Sierra Leone
New rebel leader named in Sierra Leone

afrol.com, 21 August - Today in Sierra Leone, the successor of Foday Sankoh in the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebel forces was named, in cooperation with the presidents of Mali and Nigeria. The RUF, which is continuing its terror war against civilians, was urged to support the peace in Sierra Leone by the two presidents. Issa Sesay will be the successor of Foday Sankoh, leading the RUF. 

The UN Mission to Sierra Leone (UNIMSIL), today reports that President Alpha Konaré of Mali, the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States, and President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria met with Sierra Leonean President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah and with former RUF leader Foday Sankoh to discuss the issue of leadership of the RUF. Sankoh is presently imprisoned in Freetown.

The two visiting Presidents met Sankoh with President Kabbah's consent, and handed him a letter informing him that the Revolutionary United Front's leadership had unanimously decided to choose Issa Sesay as their new leader. Sankoh, according to reports, handed the two Presidents a reply indicating his understanding and full agreement with that decision.

General Issa Sesay is the rebel's top field commander and has more or less been in charge since Sankoh was captured in May. However strong the position of Sesay, several analysts have already pointed out that the change of leader only is cosmetic and that in practical terms, Sankoh will stay in charge.

Sankoh himself  was captured on May 17th by civilians, stripped naked, shot in the foot and marched off to the home of his erstwhile ally, Johnny Paul Koroma, before being handed to British paratroopers and then the government of Sierra Leone. Sankoh had fled on 8 May after thousands of demonstrators converged on his Freetown home blaming him and his RUF for continuing to fuel instability. Since then, the RUF practically has been without a leader. 

The visiting Presidents urged the new RUF leader to commit himself and the RUF fully to support peace in Sierra Leone.Over the weekend, the UN Mission also received information that the Sierra Leone Government and its allies repulsed an attack by the RUF on the northern town of Kabala. That attack began on Friday, a day after the World Food Programme and other agencies delivered food aid to the town, using UN helicopters. The UN Mission reports the situation in Kabala as calm, and believes that the attackers were seeking food and ammunition.

This Wednesday, the defense chiefs of the troop contributing countries for Sierra Leone will be holding a meeting in New York.

Source: United Nations

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