MONROVIA, 17 December (IRIN) - The
United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) said on Wednesday it was talking
with the authorities in neighbouring countries to prevent Liberian combatants
from crossing the border with their weapons to escape disarmament.
UNMIL Deputy Force commander Major General
Joseph Owonibi told reporters that a delegation from the United Nations
Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) would arrive in Monrovia on Saturday
to discuss ways of preventing weapons from crossing the border. It is controlled
on the Liberian side by fighters of the Liberians United for Reconciliation
and Democracy (LURD) rebel movement.
UNMIL has so far only received a third of the 15,000 peacekeeping troops that are due to maintain order and supervise the disarmament process in Liberia, so it has not yet deployed throughout the country.
Sierra Leone put its army on a high alert earlier this week following reports that LURD was amassing weapons near the border to take them abroad beyond reach of the the disarmament process.
UNAMSIL also announced that it was stepping up its air, land and river patrols along the Liberian and Guinean borders to curb the infiltration of arms.
"We do exchange information and talk to ensure that borders, not just with Sierra Leone, but also Ivory Coast and Guinea are secured...we discuss frequently" Owonibi said.
"Once we have disarmament going on in one country, people will want to cross for one advantage or the other, but we are aware of that and we are discussing it. We also pass on intelligence across", he added.
Guinea, which lies north of Liberia, has been described by diplomats as the main backer of LURD. The country is gearing up for a controversial election on 21 December, boycotted by the opposition parties, in which ailing President Lansana Conte will seek a fresh seven-year term.
Cote d'Ivoire, to the east, is said to be the main supporter of the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), another rebel group which controls most of eastern Liberia.
LURD leader Sekou Damate Conneh is currently residing in the Guinean capital, Conakry , where his family enjoys close links with the head of state.
As previously announced, UNMIL suspended on Wednesday the disarmament, demobilization and rehabilitation of former Liberian combatants, which it began on December 7.
The exercise is due to resume on 20 January, by which time more UN peacekeepers should have arrived and two new demobilisation camps,to cater specifically for LURD and MODEL fighters will be ready or near completion.
Onwobi said that over the past 10 days more than 11,000 former combatants, most of whom were loyal to former president Charles Taylor, had registered at the first disarmament camp, established at Schieffelin barracks on the road from Monrovia to Roberts international airport.
More than 8,000 weapons had been handed in and nearly half of these had already been destroyed, he added.
"We collected approximately 30,000 rounds for AK 47 weapons. We have also been able to collect other forms of ammunitions; hand grenades, mortars to the tune of about 468. We have so far registered 11,585 combatants," Onwobi said. "We have also been able to destroy a total of 3, 273 weapons."
UNMIL intends to disarm an estimated 40,000 fighters from the country's three warring parties.
[ENDS]
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