By Lansana Fofana
FREETOWN, May 11 1999 (IPS)

After two weeks of “in-house” consultations among the leadership of the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Lome, Togo, the road appears clear now for face-to-face dialogue with Sierra Leonean government.

Sources close to President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah’s government confirmed to IPS Tuesday that the talks between Sierra Leone’s belligerents will start this week in Togo under the auspices of the Togolese leader, Gnassingbe Eyadema.

“We are aware of the conclusion of the RUF’s in-house talks in Togo and their apparent readiness to meet with us (the government) face-to-face. Indeed, we are sufficiently prepared for the talks this week,” one source told IPS.

He could not, however, give exact date when the talks will take place. But officials of the Inter Religions Council, a coalition of religious groups in Sierra Leone, have already been airlifted to Togo, for the talks, in a UN flight.

The UN Observer Mission in Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL), which airlifted rebel delegates, from their bush locations to Togo two weeks ago, has dispatched its chief military observer, Indian- born Brigadier-General Subhash Joshi and other officials to witness the deliberations.

This week’s face-to-face talks, between the parties to the eight-year-long conflict would be the first in three years.

The government and rebels last met and signed a peace accord, three years ago in the Ivorian capital, Abidjan. But the accord failed, after rebels renewed hostilities. Since then, there has been no direct contact between the two sides.

Hopes are high among the war-weary population, for a positive outcome of the proposed talks and an end to the bloody conflict which has killed more than 30,000, left whole towns and villages burnt down and sent about a quarter of Sierra Leone’s 4.5 million population into exile, mostly in neighbouring countries.

Upon learning about the proposed talks, Fatu Kanu, a 38-year- old businessman, whose enterprise has been grounded by the escalating war, remarked, “Thank God. The two sides are now prepared to settle the crisis peacefully. I pray that they reach an acceptable agreement so that I will once again return to my business.”

Sahr Komer, a student at Njala University College, said he hopes that, “both sides have realised the futility of the military option in the conflict.”

“I only hope that whatever agreement is reached at, both sides will respect its terms,” he said.

Although both sides have expressed the desire to resolve the crisis diplomatically, two sticking points are expected to emerge and probably delay any ceasefire plans. They are the issues of power sharing and withdrawal of rebel troops from major economically-viable areas they now control.

President Kabbah himself has said that “the basis of any ceasefire would be the removal of all rebel forces from economic areas, especially the eastern mining districts and the main highways linking the capital to the provinces.”

In the wake of its “in-house” meeting in Togo, the RUF announced its plans for a ceasefire, ahead of substantive talks with the government, but it was rejected outright by the Sierra Leonean authorities.

Analysts say the rebels were reacting to the recent dwindling of their fortunes on the military front, with the capture of some of their positions, by the West African peacekeeping force ECOMOG and pro-government militias.

Others say the rebels called for an early ceasefire so that they will use their territorial gains as strong bargain chips. The rebels control most of the country’s diamond and mining districts in the east and north, as well as viable agricultural regions.

The rebels are believed to be controlling well over 70 percent of the country, but have been under tremendous military pressure from pro-government forces recently.

Rejecting the power-sharing proposal, a government spokesperson said: “We would not go against the wishes of our people and subvert the constitution. If the rebels want political power, let them transform their movement into a political party and contest the elections, which are just about 18 months away.”

Newspaper editorials, too, have warned the government against the danger of power sharing. “A broad-based interim government was put in place (in Guinea Bissau) giving key positions to the rebels. However, barely two months in office, Ansumane Manne and his rebels seized power by force (on May 6)…We should beware of this precedent,” warned one of the editorials.

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