POLITICS-SIERRA LEONE: Pressure on Kabbah to Set up Interim Govt

By Lansana Fofana Reprint | | Print |

Lansana Fofana

FREETOWN, Sep 19 2001 (IPS) - The beleaguered government of President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah is locked in a bitter political struggle with both its Sierra Leonean rebel adversaries and disparate political groups, which are calling for the setting up of a transitional interim administration when its tenure expires this month.

The government’s mandate expired six months ago but was extended by parliament on grounds that elections could not be conducted at the initial timetable of December because of the climate of insecurity prevailing in parts of the war-ravaged country.

Parliament has further added another six months to the government’s tenure, giving it a whole year’s bonus to its mandate, hence provoking the wrath of the opposition.

“This is illegal and fraudulent,” ranted John Benjamin, leader of the opposition National Unity Movement (NUP). “We cannot put up with this seeming unending extensions so we must go to a national consultative conference to sort out the political crisis rocking our troubled country.”

A clause in the country’s constitution provides for a six-month extension of the government’s mandate if it was thought the climate was not conducive to conduct elections. But it seems clear the government is using this to keep extending its mandate, much to the annoyance of its opponents.

On top of the six-month extension, parliament has approved a six-month imposition of a state of emergency, which gives sweeping powers to the president to detain without trial anybody.

“We cannot accept this extension for a second time nor do we support the state of emergency,” said Gibril Massaquoi of the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF).

Massaquoi explained that his movement would cease co-operating with the government in the disarmament and demobilisation of combatants, as well as the peace talks.

Also, to the surprise of political watchers, the government has announced elections timetable for May 2002, thus nullifying earlier plans for later this year.

With the political crisis deepening, many opposition parties and civil society groups have called for the convening of a national consultative conference to chart the way forward for the country. The government, though, appears clearly reluctant to allow such a conference, which is certain to undo it.

While the government has carefully used the war situation as an excuse to extend its stay in power, President Kabbah ironically has been touring parts of the country announcing that the war was over.

“This sounds absurd,” remarked Victor Foe, a vocal member of the All People’s Congress (APC), an opposition party. “I think that we urgently need a national consultative conference to iron out all these political issues and avert another national crisis.”

The RUF, which has been fighting since 1991, has said it would cease recognising Kabbah as Head of State when his mandate expires at the end of this month.

RUF spokesperson, Massaquoi made this disclosure in a recent interview with a Freetown tabloid, “The pool”, insisting that the disarmament of combatants and the overall peace process may be affected if vital political issues were not addressed.

Even with the announcement of elections timetable, the national electoral commission is cash-trapped and is badly in needed of donor funds.

Electoral Commissioner Walter Nicol said, “the problem is not just about insecurity and the difficulty of demarcating constituencies and drawing voters list. It is simply that the money is not there to conduct the elections”.

President Kabbah has travelled abroad to solicit funds for the elections while leaving behind an unpredictable political situation. Sierra Leone has 22 political parties posting for power with many drawn on tribal or regional lines.

If the disarmament and demobilisation of some 45,000 ex- combatants is not completed before the elections next year, there are fears the situation may explode and the country plunged into further crisis.

So far slightly more than half of the former fighters have given up their arms and joined the peace process. The situation clearly remains volatile.