Agreement on safe access for aid workers

Sierra Leone’s government and rebels have agreed at peace talks in Lome to guarantee “safe and unhindered access” so that humanitarian assistance can be delivered effectively, according to a joint statement issued on Thursday. A spokesperson for Medical Emergency Relief International (MERLIN) reacted with cautious optimism to the statement, telling IRIN on Friday that “if the statement means what it says then it is a positive development.” The spokesman added that MERLIN had already started looking at ways of accessing areas in Sierra Leone which have not been receiving aid because they were disputed territory or under RUF control. The statement said the two parties were aware that “the protracted civil strife has created a situation whereby the vast majority of Sierra Leoneans in need of humanitarian assistance cannot be reached”. Aid agencies have said that nearly two-thirds of the country remains inaccessible. Implementation committee The government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) also undertook “to establish with immediate effect, and not later than seven days an Implementation Committee.” The committee will comprise representatives from the government, the RUF, civil society and the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL). It is to be chaired by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in coordination with the Special Representative of the Secretary General in Sierra Leone. The Implementation Committee will assess the security of routes to be used by humanitarian agencies and disseminate information on such routes to the humanitarian agencies. It will also review complaints that may follow the implementation of this arrangement to establish “full compliance,” the joint statement said. The UN Special Representative, Ambassador Francis Okelo, highlighted the importance of taking urgent steps to address the acute humanitarian situation in the whole country as the rainy season begins, according to a UNOMSIL press release on Thursday. UNOMSIL added that the dialogue for peace between the two sides was “progressing smoothly.” Release of POWs and noncombatants In a joint statement on Wednesday the two sides agreed to “the immediate release of prisoners of war and non-combatants,” and a committee was established to implement this decision. The first meeting of this committee took place on Thursday at UNOMSIL’s headquarters in Freetown. It was chaired by the UNOMSIL Chief Military Observer, Brigadier Subhash Joshi and included participants from the UN mission, other UN agencies and NGOs, according to a UNOMSIL press release. The aim of the meeting was to “evolve the detailed modalities of securing such release”. During the meeting it became clear, the statement said, that this task involved not only the release, but also intermediate steps to help integrate individuals into society. While there will be a relatively small number of prisoners of war, there will be a large number of detainees, including children, unfamiliar with a “normal family unit”, UNOMSIL said. It is also essential for adequate provisions to be made for trauma counselling and general medical treatment apart from the day-to-day requirements prior to reintegration with their families, the press release added. A sub-committee met on Friday to work out a detailed analysis of what is required to fulfil this role, it said.