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afrol News, 28 June - Dazzled by the large number of symbolic acts recently performed by the terrorist/rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF), the latest UN report on developments in Sierra Leone is generally optimistic. The UN mission cites the cease-fire, a limited disarmament and the release of some child soldiers in support of its success. The "positive developments in Sierra Leone over the past eight weeks" constitute grounds for "cautious optimism" that the country is on the path towards long-awaited peace, Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a report released yesterday at United Nations Headquarters in New York. The UN report to the Security Council concludes that the "approach pursued by the Government of Sierra Leone and the international community has begun to bear fruit, and significant progress has been achieved in the Sierra Leone peace process." Reasons given are that "that the ceasefire agreement had been largely observed," a new "affirmation that CDF [government-close Civil Defence Force] and RUF should disarm simultaneously," and a joint call to "release all abductees, in particular child combatants." Another 'positive' development was that the government of Sierra Leone also had given in to pressure, declaring "its preparedness to address some of" the RUF rebels/terrorists' "political concerns, including releasing some detained RUF leaders," many of which are suspected war criminals, and "facilitating the transformation of RUF into a political party," according to UN reports. All these "positive" developments however have been criticised by other sources as merely symbolic acts by the RUF terrorists/rebels, or even as a product of strong pressure on the Freetown government to give in to their demands. While human rights organisations cry out for the imprisonment of RUF war criminals - the RUF's war tactics had been systematic terror against the civilian population - and the implementation of an awaited UN Tribunal, the UN deepened its engagement with the RUF over the last months, also opening for political discussions. "During several exchanges with UNAMSIL leadership, RUF members continued to express increasing concern about their security and political future," the report reads. The RUF also had "expressed apprehension about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Special Court," according to the report, but UNAMSIL was "organizing information and sensitization meetings with RUF on the latter issues." The UN Secretary-General in his report further calls upon the leadership of the RUF, as well as the Freetown government, to "continue to work resolutely towards peace." The report notes, however, that considerable efforts need to be made to maintain "the recently achieved momentum." Stressing the importance of the country's disarmament programme to the overall peace process, including the creation of conditions conducive for elections, the report urges Sierra Leonean authorities and international partners to move demobilization activities forward. So far, the implementation of the disarmament programme has been slow, except for some symbolic actions - a fact barely mentioned in the UN report. The report however warns that, once certain areas are opened up as a result of the disarmament process, it will be crucial for the Freetown government to extend its administration throughout the country. While the UN has let RUF symbolic acts open them the door to the negotiation table, being recognised as an even partner to the Sierra Leone government, others remind that the RUF has been and still is an organisation based on terror. Short time ago, the renowned International Crisis Group (ICG) in a report concluded that the "international community should stop negotiating" with the RUF and rather "help Sierra Leone take decisive military action to defeat" them military. - The RUF has broken a string of peace agreements, continues to obstruct UN peacekeeping operations, still occupies half the country including most of the diamond mining areas that have fuelled a decade of war, and is committing heinous crimes against the population, ICG concluded in April 2001. Except for symbolic acts, the situation in June 2001 hardly can be interpreted as different. So far, less than thousand of an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 children abducted by the RUF have been handed over to the UN Mission. These are almost exclusively boys (demilitarised child soldiers), thousands of abducted girls still serving as sex slaves to RUF fighters. The civilian population still suffers from a systematic terror by the same fighters, last time well documented as thousands of refugees had to cross RUF-held areas to return from a war-ravaged Guinea. Male refugees were tortured or abducted, female refugees were gang-raped. On the military situation, the effective cease-fire has caused relief to all parties. The RUF has however not handed any significant part of the over 50 percent of the Sierra Leonean territory it occupies over to UN or government troops. The exceptions were insignificant Lungi, where UN troops were allowed to deploy in another symbolic act in March, and areas at the Guinean border, where RUF fighters were heavily attacked by Guinean troops. Strategic diamond-producing regions so far have been excluded. Further, the disarmament and the handing over of conquered UN material so far has not been significant, concentrating on limited ceremonial acts. In that context, Annan's report warns that, following UN deployment in diamond-producing regions, the establishment of state authority in those areas will be a particular challenge. "I urge the Government to give this issue its full attention in order to avoid the serious consequences that could result from a possible surge in uncontrolled diamond mining," he writes. UN troops have hesitates a long time deploying, according to the Abuja peace treaty, in strategic areas held by the RUF, especially in the key diamond-producing regions. The UN deployment in history, now reaching 12,718 peacekeepers, so far has been marked by hesitation to use its strength. Only the deployment of some 800 British troops outside the UN mandate, supporting and training government troops, have constituted a military threat to the RUF. This, in fact, brought the RUF back to the negotiating table, after they in May last year had broken the last cease-fire and taken 500 peacekeepers hostage.
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