Last peacekeepers freed

The last of the UN peacekeepers held by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) arrived in Sierra Leone via Liberia on Sunday, in a move diplomats said could signal the rebels’ willingness to rejoin a battered peace process.

However, UN sources said that 23 peacekeepers and military observers were still surrounded in the eastern area of Kailahun.

As with groups of UN peacekeepers freed earlier, the release of the 84 Zambians and one Gambian military observer was negotiated by Liberian President Charles Taylor, widely regarded as closely connected to the RUF.

Four of the approximately 500 UN personnel seized by the RUF earlier this month remain unaccounted for. UN mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) spokesman David Wimhurst said the missing peacekeepers were likely to be among the bodies discovered last week in the western town of Rogberi Junction.

UNAMSIL Force Commander Vijay Jetley said on Monday that there had been 11 to 12 fatalities among the UN troops since the crisis began at the start of May and 25 to 30 wounded.

A senior UNAMSIL official told IRIN that the release of the peacekeepers “means the RUF and Charles Taylor got the clear message of the international community that without those releases there’s no Lome and no ceasefire.” He added: “The question is, what does Taylor want for this?”

The UN official said that in the meantime, “the war continues”, as government forces advance on RUF positions in retaliation for rebel violations of last year’s Lome peace agreement, and the seizure of UN troops and military equipment.

The official said the return of the seized military equipment, which the rebels have not yet given back “is the next big hurdle”.