Nigeria is once again on edge. Last week, soldiers reportedly massacred more than 200 civilians in retaliation for the killing of 19 of their comrades. The army is now engaged in the largest internal military deployment since the 1960s civil war.
Generals have ruled Nigeria for all but 12 years since independence in 1960. President Olusegun Obasanjo, a former general, pledged to restore democracy but has made little progress.
Christian-Muslim clashes in the last two years have killed thousands. The most recent outbreak was sparked by the killing and mutilation of 19 soldiers by ethnic militiamen. In response, the army reportedly leveled a village and massacred over 200 residents. Mr. Obasanjo has said that he would halt all related military operations but the chief of staff said the troops would remain in the field until the perpetrators were caught.
There are rising fears that the army is positioned to reclaim direct control over the government. Even if Mr. Obasanjo is not prepared to rely on the army to maintain control, his government is top-heavy with former military men and they could decide to act on their own initiative. The first real test could come next year. As part of his program to rebuild Nigerian democracy, the president passed a new electoral law shifting local elections to 2003. Most of the country's 36 state governors have promised to hold ballots next year as scheduled, however.
Mr. Obasanjo is well aware of the challenges he faces. He has conceded that violence was inevitable in a country of 110 million that was scarred by decades of corruption and military rule. But realism and good intentions are not enough: The outpouring of popular grievances has forced him to rely even more on the military to restore stability. The president, and his country's democracy, are growing more vulnerable.