Sani Abacha Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Foreign policy === In 1995, following the execution of [[Ken Saro-Wiwa]], Nigeria was suspended from the [[Commonwealth of Nations]].<ref name="NYT-Commonwealth22">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/12/world/commonwealth-suspends-nigeria-over-executions.html|title=Commonwealth Suspends Nigeria Over Executions|website=The New York Times|date=12 November 1995|access-date=23 August 2015}}</ref><ref name="Falola-Heaton22">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XygZjbNRap0C&q=nigeria+as+a+pariah+state+abacha&pg=PR19|title=A History of Nigeria|author=Falola & Heaton|date=24 April 2008|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9781139472036|page=xix|access-date=23 August 2015}}</ref> While hosting [[Nelson Mandela]], Abacha admitted he was advised against interfering with Saro-Wiwa's trialβbut made assurances that he would use his rank in government to commute the sentence if death sentence was pronounced. Justice Ibrahim Auta was the judge presiding over the proceedings, and sentenced Saro-Wiwa to [[Hanging|death by hanging]].<ref>{{cite news |date=2011-03-16 |title=Ken-Saro Wiwa Killer Judge Becomes Acting Chief Judge Of Nigeria |work=saharareporters.com |url=http://saharareporters.com/2011/03/16/ken-saro-wiwa-killer-judge-becomes-acting-chief-judge-nigeria |access-date=5 March 2022}}</ref> Abacha did not commute the sentence.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-01-06 |title=DEATH SENTENCE APPROVED FOR NIGERIAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1995/11/09/death-sentence-approved-for-nigerian-rights-activist/e68321bf-2018-43f3-b6b2-dd4e7aef08c8/ |access-date=2024-02-15 |work=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> In 1997, [[Muammar Gaddafi]]'s West African Tour to Sani Abacha to mark the new Islamic year directly infringed United Nations Sanctions on Libya, yet he was greeted by thousands of Abacha's supporters who came out to demonstrate their loyalty in [[Kano (city)|Kano]].<ref>{{citation|last=AP Archive|title=Nigeria - Gaddafi arrives to celebrate holiday|date=2015-07-21|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuthDUJZAQc| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/CuthDUJZAQc| archive-date=2021-11-17 | url-status=live|access-date=2019-03-31}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The Libyan leader sought to strengthen relations with the country, as a way to strengthen his agenda of [[Pan-Africanism]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=1997-05-10 |title=Gaddafi blames West for Islam's image |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12323114.gaddafi-blames-west-for-islams-image/ |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=The Herald |language=en}}</ref> Abacha intervened in the [[First Liberian Civil War|Liberian Civil War]]. Through the [[Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group]], Abacha sent troops to [[Liberia]] to fight against the rising insurgency in the country and political tensions. The Civil War, which began in 1989, saw an influx of [[Nigerian]] troops from 1990 when Abacha was defence minister.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Amao |first=Olumuyiwa Babatunde |last2=Maiangwa |first2=Benjamin |date=2017-01-02 |title=Has the ''Giant'' gone to sleep? Re-assessing Nigeria's response to the Liberian Civil War (1990β1997) and the Boko Haram insurgency (2009β2015) |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00020184.2017.1285665 |journal=African Studies |volume=76 |issue=1 |pages=22β43 |doi=10.1080/00020184.2017.1285665 |issn=0002-0184}}</ref> Despite being repeatedly condemned by the [[US State Department]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/news/feature/1999/11/09/braun|title=Return of the ugly American|work=salon.com|date=10 November 1999 }}</ref> Abacha did have a few ties to [[American politics]]. In 1997, Senator [[James Inhofe]] ([[US Republican Party|R]]-[[Oklahoma]]) travelled to Nigeria to meet with Abacha as a representative of the "[[The Family (Christian political organization)|Family]]", a group of [[Christian evangelism|evangelical Christian]] politicians and civic leaders. Abacha and the Family had a business and political relationship from that point until his death.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/11/doug-coe-inhofe-siljander-c-street|title=Junkets for Jesus|work=Mother Jones}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=121755993|title=A Different Perspective On 'The Family' And Uganda|date=22 December 2009|work=NPR.org}}</ref> Abacha also developed ties with other American political figures such as Senator [[Carol Moseley Braun]] (D-Illinois) Rev. [[Jesse Jackson]] and Minister [[Louis Farrakhan]]. Several African American political leaders visited Nigeria during his reign and Farrakhan supported his administration. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. 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