Annan opens meeting with UNAMSIL contributing countries

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday told top military officials of countries that contribute troops to the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) that all contingents must be equally willing and ready to share the risk of the operation. “I should emphasise that the head of mission and the force commander should ensure that all national contingent commanders are involved in operational planning and decision-making, especially where their respective contingents are concerned,” he said. However, he added, consultations should neither be delayed unduly nor undermine the authority of the UN command. Annan’s meeting with the military brass, aimed at improving UNAMSIL’s operations, is the first such encounter convened by a UN secretary-general with ranking defence officials of nations providing contingents for a UN peace effort. Annan said many of the force’s difficulties resulted from a lack of essential supplies such as tents, vehicles and communications equipment for the 12,180 soldiers. “Our soldiers deserve the best possible support,” he said. UNAMSIL’s troop-contributing nations, most of them developing countries, find it hard to equip their troops to UN standards because of tight national budgets. “We are grateful,” Annan said, “for the serious efforts that all troops contributors have made to equip their troops.” UNAMSIL has been criticized for the lack of coordination among its various national units. There have also been calls by some West African politicians for a change in UNAMSIL’s mandate from peacekeeping to peace enforcement. However, Annan said since the mission’s establishment by the UN Security Council on 22 October 1999 the objectives of the international community and the rules of engagement had remained “largely the same” . UNAMSIL troop-contributing countries include Bangladesh, Ghana, Guinea, India, Jordan, Kenya, Nigeria, Russia and Zambia.