TIMELINE: 11 African Countries Nigeria Helped With Military Intervention and Why

Nigeria isn’t called the “giant of Africa” only because of its size or economy. The country has also built a reputation for stepping in when peace or democracy is under threat anywhere on the continent.

The recent deployment of troops to the Benin Republic to help stop a coup attempt is only the latest example of a long history of such actions.

Across 11 African countries, Nigeria has sent soldiers, aircraft, and other support, often at a high cost, to defend democracy, restore order, or prevent conflicts from spreading.

Here is a look at the African countries Nigeria helped with military intervention and why:

1. Tanganyika (1964)

Nigeria’s first major military intervention happened in 1964, when Tanganyika (now Tanzania) faced a mutiny that forced President Julius Nyerere into hiding. After British forces left and the government remained vulnerable, Nyerere turned to Nigeria for help.

Nigeria’s first major military intervention happened in 1964, when Tanganyika (now Tanzania) faced a mutiny that forced President Julius Nyerere into hiding. After British forces left and the government remained vulnerable, Nyerere turned to Nigeria for help.

Nigeria responded by sending the 3rd Battalion, led by Lt. Colonel James Yakubu Pam. Their arrival restored order, helped arrest remaining mutineers, and stabilised the country. The old Tanganyika Rifles was eventually disbanded, and Lt. Colonel Pam helped recruit and train a new force that became the Tanzania People’s Defence Force.

The mission played a key role in restoring stability and paved the way for the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, forming present-day Tanzania.

2. Congo (1964)

In 1964, Nigeria deployed troops to the Congo as part of a major United Nations mission. It was one of Nigeria’s first significant international peacekeeping operations.

The newly independent Congo was in crisis. Following Belgium’s sudden withdrawal, the country faced widespread chaos and rebellion. Under the command of General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, Nigerian soldiers were sent to help restore order.

Their job was to protect civilians, guard vital locations like airports, and support the new government. Through discipline and professionalism in a highly volatile conflict, Nigerian troops helped stabilise the situation and established Nigeria’s early role as a committed peacekeeper in Africa.

3. Angola (1975)

Angola became independent from Portugal on November 11, 1975, but the country immediately fell into a civil war between three rival groups: the MPLA, FNLA, and UNITA. The conflict quickly turned into a Cold War proxy battle, with the MPLA supported by the Soviet Union and Cuba, while UNITA and the FNLA received backing from the United States and apartheid South Africa.

Nigeria chose to support the MPLA. The Nigerian government under General Murtala Muhammad offered financial aid, diplomatic recognition, and limited military assistance to help counter South Africa’s influence and strengthen African unity. This was not a neutral peacekeeping mission but a clear political stance in favour of one faction.

Later in 1975, Murtala Muhammad delivered his famous “Africa has come of age” speech at the OAU summit in Addis Ababa, declaring that African nations were capable of making their own decisions. During the conflict, several foreign mercenaries fighting alongside UNITA and the FNLA were captured and executed for war crimes.

Nigeria continued to support Angola politically and financially during Murtala’s tenure. However, after his assassination, General Olusegun Obasanjo scaled back some of the more extravagant support measures.

4. Mozambique (1975)

Like Angola, Mozambique gained independence from Portugal in 1975, but less than a year later, the country was drawn into a devastating civil war that lasted 16 years. The conflict was fueled partly by internal tensions, especially dissatisfaction with FRELIMO’s early socialist policies, which many rural communities in the northern and central regions felt marginalized and imposed upon.

At the same time, external forces made the situation worse. Apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia saw Mozambique’s new majority-rule government as a threat and actively worked to destabilize the country. Mozambique’s support for liberation movements in Zimbabwe and South Africa, as well as its stance against apartheid, made it a key target in the broader Cold War struggle in Southern Africa.

During this critical period, Nigeria, under the leadership of Murtala Muhammad and later Olusegun Obasanjo, actively supported the newly independent nation. Through diplomatic backing, military aid, and strategic assistance, Nigeria aimed to stabilize Mozambique, counter regional destabilization, and support the country’s liberation from external pressures.

5. Chad (1983)

During the Chadian-Libyan conflict in 1983, Nigeria took a leading role in trying to stabilise Chad as part of an OAU peacekeeping mission. Rebel forces backed by Libya were advancing rapidly, capturing key towns including Faya-Largeau, the largest city in northern Chad, and threatening the government of President Hissène Habré.

Under President Shehu Shagari, Nigeria deployed troops alongside other African nations to support peacekeeping efforts and curb Libyan expansion. Nigerian soldiers were actively involved in fighting around Faya-Largeau, suffering casualties in the process.

Despite these efforts, the OAU-led force was too small and arrived too late to halt the offensive. By August 1983, the mission had collapsed, with France and the U.S. stepping in to support Habré. Nigeria eventually withdrew its troops, coinciding with political changes at home following Shagari’s overthrow in December 1983.

6. Liberia (1989 and 2003)

Liberia plunged into a brutal civil war in December 1989 when Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) invaded from Côte d’Ivoire. By mid-1990, the country had fractured into warring factions, with widespread massacres, the use of child soldiers, and the collapse of government institutions.

In September 1990, President Samuel Doe, known for his brutal rule, was captured, tortured, and executed on camera.

With no Western country willing to intervene, ECOWAS, led by Nigeria, established the ECOWAS Ceasefire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) in August 1990, Africa’s first regional peace enforcement force. Nigeria provided 80–90% of the troops, funding, ships, aircraft, and logistical support. The operation became the largest and bloodiest African-led peace enforcement mission in history, helping to stabilize the country and restore order.

Years later, in March–June 2003, Liberia erupted again as LURD rebels besieged Monrovia, killing over 1,000 civilians in weeks while Taylor remained in power. Nigeria and ECOWAS intervened once more.

President Olusegun Obasanjo offered Taylor asylum in Nigeria if he stepped down, but Taylor initially refused. By August, rebels reached central Monrovia, prompting Nigeria to redeploy a full battalion-sized ECOMOG force to secure key areas like the Freeport and airport, protect civilians, and establish safe corridors amid the chaos.

Taylor eventually resigned and was flown to Calabar, Nigeria, on a Nigerian Air Force jet escorted by Obasanjo’s envoy. The expanded Nigerian-led ECOMOG later secured Monrovia, disarmed rebel factions, and paved the way for the transitional government, restoring peace and setting Liberia on the path to elections in 2005.

7. Sierra Leone (1998)

In May 1997, a military coup led by Major Johnny Paul Koroma (AFRC) overthrew the elected president, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, and invited the brutal RUF rebels to join the government. ECOWAS condemned the coup and tasked ECOMOG — still dominated by Nigeria — to restore constitutional order.By early 1998, Nigeria decided to act decisively.

In February 1998, Nigerian-led ECOMOG forces (about 12,000 troops, almost all Nigerian) launched Operation Sandstorm, a massive air-and-ground offensive: Nigerian Alpha Jets and helicopter gunships bombed AFRC/RUF positions around Freetown.  Nigerian infantry and armour fought street-by-street battles in the capital. 

After heavy fighting and several hundred casualties (mostly Nigerian), ECOMOG captured Freetown, chased Koroma into the bush, and on 13 February 1998 restored President Kabbah to power.

Nigeria then stayed on as the backbone of ECOMOG/UNAMSIL until 2005, defeating the RUF in 2000–2001 and securing the 2002 elections that finally ended the civil war. In short: the 1998 Nigerian intervention was a direct, successful, combat operation that reversed a military coup, reinstated a democratically elected president, and laid the foundation for lasting peace in Sierra Leone. It remains one of the clearest examples of an African country using military force to restore democracy on the continent.

8. São Tomé and Príncipe (2003)

On 16 July 2003, while President Fradique de Menezes was abroad, a group of junior army officers led by Major Fernando Pereira staged a bloodless coup and announced they had taken power.

Within 48 hours, Nigeria, under President Olusegun Obasanjo and as the dominant ECOWAS power, reacted decisively: Nigerian Navy warships (NNS Ambe, NNS Obula, and support vessels) were ordered to sail at full speed from Lagos and took up position off the coast of São Tomé. 

A battalion-sized rapid reaction force (mostly 1st Amphibious Brigade, Nigerian Army) was placed on 24-hour alert at Lagos/Ikeja to board transport aircraft or ships if needed.

President Obasanjo personally phoned the coup leaders and delivered a blunt ultimatum: restore President de Menezes immediately or face military consequences from ECOWAS (meaning Nigeria).

Faced with Nigerian warships offshore, the credible threat of invasion, and intense diplomatic pressure from Nigeria, Angola, Portugal, and the U.S., the coup leaders backed down. On 23 July 2003, just seven days after the coup, the junta signed an agreement in Abuja (brokered by Nigeria), handed power back to the legitimate government, and received amnesty. President de Menezes returned the same day and resumed office.

9. Guinea-Bissau (2012)

In 2012, Guinea-Bissau’s military staged a coup just weeks before a presidential runoff, arresting interim President Raimundo Pereira and former Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Júnior. The constitution was suspended, and the country slipped into uncertainty.

Nigeria, under President Goodluck Jonathan, led ECOWAS’ response. Within days, the bloc approved a peacekeeping mission, and Nigeria contributed the largest number of troops, along with vehicles and logistics support. Nigerian soldiers arrived between May and June 2012, joined by smaller contingents from Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Togo.

Their job was to secure government buildings, protect interim leaders, stabilise the capital, and guide the country through a transition. Under ECOWAS pressure, the coup leaders accepted the plan, and a transitional government was formed.

Nigerian and other ECOWAS troops remained until 2014, helping the country return to democratic rule with the election of José Mário Vaz.

10. Gambia (2017)

Yahya Jammeh, who had ruled The Gambia for 22 years, lost the 1 December 2016 presidential election to Adama Barrow. After initially conceding, Jammeh refused to step down when his term ended on 19 January 2017.

ECOWAS (led by Nigeria and Senegal) issued an ultimatum: Jammeh must hand over power or face military removal.

Nigeria took the leading role in the military operation, code-named Operation Restore Democracy. On 19 January 2017, Adama Barrow was sworn in as president at the Gambian embassy in Dakar (Senegal).  At the same hour, ECOWAS forces crossed the border: Senegalese troops from the north and east, Nigerian troops and armour advanced from the southern border and by sea. Nigerian Mi-35 helicopters flew armed overwatch over Banjul

Jammeh’s army offered almost no resistance. Within hours, Nigerian and Senegalese troops reached the outskirts of Banjul.21–22 January 2017. After last-minute negotiations in Banjul (led by Guinea and Mauritania), Jammeh agreed to go into exile. He flew out on a private jet to Equatorial Guinea on 21 January with his family and entourage.

Adama Barrow returned to Banjul on 26 January 2017 and began his term as the legitimate president. Nigerian troops stayed as part of the ECOWAS stabilisation force (ECOMIG) until 2020.

11. Benin Republic (2025)

Nigeria’s most recent military intervention came in December 2025, when mutinous soldiers in Benin Republic attempted to overthrow President Patrice Talon. The coup plotters seized state TV, shut the borders, and tried to rally support, but loyal forces pushed back.

At Talon’s request, President Bola Tinubu ordered Operation Restore Order, sending Nigerian fighter jets into Benin to secure the airspace and strike positions held by the mutineers. The swift action forced the coup attempt to collapse before it could spread.

Tinubu later said Nigeria acted to protect constitutional order in a neighbouring country and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to regional stability and democratic governance.

‘Nigerian armed forces stood gallantly as a defender and protector of constitutional order in the Republic of Benin on the invitation of the government. Our armed forces acted within the ambit of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.

“They have helped stabilise a neighbouring country and have made us proud of their commitment to sustaining our democratic values and ideals since 1999. Nigeria stands firmly with the government and people of the Republic of Benin,” he said in a statement issued after the coup was thwarted.

Looking at Nigeria’s missions across Africa, it is clear that its military interventions have often been the deciding factor in preventing widespread chaos, stopping coups, and giving fragile nations a chance at peace and democracy.

But Nigeria’s influence has not always involved sending boots to the ground. In countries like South Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Namibia, and others, it provided financial support, diplomatic pressure, training, and political backing instead of direct military action. These efforts played a crucial role in shaping key moments in Africa’s fight for independence, stability, and majority rule.

These actions have come at a high price, paid in Nigerian lives, national resources, and political capital. They also raise an important question: Is this what it means to be a regional giant, or does it put Nigeria’s own stability at risk? The country has consistently chosen to act, guided by a mix of moral responsibility, strategic interest, and a deep commitment to an Africa that governs itself peacefully.

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