Over 35,000 combatants disarmed, UNMIL

An official of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) announced in Monrovia on Friday that more than 35,000 combatants have been disarmed so far, though uncertainty remained over the number of them still carrying weapons. Clive Jacknik said since December when the UN first launched its disarmament demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) programme, which was later suspended and re-launched in mid April, a total of 35,756 fighters have participated from the various warring groups. "With 44 days of operation since 15 April, 22,266 former fighters have been disarmed in all of the four disarmament and cantonment centres around Liberia amounting to 35, 756 since December," he said. Clive said all had qualified under the disarmament programme, as they had handed in either weapons or ammunitions. In return, fighters receive US$300 in two tranches as well as one week in a cantonment centre and vocational or educational training. "We are very pleased it is going on in an orderly and progressive manner, as planned," Clive added. Initially the UN estimated there were around 40,000 combatants in Liberia, however Clive disclosed on Friday that UNMIL is now working on a figure between 38,000 to 53,000 combatants, although this was not a limit, said Clive. "If we have to go up beyond 53,000 combatants to complete disarmament, we will do", Clive said. Late last month, the head of Liberia's disarmament commission Moses Jarbo estimated between 55,000 and 60,000 combatants expected to be disarmed based upon preliminary estimates gathered from former fighting forces during meetings held in Monrovia. UNMIL tried unsuccessfully to launch a disarmament exercise in the capital Monrovia in December. However, rioting by former government soldiers demanding cash up front for handing in their weapons and the failure of the single cantonment centre created at the time to cope with demand, forced the United Nations to put DDR on hold for four months. Well-informed Liberians in Monrovia have told IRIN that some non-combatants are colluding with former fighters to take part in the DDR programme in order to claim the US$300 resettlement grant payable to all those who demobilise. Genuine fighters have been giving these non-combatants weapons and ammunitition to hand in as they register themselves at the cantonment sites, they said.