RIGHTS-SIERRA LEONE: Ex-Combatants Unleash A Reign Of Terror

By Lansana Fofana Reprint | | Print |

Lansana Fofana

FREETOWN, Dec 4 1999 (IPS) - Four months after the signing of a peace deal between rebel forces and the government, that ended eight years of bloody civil conflict in Sierra Leone, there are now renewed concerns over the spate of human rights abuses, by former combatants.

Francis Okelo, the special Representative of the UN Secretary General, has warned parties to the Lome peace accord, signed in the Togolese capital in July, to abide by its terms and constrain their combatants from committing abuses, against civilians.

Okelo, talking to journalists in the Sierra Leonean capital of Freetown last week, cited recent incidents in the northern district of Port Loko where “human rights abuses including killings, rapes, abductions and house burning were occurring almost on a daily basis.”

In an incident about two weeks ago, former rebel elements reportedly intercepted a jeep belonging to a humanitarian organisation and forced all its occupants, including lactating mothers and malnourished children to walk with them into the bush where some of them were subjected to physical assault including sexual abuse.

Okelo said: “The pattern of violations now emerging in some parts of the country raises concern as it violates the laws and would, if unchecked, fundamentally undermine the accord.”

Okelo, who is also head of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), insisted that more than 2,000 children and hundreds of adult non-combatants, who are still being held by rebel forces, must be released immediately, in line with provisions of the Lome peace accord.

Another major violation of the peace accord and its attendant provisions of human rights clauses is the murder by Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels two weeks ago of traditional ruler, Pa Hassan Kamara, in Kambia district, on the border with Guinea.

This incident occurred after the chief refused to part with the equivalent of 200 US dollars which the rebels demanded, in a raid on the chiefdom. Rights groups like the Sierra Leone Human Rights League, the National Commission for Human Rights and Democracy have demanded investigation of abuses committed by rebels, who still refuse to disarm.

In apparent frustration at the back tracking of rebel combatants to the implementation of the peace accord, Okelo has condemned the attitude of the rebels, especially the obstruction of humanitarian access in some parts of the country, where vulnerable civilian populations are entrapped.

Okelo warned: “The UN would not tolerate such violations, and it would continue to fully support the government in its efforts towards the consolidation of peace.”

Perhaps, what is most worrying to the war-weary population is the apparent divisions within the rebel movement, with splinter groups motivated to the spoils of their adventures. Many are shying away from the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) exercise which targets an estimated 45,000 ex-combatants.

Since the DDR programme was launched two months ago, no more than 1,070 ex-combatants have entered the programme, with many offering excuses for their continued stay in the jungles. One key question they pose is their future in the military, which the Freetown authorities are cautious in handling.

The general expectation now is the early deployment of a 6,000- strong UN force, which has been approved by the Security Council, to handle the DDR programme.

The troops were expected to have arrived in Freetown On Nov 25, but logistical problems were cited as being responsible for their non-arrival. “They are expected any time in coming days, and their arrival would be in phases, but would be rapid,” commented a spokesperson of the UN Mission in Freetown.

In the meantime, analysts see the current climate as being volatile and challenging for the facilitators of the peace process. This state of fluidity was echoed by a UN-led multi-donor mission, which visited the strife-torn country, on an assessment trip, recently.