Some progress reported but region remains volatile, UN says

Despite some improvements, the situation in West Africa remains volatile, requiring an integrated international response, a senior UN official told the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

Ibrahima Fall, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, said the peace process in Sierra Leone had continued to progress, while the government of Cote d'Ivoire had organised a national reconciliation dialogue, the UN News Service reported. Guinea's government had decided not to force through legislative elections that might have led to an internal crisis, while largely peaceful democratic transitions had occurred in Ghana and Gambia.

Fall warned, however, that the overall political situation in West Africa remained volatile. Insecurity and instability could spread, particularly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, while the plight of refugees and internally displaced persons was also a cause of great concern.

Fall said the Sierra Leone peace process was crucial to bringing peace to the sub-region. He said that fighting in neighbouring Liberia could have dangerous spill-over effects in Sierra Leone, reinforcing the need for an integrated approach to the sub-region's crisis. Calling for the Council's continued engagement in the area, he said underlying tensions were evident across national boundaries, fuelled by chronic under-development and political crises.

Other challenges facing the region included the need to reintegrate demobilised soldiers, stop illegal arms traffic, protect children in armed conflicts, and promote peace, justice and national reconciliation in several countries, including Togo, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.