Annan doubts Sankoh’s commitment to peace

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan continues to worry over Revolutionary United Front (RUF) leader Foday Sankoh’s commitment to the peace process, Annan said in a report to the Security Council released on Thursday. Annan was “very concerned about the often negative and confusing approach taken by Foday Sankoh to key elements of the peace process and the role entrusted to the United Nations”, according to UN News. While describing the security situation in the country as “precarious” he reported “modest progress” towards the implementation of the governance provisions of last year’s Lome Peace Agreement. However, he said that the present situation gave rise to “serious doubts about the commitment of Mr Sankoh and the RUF to the faithful implementation of the peace agreement”, and called on the RUF leader “to dispel these doubts in a tangible and unequivocal manner”. The UN Secretary-General outlined the challenges ahead in the peace process and said it was important that the government, RUF and other parties showed real commitment to its implementation. The report also noted with concern that humanitarian needs could not be met in all parts of the country and the rapid implementation of the disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration programme could “significantly facilitate the work of the humanitarian community in delivering much-needed assistance to all groups in need”. In a related development, British Ambassador to the UN Jeremy Greenstock told reporters in Freetown on Thursday that the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) force was entitled to use force “to clear obstacles in their way when they want to deploy”. In February, a reconnaissance mission, including UN military observers and peacekeepers, to the eastern town of Koidu was stopped at a rebel checkpoint some 120 km from the town. The bulk of the mission, a platoon of Kenyan peacekeeping troops had to remain at the checkpoint while five military observers and an information officer went on to visit Koidu. The military component of UNAMSIL now numbers almost 7,400 persons, including 260 military observers, the UN body reported on 1 March.