Conflict in Liberia poses threat to stability - Annan

The United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has warned that escalating conflict in Liberia and increasing incursions by armed elements into Sierra Leone portend a "worrying trend".

In his interim report to the UN Security Council on the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), Annan said there was a real risk that Liberia and Sierra Leone could be trapped in a vicious cycle, with civil war continuously swinging back and forth between the two countries.

"It is therefore important for the international community to act quickly to address the conflict in Liberia," Annan said.

The conflict in Liberia threatens to undermine the progress achieved in Sierra Leone, he said.

"UNAMSIL is therefore closely monitoring developments in the border areas and initiating contacts with Liberian security officials, as well as leaders of the subregion, aimed at averting a spillover of the conflict into Sierra Leone," Annan added.

He said developments in Liberia constituted one of the key factors being taken into account in the ongoing planning for the downsizing of UNAMSIL.

He said the general security of Sierra Leone had, however, remained generally stable in the wake of the 14 May elections, which marked the end of the second phase of UNAMSIL's military concept of operations for 2002.

UNAMSIL troops, he noted, had provided support to the Sierra Leone police in containing disturbances such as protests by ex-combatants and friction between returnees and ex-combatants over illegally occupied houses. The mission's military observers and civil affairs officers had mediated in disputes over illegally occupied houses.

He pointed out that security would remain a paramount concern until the capacity and reliability of Sierra Leone's security institutions were sufficiently developed to enable them to sustain, on their own, the security environment created by the presence of UNAMSIL. He added that the Sierra Leonean army and police faced the challenge of developing their capabilities to effectively assume responsibility for the country's security after the eventual departure of UNAMSIL.

Annan said the restoration of effective local government structures remained vital to the stabilisation of the many areas that were not controlled by the government during the conflict.

Despite the magnitude of the challenges ahead, there was no doubt that there existed a potential for success in Sierra Leone, he added.

He said in order to realise this potential, the international community must stay the course and protect the major investments that have been made possible the progress achieved so far.

The Secretary-General's interim report is available at: http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/reports/2002/sgrep02.htm