Sierra Leone
UN peacekeepers get wider authorities to fight RUF

afrol.com, 5 August - The United Nations Security Council yesterday afternoon expressed its intention to strengthen the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) to enable the peacekeepers to respond more decisively and robustly to attacks by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). 

The Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution, whereby it extended UNAMSIL’s mandate until 8 September, and asked the Secretary-General to report to it as soon as possible with recommendations for restructuring and strengthening the Mission. The Council expressed its intention to take a decision on those recommendations expeditiously. 

By other terms of the resolution, the Council also expressed its intention to assign the following priority tasks to UNAMSIL: 

- to maintain the security of the Lungi and Freetown peninsulas and their major approach routes; 

- to deter and, where necessary, decisively counter the threat of RUF attack by responding robustly to any hostile actions or threat of imminent and direct use of force; 

- to deploy progressively and in sufficient numbers at key strategic locations and main population centres, assist the Government of Sierra Leone in its efforts to extend State authority, restore law and order and further stabilize the situation progressively throughout the entire country, and to protect civilians under threat of imminent physical violence; 

- to patrol actively main access routes to the capital, Freetown, to ensure freedom of movement and facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance; 

- to assist in the promotion of the political process leading, inter alia, to a renewed disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme where possible. 

Strengthen UNAMSIL forces 
To enable UNAMSIL to carry out its new priority tasks, the Security Council said its military component should be reinforced through accelerated troop rotations and with further aviation and maritime assets, a strengthened force reserve, upgraded communications and specialist combat and logistic support assets. 

The Council stressed that the successful achievement of the objectives of the Mission, including the new priority tasks set out for it, would depend on the provision to UNAMSIL of fully equipped complete units, with the required capabilities, effective command and control structure and capacity, a single chain of command, adequate resources and the commitment to implement the Mission's mandate in full as authorized by the Council. The resolution said that RUF attacks against UNAMSIL since May have revealed “serious inherent weaknesses in the Mission’s structure, command and control and resources.” 

The President of the Security Council, Hasmy Agam (Malaysia), on behalf of the Council, expressed profound condolences to the bereaved families and Governments and people of Ghana, Nigeria, India and Jordan on the deaths of 11 peacekeepers from those countries, who gave their lives while serving with UNAMSIL. The international community was deeply saddened by that great loss, he said. 

According to the Secretary-General, the situation in Sierra Leone during the reporting period was tense and volatile, under conditions that resembled civil war. The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) continued to attack United Nations peacekeepers and pro-Government forces and, until recently, to detain and surround United Nations personnel. The programme for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration came to a standstill as various pro-Government groups re-armed and formed an alliance to fight the RUF. 

Source: UN

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