When it fought with U.N. forces in the Congo, the Nigerian army's 5th Battalion took special pride in its rigid military discipline. That was only three years ago, but as far as Nigeria is concerned, it is the remote past. Last week the 5th's proud tradition collapsed in an orgy of mass savagery that rivaled anything the Congo had ever known.
The root, as usual, was the tribal rivalry that has been tearing the nation apart all year. The men of the 5th are mostly Hausas of the Moslem North, which has been...
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