RUF official puts resignation on hold

The chairman of the Political and Peace Council of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), Omrie Golley, told IRIN on Tuesday that he has put his resignation on hold following "various pressures" from some quarters within and outside Sierra Leone.

Golley, a former spokesman and legal representative to the RUF, had said in a statement issued in London on Monday that he was no longer head of its political wing. Following the announcement, Golley said, he had received requests from representatives of international and national bodies to delay his departure as they feared it could lead to a power vacuum within the RUF.

"I do want to relinquish my position," Golley said, "but because of various pressures I will hang on until the end of the disarmament process." Disarmament of former combatants was slated to end on 30 November but logistical difficulties in the east of the country have delayed its completion until December.

Alongside his resignation Golley also announced the formation of the National Reconstruction Foundation which aims to support reconciliation and recovery in Sierra Leone. "We still need to condolidate the peace process and the foundation will help reconcilation in Sierra Leone on a wider scale," Golley said. The foundation, of which he is a founding trustee, will be made up of a board of trustees of "eminent people" from within and beyond the sub-region.

Despite forming his own political party and having what he claimed are "political ambitions," Golley said it was "extremely unlikely" that he would stand as a candidate in presidential and legislative elections in May 2002.