The conflict in Sierra Leone dates from March 1991 when fighters of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) launched a war from the east of the country near the border with Liberia to overthrow the government. With the support of the Military Observer Group (ECOMOG) of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Sierra Leone's army tried at first to defend the government but, the following year, the army itself overthrew the government.

Despite the change of power, the RUF continued its attacks. In February 1995, the United Nations Secretary-General appointed a Special Envoy, Mr Berhanu Dinka (Ethiopia). He worked in collaboration with the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and ECOWAS to try to negotiate a settlement to the conflict and return the country to civilian rule.

Parliamentary and presidential elections were held in February 1996 and the army relinquished power to the winner, Alhaji Dr. Ahmed Tejan Kabbah. The RUF, however, did not participate in the elections and would not recognize the results. The conflict continued.

Special Envoy Dinka assisted in negotiating a peace agreement, in November 1996, between the Government and RUF known as the Abidjan Accord. But it was derailed by another military coup d'état in May 1997. This time the army joined forces with the RUF and formed a ruling junta. President Kabbah and his government went into exile in neighbouring Guinea.

The new Special Envoy, Mr. Francis G. Okelo (Uganda), and other representatives of the international community tried, but failed, to persuade the junta to step down. The Security Council imposed an oil and arms embargo on 8 October 1997, and authorized ECOWAS to ensure its implementation using ECOMOG troops. Later that month, the junta and the government-in-exile signed a peace plan which was to be monitored by ECOMOG and -- if approved by the UN Security Council -- assisted by UN military observers, but the agreement was never implemented.

In February 1998, ECOMOG, responding to an attack by rebel/army junta forces, launched a military counter-attack that led to the collapse of the junta and its expulsion from Freetown. On 10 March, President Kabbah was returned to office. The Security Council terminated the oil and arms embargo and strengthened the office of the Special Envoy to include UN military liaison officers and security advisory personnel.

On June 1998, the Security Council established UNOMSIL for an initial period of six months. The Secretary General named Special Envoy Okelo as his Special Representative and Chief of Mission. The mission monitored and advised efforts to disarm combatants and restructure the nation's security forces. Unarmed UNOMSIL teams, under the protection of ECOMOG, also documented reports of on-going atrocities and human rights abuses committed against civilians.

Nonetheless, fighting continued with the rebel alliance gaining control of more than half the country. In December 1999 the alliance began an offensive to retake Freetown and in January overran most of the city. All UNOMSIL personnel were evacuated.

The Special Representative and the Chief Military Observer continued performing their duties, maintaining close contact with all parties to the conflict and monitoring the situation. Later that month, ECOMOG troops retook the capital and again installed the civilian government, although thousands of rebels were still reportedly hiding out in the surrounding countryside.

In the aftermath of the rebel attack, Special Representative Okelo, in consultation with West African states, initiated a series of diplomatic efforts aimed at opening up dialogue with the rebels. Negotiations between the Government and the rebels began in May 1999 and on 7 July all parties to the conflict signed an agreement in Lome to end hostilities and form a government of national unity. The parties to the conflict also requested an expanded role for UNOMSIL. On 20 August the UN Security Council authorized an increase in the number of military observers to 210. The Secretary General is currently considering expanding UNOMSIL's mandate.