1. In paragraph 12 of its resolution 1343 (2001) of 7 March 2001, the Security Council requested me to submit to it a first report by 30 April 2001 and to report thereafter at six-month intervals from that date, drawing on information from all relevant sources, including the United Nations Office in Liberia, the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), on whether Liberia has complied with the demands in paragraph 2 of that resolution. I was also requested to report on any progress made towards the objectives set out in paragraph 3 of the resolution.

2. The present report is submitted pursuant to that request. It contains information regarding the measures taken by the Government of Liberia in response to the recommendations contained in the report of the Panel of Experts established pursuant to paragraph 19 of resolution 1306 (2000) and in compliance with resolution 1343 (2001), since its adoption on 7 March 2001.

3. Following the publication of the report of the Panel of Experts established pursuant to paragraph 19 of resolution 1306 (2000), the Government of Liberia announced a number of measures in response to that report. In resolution 1343 (2001), the Security Council took note of those measures and welcomed the intention of ECOWAS to monitor their implementation, in close cooperation with the United Nations.

4. The measures that the Council took note of in resolution 1343 (2001) are the ones announced by the Government of Liberia on 12 January 2001. They include:

(a) The adoption of a new policy of disengagement by which the Government would no longer support the activities of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). It called on RUF to lay down its arms.

(b) The grounding of all aircraft registered under the Liberian flag until their owners produced documentary proof of their airworthiness under Liberia’s civil aviation laws and standards based on those of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

(c) All persons connected with RUF were ordered to depart from Liberia.

5. On 7 February 2001, the Government of Liberia announced the departure from Liberia of Sam Bockarie, alias “Maskita” and the closure of the RUF liaison office in Liberia.

6. On 6 March, the Government of Liberia established an eight-person Presidential Task Force on Sanctions, jointly chaired by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the National Security Adviser, to oversee the Government’s compliance with the demands of the international community, as specified in the report of the Panel of Experts pursuant to resolution 1306 (2000), and in anticipation of the adoption of resolution 1343 (2001).

7. Since the adoption of resolution 1343 (2001), the United Nations Office in Liberia has to the best of its ability collected and relayed information on the measures which the Government of Liberia claims to have taken in compliance with paragraphs 2 (a) to (e) of the resolution. It must be stressed that the Office does not have the capacity to provide independent confirmation of the claims by the Government of Liberia. A number of documents were provided to the Office by the Government of Liberia as corroborating evidence of its compliance with the resolution. These documents, a list of which is annexed to this report, are available at the Secretariat. Much of the information provided in paragraph 4 above and the following paragraphs can also be found in the letter dated 21 March 2001 from President Taylor addressed to the Secretary-General and forwarded to the Security Council (S/2001/264).

8. The Government of Liberia contends that all members of RUF have left the territory of Liberia in compliance with the Government’s 72-hour departure order. The RUF contact office in Monrovia has been closed down and all RUF activities have been banned in Liberia. The departure order preceded the adoption of resolution 1343 (2001).

9. The Government of Liberia stated that, by an order dated 19 March 2001, it had closed the Liberia/Sierra Leone border, and had requested the United Nations and ECOWAS to deploy observers and monitors at the Roberts International Airport and all other ports of entry, so as to confirm that there was no support to RUF from the territory of Liberia, or by its nationals. The Government of Liberia had also issued directives for the proper monitoring of the border by Liberian joint security forces to ensure the efficacy of the border closure.

10. The United Nations Office in Liberia was informed that, on 16 March 2001, a ban had been placed on the entry of all uncertified rough diamonds from countries with existing certification regimes. On 19 March 2001, the Government of Liberia unilaterally closed its border with Sierra Leone and announced that it had since arrested seven diamond smugglers. The export of Liberia’s own rough diamonds was also banned for a period of 120 days, pending the establishment of an internationally acceptable certification regime in Liberia. The Government contends that the second measure goes beyond the demands of the Security Council. On 21 March 2001, President Taylor wrote to the Secretary-General (S/2001/264) requesting the assistance of the United Nations. The Government of Liberia has also requested technical assistance from the High Diamond Council.

11. The Government of Liberia stated that it had taken the following measures: (a) a Court Order was obtained to allow commercial banks operating in Liberia to disclose information to the Central Bank of Liberia on all financial assets and accounts that may be held by RUF or any of its members named in annex 3 to the report of the Panel of Experts; (b) the Central Bank of Liberia requested all commercial banks operating in Liberia to provide detailed reports on any accounts or financial assets held by the RUF members named in the Court Order, or individuals connected with them. In this connection, the Government reported late in March that a savings account operated by Foday Sankoh, containing US$ 500, had been frozen.

12. The Government of Liberia stated that it had grounded all Liberia-registered aircraft and revoked their licences. On 22 January 2001, the Minister of Transport issued a notice to ICAO and to States members of ICAO and aircraft operators grounding all aircraft on the Liberian registry and revoking the appointment of all agents acting on behalf of the Government of Liberia in matters related to aircraft inspection and registration. On 6 March 2001, the Government of Liberia revoked the registration of all aircraft under the Liberian Civil Aircraft registry. On the same day, the Government of Liberia dismissed its Director of Civil Aviation who had unilaterally lifted the order grounding two Liberian-registered aircraft in Rwanda and Luxembourg. By a letter dated 13 March 2001, the Liberian Director of Civil Aviation requested all ICAO authorities to serve notice of the grounding and revocation order on all Liberia-registered aircraft within their territory and under their authority.

13. The Government of Liberia also dispatched its Minister of Transport and Director of Civil Aviation to ICAO headquarters to brief the international authorities on actions taken as well as to request their cooperation and assistance in reforming Liberia’s civil aviation administration. On 24 March, the Director of Civil Aviation of Liberia requested all civil aviation authorities worldwide to provide him with information on steps taken by them in compliance with the grounding order issued by the Government of Liberia on 22 January and the revocation of Liberian-registered aircrafts’ licences effected on 6 March. The Ministry of Transport dispatched de-registration certificates to all operators of the affected aircraft.

14. The United Nations Office in Liberia has stated that it lacked the means, and was not in a position, to provide any authoritative information on the Government of Liberia’s compliance with the demands listed in paragraphs 3 (a) to (d) of resolution 1343 (2001), which deal essentially with the situation inside Sierra Leone.

15. In providing the information cited below, UNAMSIL stated that it was unable to confirm Liberia’s compliance with the demands set out in paragraph 2 of resolution 1343 (2001). However, with regard to paragraph 2 (a), UNAMSIL observed that, on 12 January 2001, the Government of Liberia issued a statement in which it renounced all support for RUF and called on RUF to lay down its arms. In what it called a new policy of “disengagement”, the Government of Liberia also announced the expulsion of the former RUF field commander, Sam Bockarie, and all persons associated with RUF from Liberia. Shortly after that, the Government of Sierra Leone sent a letter to President Taylor requesting the extradition of Bockarie and other RUF cadres. Leaders from some ECOWAS countries also asked President Taylor to hand over Bockarie to an ECOWAS country for “safekeeping”.

16. The Government of Liberia, however, announced on 7 February that Bockarie had left Liberia and that the RUF liaison office in Monrovia had been closed. Bockarie’s destination was not disclosed and his whereabouts are still not known. Leaders from ECOWAS countries have informed the head of UNAMSIL, Oluyemi Adeniji, that President Taylor also claimed not to know the whereabouts of Bockarie and of others “expelled” from Liberia. During a meeting with the RUF interim leader, Issa Sesay, in Kailahun on 16 March, the Force Commander asked him about unconfirmed reports of Bockarie’s presence in RUF-held Sierra Leonean territory. Sesay denied the reports and stated that Bockarie had been expelled from RUF and would be arrested if he showed up in any RUF-held area.

17. UNAMSIL was informed by RUF-affiliated sources, however, that the Government of Liberia continued to maintain relations with RUF.

18. With regard to paragraph 3 (a) of the resolution dealing with free access for UNAMSIL throughout Sierra Leone, UNAMSIL reported that it has been able to deploy to some RUF-held areas, including Lunsar and Mange, and that it was preparing to deploy to Makeni and Magburaka. The deployment accomplished so far has not encountered any obstruction from RUF. UNAMSIL has also freely carried out patrols to other RUF-held areas, including Kailahun and Kambia districts.

19. On several occasions, however, RUF ground commanders in the east have obstructed some patrols, insisting that they required prior approval from the RUF high command. On one occasion, RUF prevented a UNAMSIL patrol from spending the night in Magburaka, saying that prior notification was needed for the patrol to stay overnight. These incidents have been raised with the RUF leadership, who promised to issue the necessary orders to their ground commanders to allow UNAMSIL patrols free access. Subsequently, UNAMSIL reported that RUF had removed checkpoints between Rogberi Junction and Lunsar and had even allowed UNAMSIL troops to stay overnight in Makeni and Magburaka. In the view of UNAMSIL, the fact that UNAMSIL troops were allowed to stay overnight in Makeni and Magburaka marked a positive development since it enabled UNAMSIL to deploy to those two towns on 24 April. UNAMSIL further reported that, in Lunsar, RUF was cooperating with respect to possibilities of establishing a camp for internally displaced persons.

20. With respect to paragraph 3 (b) of the resolution, dealing with the release of all abducted persons, RUF has not released any abducted civilians since the resolution was adopted. On 9 April, RUF Colonel Kallon informed participants at the Lunsar Regional Contact Group meeting that they had compiled and submitted to Caritas (an international non-governmental organization), a list containing the names of 200 child combatants who were to be released. On 21 April, however, an RUF commander informed the Nigerian battalion that the child combatants would not be released until orders were received from the RUF high command.

21. Regarding paragraph 3 (c) on the entering of RUF fighters in the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process, UNAMSIL has reported that RUF has yet to join the programme as an organization. It has maintained that it will start disarming its combatants only if the Sierra Leone army and the Civil Defence Force simultaneously do the same. However, disgruntled individual RUF combatants have secretly continued to go forward to disarm, but in small numbers.

22. Under paragraph 3 (d), regarding the return of all weapons and other equipment seized from UNAMSIL, it is reported that, to date, RUF has returned to UNAMSIL only 56 personal weapons, 10 vehicles, and 20 armoured personnel carriers. The returned vehicles and armoured personnel carriers were completely stripped of their weapons and are not in a usable condition. The RUF leader has indicated that the six remaining armoured personnel carriers have been assembled at Lunsar and Kailahun for collection by UNAMSIL.

23. Following the Summit held at Abuja on 11 April, ECOWAS established a mission of its Mediation and Security Council, comprising Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Togo and the ECOWAS secretariat, to verify Liberia’s compliance with the demands set out in resolution 1343 (2001).

24. During its stay in Liberia, from 19 to 24 April, the Mission met with government officials, leading members of civil society, including a Muslim community leader, a church leader, a leader of the women’s associations, representatives of opposition political parties, some diplomats, officials of the United Nations residing in Monrovia, representatives of the Liberia Press Union and representatives of the local and international media.

25. The Mission visited Springfield airport to inspect grounded Liberian-registered aircraft and also visited the military training camp at Gbatala, outside Monrovia, to ascertain the truth about the lingering suspicion of the presence of foreign nationals receiving military training therein.

26. With respect to paragraphs 2 (a) to (e), the ECOWAS Mission was provided by the Government of Liberia with the same information and supporting documents it had conveyed to the United Nations Office in Liberia, which are discussed in section III.A above. Therefore, this section will reproduce only the information the ECOWAS team was able to gather from non-governmental and other sources. The observations, conclusions and recommendations of the ECOWAS team are also reproduced below.

27. Most of the people interviewed had doubts about the effectiveness of the RUF expulsion order. They stated that, on 5 February 2001, the Government had announced the immediate expulsion of RUF members. This turned out to be ineffective, as known RUF members, including General Sam Bockarie (Mosquito), were openly seen in the streets of Monrovia. However, sustained public pressure on the Government led to their eventual departure from Monrovia. A source said that the Government had detected the apparent presence of Sam Bockarie in Liberia. The RUF office in Monrovia, which the Government said it had closed down, could not be identified. Information was, however, available on the former places of abode in Monrovia of Foday Sankoh and Sam Bockarie.

28. The Government of Liberia was either reluctant or unable to tell the Mission how the RUF members had left Liberian territory, or at which border crossing points, or to provide documentation on their exit, their destination and whether some RUF members had been integrated into Liberian security forces. That situation would appear to underscore the lingering suspicion expressed by some of the interviewed sources that some RUF fighters might have simply been relocated to other parts of Liberia. Consequently, the Mission found it difficult to discount the speculation that some RUF members are still in Liberia.

29. The Mission considers that the United Nations should be urged to accept the request of the Government of Liberia to deploy UNAMSIL monitors and observers on Liberia’s side of the border with Sierra Leone, and at all points of entry into Liberia.

30. The sources interviewed mentioned that there was no way for local non-official sources to ascertain the veracity or otherwise of the Government’s claims that it had met this demand. They were suspicious of two military training camps, one at Gbatala and the other at Nama, where members of the Anti-Terrorist Unit are trained, and held the view that the nationalities of the trainees could not be determined. It was a generally held belief that the inconclusive implementation of the Abuja Accord on the Liberian peace process had prevented the restructuring of the armed forces of Liberia and given rise to the proliferation of armed security outfits.

31. The Mission could not verify Liberia’s non-compliance with this demand of the Security Council. The members of the Mission who visited Gbatala training camp could not confirm, for instance, the training of foreign nationals there because the trainees had been sent to contain the incursions in Lofa County. It suggested that, for proper verification of arms transfers across Liberia’s borders, the international community should urgently accept the Government’s request for neutral monitors to be placed at Liberia’s borders, and at its points of entry.

32. The sources which were contacted could not offer any relevant information on this item.

33. Verification of the efficacy of the banning of rough uncertified diamonds into Liberia and the 120-day suspension/banning order on the exportation of diamonds from Liberia is difficult, given the nature of the diamond trade and the high incidence of smuggling. From the documents given to the Mission by the Government of Liberia, it appeared that the government had taken more action than demanded by the Security Council in resolution 1343 (2001). Since diamonds can neither be imported into nor exported from Liberia now, it is unlikely that the smuggling of diamonds into Liberia will remain high, as profitability will plummet. Liberia’s efforts to institute its own certification of origin regime is commendable and the United Nations should help the Government to achieve it objective.

34. The sources that were interviewed by the Mission stated that interested individual and corporate bodies could not have access to requested information because of banking regulations. Doubt was however expressed about the approximately $500 mentioned in Foday Sankoh’s account since one newspaper had earlier reported that $500,000 had been found in that account. They found it difficult to believe that, of all the RUF members, only Foday Sankoh had a bank account in Liberia.

35. The Mission visited the Central Bank of Liberia to verify if the freezing order was actually communicated to the commercial banks and acknowledged that this had been done. The Mission examined the outgoing and incoming correspondence registers to ascertain the mail transactions. The attached documents show the movement of correspondence between the Central Bank and commercial banks. The Mission therefore acknowledged the measures taken by the Government of Liberia to comply with the demand of the Security Council in respect of assets of RUF members.

36. The sources contacted were not of much help to the Mission.

37. The Mission visited the Ministry of Transport and also the Civil Aviation Authority on 23 April 2001 to examine their documents. Four grounded aircraft listed in documents were shown to the team at Springfield airport in Monrovia. The Mission was also informed that there were seven aircraft grounded outside Liberia’s borders. The Mission was of the view that the Government of Liberia seemed serious in meeting the demands of the Security Council in resolution 1343 (2001) in respect of the grounding of aircraft.

38. The conclusions of the ECOWAS Mission members are the following:

• They express their appreciation for being given the important task of verifying Liberian compliance with resolution 1343 (2001);

• They appreciate the frankness and willingness of the officials of the Government of Liberia and independent sources to cooperate with members of the Mission;

• They express dismay over the untidy handling of the expulsion of members of RUF, and in particular Sam Bockarie, whose whereabouts continued to generate controversy;

• They find it contradictory for the United Nations to demand that Liberia should expel RUF from Liberian territory on the one hand, while it wants Liberia to influence RUF cooperation with UNAMSIL on the other hand;

• They commend the undertakings given by Liberia to ensure verification of its actions and request the United Nations to deploy observers to monitor the borders and other entry points like airports and seaports in Liberia;

• They believe that, in line with due process, the Government of Liberia should be confronted with evidence of its wrongdoings to underline the spirit of fairness and transparency.

39. The Mission recommends that:

• The Government of Liberia should account for the whereabouts of Sam Bockarie;

• The United Nations should provide evidence of Liberia’s wrongdoings;

• The United Nations should deploy monitors/observers to the Liberian borders with Sierra Leone and to other entry points.

40. I have provided in the preceding paragraphs the pertinent information that was made available to the Secretariat through the United Nations Office in Liberia and UNAMSIL and by ECOWAS, on the extent of Liberia’s compliance with the demands set out in paragraph 2 of Security Council resolution 1343 (2001). In the absence of an independent verification mechanism, it is difficult to ascertain the veracity or otherwise of that information. In this connection, I am grateful to ECOWAS which, despite severe time, logistical and resource constraints, dispatched a mission of its Mediation and Security Council to Liberia and provided me with additional information from sources independent of the Government of Liberia.

41. I share the dismay expressed by the ECOWAS Mission regarding the untidy manner in which the Government handled the expulsion of RUF members, in particular Sam Bockarie. Unverified information reaching the Secretariat indicate that Bockarie is still living in Liberia and that the Government of Liberia has not severed it relations with RUF in Sierra Leone. This information seems to corroborate UNAMSIL’s observation in paragraph 17 above.

42. The Security Council may wish to examine the observation of the ECOWAS Mission that the United Nations cannot demand that the Government of Liberia expel RUF from its territory and at the same time request it to influence RUF to cooperate with UNAMSIL. Several regional leaders referred pointedly to this apparent contradiction in their discussions with the United Nations inter-agency mission during its recent visit to West Africa.

43. Both in its conclusions and in its recommendations, the ECOWAS Mission has drawn attention to the need for the United Nations to deploy observers to the Liberian border with Sierra Leone and other entry points. The Security Council may recall that President Taylor, in his letter of 21 March 2001 (S/2001/264), had made the same request. The United Nations inter-agency mission to West Africa also recommended the expansion of UNAMSIL’s mandate to cover the three Mano River Union countries, given the interrelations between the implementation of the Lomé Peace Agreement (S/1999/777), the implementation of United Nations sanctions against Liberia and the monitoring of the borders between the three countries.

44. It is the prerogative of the Security Council to draw the appropriate conclusions from the information provided in this report and from information made available to it from other sources. Whatever decision the Council may take as a follow-up to resolution 1343 (2001), I strongly suggest that the international community remain engaged with Liberia and its people. External pressure without dialogue may not have a lasting impact on a country that is battling its own armed insurgency and is mired in deep political, economic and social problems.

45. Finally, it is imperative that the Security Council continue to work with ECOWAS and, particularly, with its Mediation and Security Council, in order to avoid a rift that could be exploited by the enemies of peace in a region that has seen more than its share of strife and human suffering.

1. Voluntary departure order issued by the Minister of Justice on 5 February 2001.

2. Border closure order issued by the Minister of Justice on 19 March 2001.

3. Press release on the exportation ban or uncertified rough diamonds issued by the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy.

4A. Ban on the entry into Liberia of all uncertified rough diamonds issued by the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy on 16 March 2001.

4B. Letter dated 16 March 2001 from the Minister of Justice to the Minister of Finance, requesting enforcement of and compliance with the ban on the importation of uncertified rough diamonds.

4C. Letter dated 21 March 2001 from the Deputy Minister of Finance to the Minister of Justice, accompanied by a circular to all Collectors of Customs instructing full compliance with the importation ban.

5. Letter dated 9 April 2001 from the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia to the Director of International Affairs of the High Diamond Council regarding the establishment of a diamond certification regime.

6. Letter dated 16 March 2001 from the Adler Diamond Trading Company of Belgium, presenting its candidature for the establishment of an international control system for the export of diamonds from Liberia.

6A. Letter dated 16 March 2001 from the Acting Minister of Lands, Mines and Energy to the Chairman of the World Diamond Council on the 120-day exportation ban.

7. Letter dated 20 March 2001 from the Minister of Justice to the Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia, conveying an application for a Court Order.

7A. Application for a Court Order, dated 16 March 2001, directing commercial banks to disclose information and freeze accounts registered in the name of RUF.

7B. Court Order issued on 20 March 2001 by the Civil Law Court, Sixth Judicial Circuit, Montserrado County.

8. Letter dated 11 April 2001 from the Liberian Bank for Development and Investment, conveying a statement of account in favour of Foday Sankoh.

8A. Liberian Bank for Development and Investment statement of account in favour of Foday Sankoh.

8B. Letter dated 2 April 2001 from the Liberian Bank for Development and Investment providing balance of account in favour of Foday Sankoh.

8C. Liberian Bank for Development and Investment detail account inquiry statement for account of Foday Sankoh.

9. Letter dated 12 April 2001 from the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia to the Minister of Justice confirming the non-existence of accounts in favour of RUF in commercial banks operating in Liberia (with the exception of Foday Sankoh’s account with the Liberian Bank for Development and Investment.

9A. Letter dated 27 March 2001 from ECOBANK to the Governor of the Central Bank, indicating non-existence of accounts in favour of RUF or its members.

9B. Letter dated 22 March 2001 from the Liberian Bank for Development and Investment, confirming existence of an account in the name of Foday Sankoh.

9C. Letter dated 26 March 2001 from TRADEVCO Bank to the Governor of the Central Bank, indicating non-existence of accounts in favour of RUF or its members.

9D. Letter dated 22 March 2001 from the International Bank (Liberia) Limited to the Governor of Central Bank, confirming non-existence of accounts in favour of RUF or its members.

10. Letter dated 22 March 2001 from the Minister of Commerce to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, confirming non-existence of businesses in Liberia registered under the name of RUF or its members.

11. Ministry of Transport press release dated 6 March 2001, revoking the registration of all aircraft under the Liberian Civil Aircraft Registry.

12. Ministry of Information Press Release dated 6 March 2001, advising of the dismissal of the Director of Civil Aviation.

13. Ministry of Transport press release dated 22 January 2001, grounding all aircraft registered under the Liberian flag and revoking the appointments of all agents acting on behalf of the Government of Liberia.

14. Letter dated 13 March 2001 from the Liberian Civil Aviation Authority to all civil aviation authorities on the revocation of the registration of Liberian-registered aircraft.

15. Civil Aviation Directorate list dated 16 March 2001 of all aircraft on the Liberian Registry.

16. Response dated 12 March 2001 from ICAO to the Minister of Transport, regarding correspondence from the Civil Aviation Authority on the revocation of the registration of aircraft under the Liberian Civil Aircraft Registry.

17. Letter dated 30 March 2001 from the Director of the Civil Aviation Authority to the Minister of Transport, indicating that the ICAO Regional Office in Dakar had transmitted the revocation of registration certificates of all aircraft under the Liberian registry worldwide.

18. Report of the Minister of Transport dated 29 March 2001 on his visit to ICAO headquarters.

19. Circular letter dated 24 March 2001 from the Director of Civil Aviation to all Civil Aviation Authorities requesting information on action taken in compliance with the grounding order.

20. General notification of aircraft de-registration issued on 12 April 2001 by the Ministry of Transport.

21. Letter dated 29 March 2001 from the Director of Civil Aviation of Namibia, promising cooperation in enforcing the grounding order.

22. Ministry of Transport aircraft de-registration certificates.