Reported abductions exceed number of abductees freed

The Sierra Leonean Human Rights Committee (SLHRC) has reported in its 'Lome Implementation Bulletin' that the number of reported cases of abductions now exceeds that of released abductees, which is a setback for the peace agreement, according to a UN newsletter published on Friday. However, the bulletin said that the recent appointment of the Constitutional Review Committee was a significant step towards the implementation of the human rights provisions of the Lome Peace Accord signed in July, the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) reported in its first Human Rights newsletter The SLHRC is a consortium of local and international organisations committed to the protection and promotion of human rights in Sierra Leone, the newsletter said. On 29 July the committee adopted a mechanism to keep track of the human rights provisions of the Lome Peace Accord. Its public bulletins make periodic assessments on the "status of the key human rights commitments", which allow signatories to the Accord and civil society to respond accordingly.