POLITICS: Malian Peace-Keepers Pull Out Of Sierra Leone

By Lansana Fofana Reprint | | Print |

Lansana Fofana

FREETOWN, Aug 18 1999 (IPS) - A contingent of Malian troops, who arrived in Sierra Leone six months ago as part of the West African peace-keeping force ECOMOG, have pulled out at a time when their service is most needed.

The contingent, numbering 428 troops, bade farewell to President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah before they were treated to a reception organised by the ECOMOG High Command in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone.

Their decision to pull out comes one month after the Jul 10 peace deal between rebels and Sierra Leonean government.

During the farewell meeting, Kabbah thanked the Malians, who completed their pull-out this week, for joining ECOMOG operations “at a very crucial time and for their exemplary performance in their area of operations”.

“On behalf of my government and people, I wish to thank you for your brotherly support, in helping bring peace to our country. I hope and pray that this fraternal solidarity will continue,” Kabbah said.

The departing Malian contingent commander Col. KANE said he was delighted at his troops performance while on duty in Sierra Leone and wished they had the opportunity to stay longer to see the implementation of the peace accord through.

According to the ECOMOG High command, the Malian contingent, which was the last of four contingents to join the regional peace- keeping body pulled out because of the lack of sponsorship to continue staying in Sierra Leone. ECOMOG acting spokesperson, Paul Aghimien, described the Malian departure as “unfortunate”.

“We (ECOMOG) wish they could stay longer as their troops have displayed professionalism and would be needed now more than before, as we’ve now entered the most critical phase in the Sierra Leone crisis in implementing the peace process”, he told IPS at the weekend.

Unconfirmed reports say the Malians were initially sponsored by the Dutch government for a six-month period. The contingent arrived in Sierra Leone in February 1999, barely a month after rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) invaded the capital Freetown.

The reports say the Dutch government has said it would not renew support for the Malians after the initial six months, which ended this month. “I think this is quite unfortunate,” remarks Josephus Sesay, an economist in Freetown.

“This apparent reluctance by the Dutch government to renew sponsorship for the Malian contingent exposes the lack of enthusiasm among international donor community about the crisis here,” he says.

Although the exact amount spent on the up-keep of the Malian troops in Sierra Leone has not been made public, the cash-strapped Sierra Leonean government cannot halt the pull-out of the peace- keeping troops.

“The Malians are leaving us with heavy hearts. Their six months stay here has been quite rewarding and we wish we had the funds to keep them on,” says an aide to President Kabbah.

When the Malians arrived, they were deployed in the northern district of Portloko, where rebel activities were rampant. Immediately, the rebels launched a major offensive against the Malians killing “a few” of their troops, while holding others as prisoners of war, but could not capture the grounds from the Malians.

This endeared the Malians to locals. “I wished they stay on. The Malians have been kind and helpful to us civilians and they hardly bothered us”, laments Musu Kamara, a resident of Portloko.

With the Malians off the military stage in Sierra Leone, the only troops left are Nigerians, Guineans and Ghanians, with the Nigerians having three-fourths of the entire ECOMOG force of 15,000 troops.

What is disturbing, though, is that the peace deal struck in Lome, Togo last month, calls for an expanded ECOMOG force to include troops from other West African States. This was intended to expedite and help in the successful implementation of the accord, such as the crucial area of disarmament and encampment combatants.

“This is quite ironic. While calls are being made for expansion of the ECOMOG force, we are seeing the gradual phasing out of troops. This is ominous, as the rebels might capitalise on that and resort to violence”, opines Justina Kallon, a high school teacher in Freetown.

With the Nigerians also indicating that they would start a phase withdrawal of their troops from Sierra Leone, the war-weary citizenry is becoming increasingly worried.

The civil war in Sierra Leone, which broke out in March 1991, has killed more than 20,000 people and left thousands with amputated hands or legs. Whole towns and villages have been wiped out. But a power-sharing deal with the rebels is hoped to bring the conflict to a close.