POLITICS-SIERRA LEONE: Attack on Army Base Raises Security Question

By Lansana Fofana Reprint | | Print |

Lansana Fofana

FREETOWN, Jan 15 2003 (IPS) - Residents of the eastern suburbs of Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown are still trying to recover from the shock of blasts of gunfire that rudely awoke them in the early hours of Monday, following an attack on an army base by unknown gunmen.

‘’It was hell for us as we thought another invasion of the city by rebel forces was unfolding,” remarked Jacob Johnson, a civil servant residing in the area.

Johnson told IPS on Wednesday he and family of six hid under their bed waiting to flee. ‘’The attackers used various sorts of weapons, ranging from assault rifles to machineguns,” he said.

The Sierra Leonean police have issued a statement saying that the army, UN troops and the police responded to the attackers and put the situation under control.

The statement adds: ‘’A number of arrests have been made.” Unconfirmed sources say that of the 13 people so far nabbed, two are serving Sierra Leonean soldiers. A military analyst says the involvement of soldiers is an indication that the motive of the attackers was to cart away weapons and ammunition ‘’for possible subversive activities”.

The criminal department of the police says the motive of the attackers is still unclear and that investigations are continuing. The attack on the army engineering regiment has raised serious questions about the security of situation in a country that is just emerging from a decade-long bloody civil strife.

‘’I think we have to review the whole security arrangement in view of the latest assault on an army base,” remarks military analyst, Philip Sesay. ‘’ This is how they (armed gangs) start to foment trouble.”

About a week ago, the police conducted a raid on the premises of former President Joseph Momoh in a west Freetown suburb on suspicion that ex-combatants who currently occupy the premises were engaged in alleged subversive activities.

Nothing of interest to the police was found though many arrests were made. Most of the occupants of the house were factional fighters during the country’s civil war.

Nonetheless, the leader of the opposition, All Peoples’ Congress (APC) party in Parliament Ernest Koroma condemned the raid saying the ruling Sierra Leonean Peoples’ Party (SLPP) is simply paranoid. ‘’They (government) are simply hiding behind their failed policies by always talking about coups and subversive activities,” Koroma said in newspaper interview.

Now questions are being asked about the country’s overall security situation, barely a year after peace was declared.

Marie Sesay, a mother of four who resides at the Wellington industrial community where the incident occurred told IPS Wednesday: ‘’the government must know that it has to take security seriously. Their lapses resulted in massacres in the country by rebel forces and we don’t want a replay of those gory incidents.”

Alusine Lamin, a carpenter living at the same Wellington area, said: ‘’ Our security forces must assume a more robust posture otherwise we should be preparing ourselves for another ugly chapter in our history.”

Sierra Leone experienced a bloody civil war between 1991 and 2001. More than 80,000 people were killed and thousands maimed or displaced. Many war-weary locals now point at the UN-backed Special Court that has the mandate of trying individuals believed to bear the greatest responsibility for atrocities committed during the course of the war.

Others are, however, unhappy with the tribunal. ‘’How can they try people who decided to give peace a chance?” asks an ex-combatant who described himself as John. ‘’If that is the kind of peace they want then we should all be prepared for hiccups along the way.”

What is of more concern to the people in Sierra Leone is the on-going phased withdrawal of UN troops from the country, with the emergence of peace. The troops numbering about 17,000, the largest peacekeeping mission in the world, would be cut down to 4,000 in two years.

A spokesperson of the UN mission, known as UNAMSIL, says the withdrawal is done in view of ‘’the improved security situation in the country.”

A spokesperson of the defence ministry told IPS Wednesday that the security forces are on alert. ‘’We cannot allow this country to slip back to chaos after the hard-won peace. Our security forces are leaving no stone unturned to ensure the state is secured and the people safe.”