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afrol.com, 1 February - Sierra Leonean President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah has sent a letter to the Parliament requesting an extension of the term of office of his Government for six months. Presidential elections, due next month, could not be held yet because of the insecurity in the country, and due to lack of funds, Kabbah argued. The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) yesterday confirmed that it had been informed by the Government of Sierra Leone of its intention to request the Parliament to extend the administration's term of office for six months. According to the UN Mission, the Government is asking to postpone the February Presidential elections and the Parliamentary elections scheduled for March, due to the unfavourable security situation prevailing throughout the country. This is confirmed by government sources in Freetown. Justice Minister and Attorney-General Solomon Berewa yesterday told reporters in Freetown that the president's decision was based on a letter from the National Electoral Commission, informing him that the current election timetable was "unrealistic" because of the insecurity in the country, because some parts of the country were not accessible due to the civil war, and due to lack of funds. Further, the voter registration list, drawn up for the 1996 elections, have not been updated yet and constituency boundaries have yet to be delineated. Kabbah is reported to have scheduled meetings with leading parliamentarians before the legislators will vote on the issue. A decision is expected early next week, and until then, new election dates will not be set. If Kabbah's request is granted, elections are however to be expected in August/September this year if the security situation allows it. Although the RUF rebels/terrorist, which occupy half the country, signed a cease-fire with the Kabbah government last November, they have still not surrendered control of the occupied territory to the UN peacekeepers, UNAMSIL. The RUF controls the diamond-rich areas in the north and east, and according to the November peace deal, it is to let UNAMSIL deploy troops in these areas. The RUF terrorists have been represented in the Sierra Leonean Parliament through their political arm, the RUFP, since the July 1999 Lomé Peace Accord. Their leader, Foday Sankoh, was however arrested after the RUF breaking of the peace accord. Several other RUFP leaders are also in Freetown prisons, most awaiting a trial be a new UN court, which is to look into crimes against humanity in Sierra Leone. It remains unclear to which degree the RUF terrorists and their political arm will participate in the country's coming elections. The postponement proposed by Kabbah could buy enough time to pressure the RUF into a new peace deal to be able to participate in full scale in the upcoming elections. The RUF has not made a statement on the possible postponement yet.
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