Country needs urgent international help for vote, warns ICG

The Brussels-based think-tank, the International Crisis Group (ICG), has warned that there is an urgent need for the international community to play "a more hands-on - even directly intrusive - role", than it indicated it is willing to if next year's elections in Sierra Leone are to return the country to peace and reconstruction.

In a briefing paper released on Wednesday, titled: "Sierra Leone: Ripe for Elections?", ICG Project Director, Comfort Ero, said donor countries see the elections as a major part of their exit strategy.

"Britain wants to scale down its military presence and the US would like to see the UN mission [UNAMSIL], the largest and most costly peacekeeping operation in the world, reduced drastically," Ero said.

ICG expressed serious doubts about the capacity, transparency and impartiality of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and its proposed voting system. It also said even though the opposition forces of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) are significantly weakened, security is a major concern.

"Police are already overstretched and may not be able to challenge organised intimidation and fraud. The UN Secretary-General acknowledges that some important steps towards sustainable peace and development are lagging behind," it said.

But according to the group, the international community has taken the view that Sierra Leone should run this election itself. "The real reason for donor reluctance to have the UN take over the election, appears to be a desire to minimise the risk of too close an association with a process that many officials privately acknowledge will be far from perfect." But after the massive international investment made in Sierra Leone, the success of the election should not be left to chance, Ero added.

ICG warned that it was too early to declare the danger over. "The election is potentially a highly divisive event and without careful management and leading international role, it could spark renewed violence."

Details of the report can be obtained at www.intl-crisis-group.org