1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Sierra Leone

UN, US welcome truce

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomed the agreement and called on the RUF, the Civil Defence Forces, the government and the West African peacekeeping force, ECOMOG, to adhere to its terms, the United Nations said in a statement on Wednesday. The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL) will be strengthened to play its role in implementing the agreement and the Secretariat is sending a military assessment team to Sierra Leone to draw up plans for an expanded presence, subject to Security Council approval in the event of a lasting peace agreement, the United Nations said. US President Bill Clinton also welcomed the ceasefire accord describing it as "an important first step towards peace", Reuters reported. However, news organisations reported regional analysts as reacting cautiously to the ceasefire, partly because of doubts as to the ability of both sides to control their combattants and allies.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join