Sierra Leone
Sierra Leonean terrorists claim they are ready for peace

afrol.com, 12 December - Issa Sesay, the interim leader of the terrorist Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Sierra Leone has told a United Nations delegation that his group is ready to help build peace in the war-torn country. He once again promised to return UN weapons, accept the deployment of UN peacekeepers and allow relief workers into RUF-controlled areas.

The RUF, which occupies half of the Sierra Leonean territory in its fight to control the country's natural resources (mostly diamonds), agreed on a cease fire with the Government in November. In the deal cut in Abuja, Nigeria, the same assurances were given. The deal was however questioned later by several RUF sources, saying their interim leader, Sesay, did not agree to it. 

The RUF's pledges by its leader were thus the first time Sesay confirmed the Abuja peace deal himself. The meeting between the RUF leadership and the the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), led by Lt. General Daniel Ishmael Opande, was also the first of its kind, after the UNAMSIL had been making repeated efforts since the signing of the cease-fire agreement in Abuja, to arrange a face-to-face meeting with the RUF leadership. 

As the RUF leadership had been reluctant to meet with the UNAMSIL, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan neither was willing to meet with Sesay on his visit last week, a loss of face for Sesay, which is believed to have influenced him to finally meet with UNAMSIL officials. Annan's choice not to meet with RUF-leader came as a surprise, and the terrorists immediately released a statement wondering how Annan could "come to our land and ignore us," and rushing into the conclusion that "the war in our troubled land ... is likely to continue."

Sesay, however, changed his mind, and finally agreed to meet with the UN peacekeepers. According to UNAMSIL, the meeting, which took place north of Mile 91 on Friday, was held in a "very cordial atmosphere" and represented "an important stepping-stone towards the effective implementation of the ceasefire agreement." The RUF delegation comprised 14 representatives, including 12 senior field commanders, while the UN group included six high-level officials.

During the talks, RUF leader Sesay presented UNAMSIL with a signed statement underlining the RUF pledges. Specifically, the group agreed to open all roads leading to the areas under its control, return all remaining UNAMSIL weapons and equipment at a ceremony next week, accept the immediate deployment of UN troops in RUF-occupied regions and welcome humanitarian organizations into those areas. 

The question of deployment of UN troops in the diamond producing areas is believed to have been the reason behind the breakdown of the last Sierra Leonean peace agreement. However, the RUF had agreed to this in the Abuja agreement. The Abuja agreement had also opened for the entrance of humanitarian workers into "RUF-territory", where humanitarian conditions are reported to be disastrous.

At the beginning of the discussions, the UNAMSIL Force Commander had stressed the crucial importance of maintaining close and regular communication between the UN operation and the RUF, with a view to underpinning the efforts to restore peace in Sierra Leone. He had also called on the RUF leader to demonstrate an immediate programme of implementation of the Abuja ceasefire agreement.

The Abuja ceasefire and Sesay's claimed commitment to it seemingly are breakthroughs in the conflict. The ceasefire reportedly has been complied with, and since the RUF-UNAMSIL meeting, the RUF already is reported to have reopened the highway to the RUF-held towns of Makeni and Magburaka. On the other hand, critical voices question the UN's willingness to go into "very cordial" talks with the terrorists, which are supposed to be tried for crimes against humanity when a special UN court for Sierra Leone is established. 

British troop, which are not part of the UNAMSIL but Government allies, have taken a clearly more hostile approach to the terrorist, an important factor behind their growing popularity among the war-tired population in Sierra Leone

Sources: Based on UN sources and afrol archives

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