By Lansana Fofana
FREETOWN, Mar 22 1999 (IPS)

The outgoing Field Commander of the West African Peace-keeping force, ECOMOG, Maj-Gen Timothy Shelpidi, has described Libya, Burkina Faso and Liberia as “rogue” states bent on destabilising Sierra Leone.

“The problem in Sierra Leone is not Foday Sankoh (the rebel leader) or Sam Bockarie (rebel field commander), rather, it is the link between Libya, Burkina Faso and Liberia,” Shelpidi said in a farewell statement in the Sierra Leonean capital of Freetown last week.

ECOMOG has deployed more than 10,000 troops in Sierra Leone, most of them Nigerians, to prop up the government of President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah against rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF).

Shelpidi, who has ended his tour of duty in Sierra Leone, condemned the leaders of the three countries for their “covert” suppport for Sierra Leone’s rebels, calling them (colonel Muamar Ghadaffi’s, Blaise Campoare’s and Charles Taylor’s) “democratically-elected rebels.”

He warned that as long as Libyan leader Ghadaffi, and Presidents Campoare of Burkina Faso and Taylor of Liberia are in power, the conflict in Sierra Leone will not end. “Their agenda,” he claimed, “is to destabilise the entire sub- region.”

But the three leaders have vehemently denied supporting the rebels.

In January, the RUF rebels, who have been fighting successive Sierra Leonean governments since 1991, and their renegade allies from the disbanded Sierra Leone Army (SLA), invaded the capital and caused serious damage to lives and property.

The month-long rebel occupation of parts of Freetown, resulted in the death of 3,000 people and the abduction of 2,000 children. Property damage was estimated at millions of US Dollars.

But, the January invasion also exposed the hands of alleged “rogue” states, especially Liberia and Burkina Faso. Captured rebel soldiers, in the ECOMOG counter-offensive, included Liberians and Burkinabes, who confessed to being trained either in Burkina Faso or Libya.

Shelpidi called for urgent measures against the three countries. “The international community has lots to do in this vein, rather than just imposing sanctions which are mere political talks,” he said.

Shelpidi did not specify what course of action the UN should take against Libya, Burkina Faso and Liberia.

However, the ECOMOG High Command recently suggested the strengthening of the UN arms embargo against Liberia, which has often been accused of serving as training base for rebel fighters and conduit for ammunition smuggling into Sierra Leone.

Of the three accused states, Libya and Liberia have offered to mediate in the Sierra Leonean conflict, since the leaderships in both countries are believed to have some amount of influence over RUF leader Sankoh.

Last month, Ghadaffi invited President Kabbah and Sankoh for face-to-face meetings in Tripoli, but the Sierra Leonean authorities are dragging their feet at the overtures, not least for emerging evidence of Libya’s alleged covert support for the rebels.

“Both Libya and Liberia are deeply involved with the rebel carnage here and so could not be genuine in brokering peace. We have ample evidence which implicate these rogue states,” said a government official in Freetown.

Recently two ships were sunk on Sierra Leonean territorial waters, fully loaded with “mercenaries and ammunition” heading for Freetown. They were alleged to have sailed from Liberia.

As he prepares to leave Sierra Leone, Shelpidi toured areas devastated by the civil war. “The destruction of lives and property is unimaginable. This unfortunate situation, which is continuing in parts of the country, must stop,” he said.

Shelpidi, who moves to defence headquarters in Nigeria, is succeeded by Maj-Gen. Felix Mujakperou, also a Nigerian.

The conflict in Sierra Leone, which erupted in 1991, has claimed more than 20,000 lives and has displaced a quarter of the country’s estimated 5 million population, according to aid workers operating in the West African country.

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