“Premature” to hand over suspected rebel collaborators

The Liberian government has said it is “premature” to turn over suspected collaborators of the Sierra Leone rebel Revolutionary United Front/military junta, Star radio reported today. It quoted Justice Minister Eddington Varmah as saying the 10 suspects, including a Briton and an Australian, were still undergoing interrogation. Nigeria has called for them to be handed over ECOMOG, but Varmah said the suspects were arrested in Liberia and “are answerable under Liberian law”. He added that Nigeria had not made a formal request to the Liberian government. The UN Special Representative for Liberia, Felix Downes-Thomas, has blamed security personnel for most human rights violations in the country, Star radio said Addressing a conference in Monrovia, he said the security forces were poorly paid and had little or no training in civil and human rights. External assistance was being withheld because of Liberia’s poor human rights record, and he suggested that the problem be tackled “at the root cause”.