   |
|
afrol News, 27 October - According to a new analysis by the International Crisis Group (ICG), optimism towards achieving lasting peace in Sierra Leone is now sustained. The ICG however warns that the UN "must be more assertive in securing the entire country." The Brussels-based ICG, renown for its thorough analyses of conflict situations, this week warned that the return of peace to Sierra Leone was dependent upon sustained international pressure and stringent security policy. Between the lines, the UN operations in the country are criticised for not pressuring enough to demilitarise the RUF terrorists/rebels. According to the ICG, "Sierra Leone now has its best chance in years to end the decade-long civil war, but the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) must be more assertive in securing the entire country and obtaining full compliance with peace terms from the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) ahead of elections next May if current political and military gains are to last." There has been considerable progress in the past six months, with the disarmament of almost half the fighters of the RUF and government deployments to almost all RUF-occupied territory. Still, however, "many weapons handed in were low grade, and many who presented themselves for rehabilitation have not been true combatants," the ICG concludes in a statement. "The RUF still mines the Tongo Diamond Fields, and there is a real risk they are using the respite to stockpile diamonds and weapons." According to the group, the RUF agreed to the cease-fire "not because it has renounced violence but because of diplomatic and military pressure from the international community, including the British Army, Guinean and local militia forces and the UN Security Council, which imposed sanctions on the RUF's principal sponsor, Liberian President Charles Taylor." In the ICG's new report, Sierra Leone: Managing Uncertainty, the group concludes UNAMSIL should change its "softly softly" approach toward the rebels. ICG's Sierra Leone Project Director, Dr Comfort Ero, said: "The RUF's track record is of using peace agreements to gain military respite and advantage. Long-term peace will not come through the goodwill of the RUF. The gains of the past few months should not be used to encourage concessions to the rebels, but rather to deter them from a return to war, and destroy their capability to do so. This must be the first objective of a 'security first' policy for Sierra Leone." Disarming the RUF before the elections will require robust UNAMSIL deployment, maximising the role of the strongest national contingents, particularly the Pakistani battalions, the group concludes. "It will also mean putting together a credible, coordinated deterrent force that includes the British Army, UNAMSIL and the Sierra Leone Army (SLA)." ICG Africa Program Director Fabienne Hara said: "The British commitment to safeguard Freetown fundamentally changed the war. An extension of that commitment to the whole country by an international deterrent force would be an enormous contribution to the peace process. The international community should also not lose sight of the potential for the government and its associated Kamajor militias to act as spoilers - especially if the political mood is against them in the lead up to the vote." - The elections themselves should be run by the United Nations, the group warns. "In Sierra Leone elections have always been violent and there is still widespread scepticism that the National Election Commission will conduct a free and fair poll." The group also expresses a serious concern that the losers will not accept the result. "The best way to minimise accusations of fraud - and a return to violence - is for the United Nations Security Council to mandate a UN mission to run the polls." Finally, the United Nations and the British "need to urgently consider the regional dimensions of the conflict," the ICG recommends. "Pressure on President Taylor and his supporters must be increased, and the UN Secretariat should broaden its focus of its work in Sierra Leone to Guinea and Liberia."
|
