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摘要

The Nigerian army is said to be one of the most capable in Africa, but its recent performance hardly justifies that claim. It is losing a brutal fight in the country's north against Boko Haram, an Islamist terror group. It is failing to stem oil thievery on a gargantuan scale in the south. And its foreign peacekeeping, for example in Mali, which lasted only a few months in 2013, has been lacklustre. Senior generals from all branches of the forces should have been less surprised than they sounded when they were fired on January 16th by President Goodluck Jonathan in a show of strength intended to impress noisy detractors in his own party. The generals, who for decades held power in Africa's most populous country, are unlikely in response to stage a coup; the politicians are firmly in charge. But this hardly means the army will improve soon. "I see the sackings as more political than a military strategic move," says a Western diplomat in Abuja, the capital. "Poor performance is rarely grounds for dismissal in Nigeria. The army is needed to secure and control elections and Jonathan is lining his people up." The new chief of the army staff hails from Mr Jonathan's home state.