity in the assassination, and General Quainoo became unpopular in several quarters and countries, including President Jawara of the Gambia, the then Chairman of ECOWAS. Press reports (particularly in West African magazines owned and operated by Nigerians) felt that the relations between General Quainoo, Prince Johnson, and the NPFL accounted for the incident. Attempts made by General Quainoo to see President Jawara to give his side of the story were unsuccessful,” the book said. “Was there a conspiracy to do with President Doe’s death? Did General Quainoo deliberately disarm Doe’s men, while not doing so with Prince Johnson’s men in order to facilitate his death? In fairness to General Quainoo, he was in conference with President Doe when Prince Johnson and his men arrived, so he could not order their disarmament. Did he have foreknowledge of Prince Johnson’s arrival after President Doe’s? There is no such evidence. However, it must be noted that when Lt. Gen. Bowen of the AFL accused Gen. Quainoo in Banjul on October 22, 1990, of partiality in the treatment of the Doe and Prince Johnson’s contingents by disarming one and not the other, Gen. Quainoo did not refute the allegation. [AS I SEE IT] THIS PARTIAL CONFESSION OF POINTING DIRECTION TO WHO MAY HAVE PLOTTED THE ASSASSINATION OF LATE PRESIDENT DOE WILL OPEN A PANDORA BOX THAT WILL HUNT PEACEKEEPING IN AFRICA. There is reluctance from many African countries to participate in peacekeeping not to get caught up in the quagmire state of affairs from past scenarios that will prove futile to their own specific interests and national security. After the episode, two ECOMOG PEACEKEEPING OFFICERS one a Sierra Leonean by the name of Capt. Valentine Strasser was the ADC to General Quainoo, the other Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh of the Gambia was also at the ECOMOG HQ under same command structure. Both officers later went back home to their countries to overthrow their respective governments becoming military junta head of state. IS THERE A CORRELATION FROM THE SCENARIO THAT EVOLVES AT ECOMOG HEADQUARTERS IN LIBERIA LEADING TO LATE PRESIDENT SAMUEL DOE ASSASSINATION....? THERE WAS AN UPSURGE, SPREAD OF THE REBELLION [1989] FROM LIBERIA THREATENING GOVERNMENTS, LEADING ALSO TO OVERTHROW OF OTHER GOVERNMENTS BY TROOPS CONTRIBUTING COUNTRIES EVENTUALLY IMPACTING ON ECOMOG INTEGRITY AND PEACEKEEPING INITIATIVES. This is an interesting episode to note that needs to be debated bringing to light the truth of what happened that fateful day at ECOMOG HQ. It will help heal the scars and wounds from that ugly scenarios throwing light on the negative impact of ECOMOG which many are yet to recover from the traumas in West Africa. Sierra Leone and Liberia shared same fatality, through gross abuse from peacekeepers which dented ECOMOG credibility, promoting mistrusts amongst peacekeepers, leaderships and governments in Africa influencing decisions to send their troops into peacekeeping theaters for fear of its repercussions which is still fresh in many minds. Even the UN admitted its failures in stopping the capture and assassination of the late Patrice Lumumba of Congo under its protection which is of similar scenario reenacted in Liberia. As we await contents from General Quainoos own full version of the story, the floor is open for debating. Since information has now been made public to the effect that late President Samuel Doe assassination was plotted by a West African states can seriously impact on present peacekeeping activities in African regions. IT IS CLEAR TO NOTE, AND SEE WHY FIGHT AGAINST BOKO HARAM AND AL SHABAAB IS PROVING DIFFICULT, INTEL COMPROMISED. THE CONSEQUENCES OF BETRAYAL HAS IMPACTED ON AFRICAN PEACEKEEPING ABILITY AND INITIATIVES, WAR AGAINST TERRORISM, INSURGENCIES AND EXTREMISM AS IT SEEMS PRESENTLY, INTEGRITY OF AFRICAN SECURITY IS UNDER SIEGE. Africa needs an Homeland Security Concept. A Time for Reflection and Circumspection [WHICH WAY FORWARD INTO 2015]
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 11:39:31 +0000
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