Late last week in a press conference in South Africa, Clinton offered an apparent gesture of support for the Nigerian Dictator Sani Abacha, saying that he would not object to Abacha running for president as long as he does so as a civilian.

At the same time, the U.S. State Department opposed an effort last week by Maryland lawmakers to pass a sanctions bill against Nigeria. The bill would have barred Maryland from doing business with Nigeria and any company that does business with the military regime.

Before the bill was defeated in a Maryland legislative committee on Friday, a hearing was held where a number of people testified, including Assistant Deputy Secretary of State David Marchick and former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria Walter Carrington, now a resident fellow at the W.E.B. DuBois Institute for Afro-American Research at Harvard University.

Guests:

• Mike Fleshman,the human rights coordinator for the Africa Fund, an educational and humanitarian assistance group based in New York.
• Walter Carrington,the former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria between 1993-1997. He is now a resident fellow at the W.E.B DuBois Institute for Afro-American Research at Harvard University.
• Dave Marchick, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.

Related links:

• Africa Fund
• W.E.B DuBois Institute for Afro-American Research
• U.S. State Department