Sierra Leone Slips Backwards to Anarchy

Paul Ejime - PANA Correspondent
LAGOS, Nigeria (PANA) - Reports from Sierra Leone in the past two weeks following the departure of ECOMOG, the West African Peace Monitoring Group, has once again raised the security temperature in that war-ravaged country.

This is amid reports that elements of Foday Sankoh's Revolutionary United Front have turned their guns against UN peacekeepers instead of surrendering them as required by the July 1999 Lome peace accord.

But given the antecedents of rebellion in the sub- region, defence experts in Lagos are hardly surprised at the latest turn of event.

They had warned that Sierra Leone could slip backwards to anarchy without a strong force to keep the peace. And expectedly, the rebels have capitalised on the departure of the ECOMOG troops (who understood the rebels' arm-twisting tactics and could match them in their own game) to foment trouble.

No sooner had the troops from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) left, than the rebels resumed their terror against innocent citizens.

At the last count, the UN put the number of its troops captured by the rebels at more than 500, mainly troops from Zambia and Kenya, who have already suffered some casualties.

Equally disturbing is the report that the rebels were now advancing on Freetown from Makeni, a distance of less than 70 kilometres.

The situation is such that terrified Sierra Leoneans are beginning to ask questions on the ability of the UN peacekeepers to ensure security in their war-wracked country.

To compound issues, officials of the UN peacekeeping force, UNAMSIL, in Freetown appear to be dishing out conflicting reports, exposing what Sierra Leonean Information Minister, Julius Spencer, called "incompetence".

"It is strange how they are just handing in their arms to the rebels," declared Spencer, who said it was doubtful if the UN forces could handle the potentially dangerous situation.

It was with much reluctance that the Nigeria-led ECOMOG, which included troops from Ghana and Guinea, had to leave Freetown under a loose agreement allowing the UN force to take charge.

The regional force, which relocated from neighbouring Monrovia following the 1997 post-war elections in Liberia, had been in charge of Sierra Leonean security until recently.

This was after it had succeeded in reinstating the government of elected president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah in 1998 after he was toppled in the May 1997 coup by junior officers led by Major Johnny Paul Koromah.

Although the estimated 11,500-strong UNAMSIL, includes troops from West Africa, it is commanded by a non-West African. This is considered to be a military disadvantage that could work in favour of the rebels.

According to military observers, the type of bush- war waged by the rebels requires tactical command by officers familiar with the country's terrain.

Perhaps this explained why Kabbah decided to appoint a Nigerian general as the country's defence chief after his reinstatement.

Again, it appears to be no coincidence that the deterioration of security in Sierra Leone became pronounced after the 18 April death of Brig-Gen. Maxwell Khobe, who had occupied that strategic position in Freetown since 1998.

The armour corps officer had led the legendary 12 February 1998 military operation that flushed out the Freetown junta to pave way for Kabbah's reinstatement.

While it could be argued that nobody is indispensable, it is clear that from the look of thigs, UNAMSIL appears incapable of guaranteeing peace in Sierra Leone.

This is the general view of African diplomats and military analysts in Lagos, who believe that a combination of political and strong military approach would be the solution.

Nigerian army spokesman, Col. Felix Chukwuma, believes that UNAMSIL's mandate has to change from peacekeeping to "peace-enforcement," to be able to tackle the deteriorating situation.

He told PANA Sunday that ECOMOG had to employ such tactics to achieve results.

"It is clear that no country wants to take casualty, but while using diplomatic means, the peace keeping troops cannot standby to be killed by the rebels without firing back in reply," Chukwuma added.

He warned that treating the rebels with kid gloves would make nonsense of the peace operation in Sierra Leone.

But there is also a big lesson to be learnt from the current stand-off in Sierra Leone.

Although ECOMOG troops must have had their own faults, observers say, perhaps in retrospect, that it would have been better to equip the sub-regional force and allow them to finish the job which were on the verge of completing.

The reported negative response from Western countries to the UN's request for more troops is further testimony of the wisdom in making available to the Sub-regional force, the huge resources now being squandered by the better equipped but apparently ineffective UNAMSIL.

It is on record that ECOMOG troops endured greater hardships, while their countries spent huge human and material resources to keep the peace process alive in Sierra Leone.

It would be a big shame for the whole world to fail, where a sub-region had recorded remarkable success.

Copyright =A9 2000 Panafrican News Agency. All Rights Reserved.

Material may not be redistributed, posted to any other location, published or used for broadcast without written authorization from the Panafrican News Agency. B.P. 4056, Dakar, Senegal.
Tel: (221) 824-13-95 | Fax: (221) 824-13-90 | E-mail: quoiset@sonatel.senet.net