RUF appeals for sincerity in disarmament drive

Revolutionary United Front (RUF) Chief of Security Augustine Gbao appealed to his and a rival warring faction on Monday to be sincere in disarming so that Sierra Leone could begin to rebuild after a decade of civil war, UNAMSIL reported.

“There were no victors in the ten-year war. We only succeeded in killing one another and destroying our country,” he said.

Tens of thousands of Sierra Leoneans have been killed, maimed and displaced by the war. Social services have collapsed or are seriously degraded nationwide. For much of the war RUF controlled the diamond mining area, denying the government a vital source of revenue. However, RUF has recently come under severe military pressure from the Guinean army. RUF has also had its supply lines from Liberia badly eroded and is mindful of the potential threat posed by a confident Sierra Leonean army retrained and rearmed by Britain, regional diplomats have said.

Gbao’s appeal to RUF and the pro-government Civil Defence Forces militia came at a meeting with UNAMSIL Force Commander Lt-Gen Daniel Opande in the eastern town of Koidu. Opande told them and chiefs of the district that he called the meeting “to invigorate and enhance the disarmament process”.

Since 18 May, the restart of the disarmament drive, at least 6,514 rival fighters have been disarmed. The most recent of them turned in their arms on Monday at the village of Matru, Bonthe District, in the south. The leader of the CDF-Donsos in Kono, Sansie Kwigba, told Opande his men - traditional hunters - were willing to disarm but feared being attacked by the RUF, as in the past.

However the CDF the representative at the meeting, A.M. Kongoba, said both sides appreciated UNAMSIL’s efforts to restore peace so that tens of thousands of internally displaced persons, and refugees, could return home to rebuild the nation.