Ecomog Baby Boom

The issue of Liberian women bearing babies of Ghanaian soldiers and those of other West African peace-keepers who went to that country to keep the peace is a well known fact in military circles, yet the exact figure is not known.

A curious participant therefore posed the question during an African Security Dialogue and Research series at North Legon on Wednesday when the retired Brigadier Agyemfra took his turn to reflect on the civil war in that country.

The participant's rough estimate put the figure of Liberian women impregnated by Ghanaian soldiers at 6,000. The Brigadier who did not dispute this, explained that although he could not say how many of such babies were delivered, the situation could even be higher with countries which had soldiers stationed permanently in Liberia.

These long periods of services compelled them to respond to the demands of the flesh by going on a baby-making spree. Some countries are known to have left their soldiers in such situations for as long as four years.

The Brigadier who served as Ghana's envoy in that country during the heady days of the civil war disclosed that an NGO was formed to take care of the babies of the departing soldiers in Liberia. It is normal for peace-keepers to make babies when they go for such missions as it happened in the Congo, where in the early 60s Ghana sent soldiers to maintain law and order when the country was breaking apart.

During the Second World War German soldiers who came for the North African campaign under the legendary General Rommel popularly called the Desert Fox, were officially kited with condoms perhaps, to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

"Peacekeeping missions are very expensive and if one cannot afford it there is no point venturing into them Brigadier Agyemfra" said ,as he reminisced the huge funds which went into the Liberian venture.

Mr. Quantson, a former Commissioner of Police said it seemed Ghana did not understand the financial implication of going into the mission to which the Brigadier said, ' ECOWAS overestimated its ability to resolve the conflict in Liberia. Perhaps if we had done our homework well we would not have gone there.'

A factor, which accounted for the success of the ECOMOG mission was the leadership quality exhibited by Nigeria's GeneralVictor Malu and the international support which came in he added. He for instance cited the American support, which came in the form of non-lethal materials and the provision of transport for Ghanaian and Malian, soldiers from their countries to Liberia.

General Erskine and others however conceded that the involvement of ECOWAS in that civil war was in order and served as a model for the search for sub regional security. On the authority, which empowered the regional grouping to wade into the civil war, General Erskine pointed at the non-aggression pact and the mutual agreement on defence.