The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously on Saturday to extend the mandate of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone by six months and authorise an increase in its military strength to 17,500.
The Council asked UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to continue seeking additional properly trained and equipped military forces to bolster the military component of UNAMSIL, now about 12,000 strong.
It also demanded that the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and other military groups stop perpetrating human rights abuses, including forcible recruitment.
The RUF, it added, must fulfil with its commitment to allow UN troops to deploy throughout the country. The rebels must also guarantee free movement of people - including refugees and internally displaced persons-, property and humanitarian agencies, and return all military equipment and ammunition seized from UN troops.
The UN Security Council also called on all parties to revive the Abuja ceasefire, signed on 10 November 2000
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