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PRESS BRIEFING
4 SEPTEMBER 2001
(Near Verbatim)
MS. MARGARET NOVICKI - SPOKESMAN
AND MAJOR M. M. YERIMA - MILITARY SPOKESMAN
SECURITY COUNCIL PLEDGES TO TAKE EARLY ACTION TO PREVENT CONFLICTS
The Security Council has expressed its commitment to take "early and effective action" to prevent armed conflict by employing all appropriate means at its disposal, including - with the consent of the receiving States - its missions to areas of potential conflict.
The pledge came in a resolution adopted on 30 August following a discussion during which Council members considered a report by Secretary-General Kofi Annan. That report, which contains 29 recommendations aimed at instituting a culture of prevention throughout the UN system, was also considered by the Council in June 2001.
In the resolution, the Council reiterated its commitment to save people from the ravages of armed conflicts and expressed its determination to help prevent armed conflict as an integral part of its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. At the same time, the Council stressed that the essential responsibility for conflict prevention rested with national Governments, and that the UN and the international community could play an important role in support of national efforts for conflict prevention and could assist in building national capacity in that field.
The Council reiterated its call to Member States to strengthen the UN's capacity in the maintenance of international peace and security and, in that regard, urged them to provide the necessary human, material and financial resources for timely and preventive measures including early warning, preventive diplomacy, preventive deployment, practical disarmament measures and peace-building as appropriate in each case.
The Council also called upon Member States as well as regional and subregional organizations and arrangements to support the development of a comprehensive conflict prevention strategy as proposed by the Secretary-General.
In a related provision, it supported the enhancement of Mr. Annan's role in conflict prevention, including by increased use of interdisciplinary fact-finding and confidence-building missions to regions of tension, developing regional prevention strategies with regional partners and appropriate UN organs and agencies, and improving the capacity and resource base for preventive action in the UN Secretariat.
The Council also voiced its willingness to give prompt consideration to early warning cases brought to its attention by the Secretary-General and in that regard, encouraged him to convey to the Council his assessment of potential threats to international security with due regard to relevant regional and sub-regional dimensions. The Council expressed its intention to consider cases of potential conflict brought to its attention by any Member State, by non-Member States, by the General Assembly, or on the basis of information furnished by the Economic and Social Council.
UNAMSIL SECTOR 5 HEADQUARTERS AT KOIDU HOSTS VISITING HEADS OF STATE
UNAMSIL's Sector 5 Headquarters at Koidu yesterday, 3 September, hosted visiting Heads of State President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, President Alpha Oumar Konare of Mali--current chairman of ECOWAS--and President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah of Sierra Leone. The heads of state were accompanied during their visit to Koidu by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ambassador Oluyemi Adeniji, and the Deputy Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Martin L. Agwai. Security was provided by Pakistani Battalions 1 and 2, in conjunction with the Government of Sierra Leone authorities.
The SRSG and DFC briefed the Heads of State at Sector 5 Headquarters, followed by a meeting between the Heads of State, the SRSG and DFC, and the leadership of the Revolutionary United Front.
The day culminated in a meeting at the Roman Catholic Church of Koidu where the Presidents addressed 400 delegates from the local population and chiefdoms. The RUF interim leader, Gen. Issa Sesay, was also present. President Kabbah noted that based on the discussions the Heads of State held with the RUF leadership, "the war is over." He said the Heads of State's presence in Koidu marked a "turning point" in the disarmament process and made special mention of Gen. Sesay's contributions to the peace process.
President Konare, saying the visit to Koidu was a "great day for us," said peace in West Africa was the responsibility of ECOWAS and thanked the Government of Sierra Leone, the RUF, the UN and the neighbouring countries for bringing the peace process to this stage.
Noting that it was "a unique day for the people of Kono district, for the people of Sierra Leone and for all of us in West Africa," President Obasanjo credited Gen. Sesay for his "singular leadership" and for fulfilling all undertakings the RUF had given. He also stressed that the solution to the Sierra Leonean crisis was of West Africa's own making, through its contributions and sacrifices, with the assistance of outsiders, to whom he appealed to help rebuild the country.
UNAMSIL CONDUCTS ASSESSMENT VISIT TO KOIDU
In preparation for the one-day state visit of Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, Alpha Oumar Konare of Mali and host President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of Sierra Leone to Koidu in diamond-rich area of Kono District, a high-level assessment team conducted a guided tour of the facilities in Koidu on 2 September to ensure a successful visit.
The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General responsible for operations and management, Mr. Behrooz Sadry, led the team accompanied by UNAMSIL Acting Force Commander Maj. Gen. Martin Agwai and other senior UNAMSIL officials. They inspected the helicopter pad where final touches were being put in place and the church arena, which was to host the Heads of States and the citizens of Kono and other structures, to ensure the security of the dignitaries.
The team also held a coordinating meeting with the Commander of Sector 5, Brig. Gen. Shuja Pasha to ensure that all plans were in place for the Head of States' visit. Thereafter, representatives of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and UNAMSIL held another meeting where both sides promised to work assiduously to ensure that the Heads of State's visit would be successful.
This visit will further encourage the people of Sierra Leone to embrace the peace process and indeed project the correct signals to the international community that Sierra Leone is gradually moving towards lasting peace.
UNAMSIL ACTING FORCE COMMANDER SAYS DISARMAMENT IS CONTINUING
UNAMSIL Acting Force Commander Maj. Gen. Martin Luther Agwai told journalists on 1 September that UNAMSIL was still continuing with its investigations into allegations by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) that the Civil Defence Force (CDF) recently attacked its positions in Alikalia in northern district of Koinadugu.
Addressing a press conference at UNAMSIL Headquarters, Maj. Gen. Agwai said he had made several visits to the area as part of his ongoing investigations, including a visit to the town of Yifin in the same district on 31 August. Answering questions on the effect of the alleged attack on the disarmament process, the Acting Force Commander assured the journalists that despite the incident, disarmament was continuing and the coming week will see the process going into "full swing".
During the visit to Yifin, the town's paramount chief, Chief Balla Kalli Koroma, and other UNAMSIL military officers accompanied the Acting Force Commander. Addressing hundreds of chanting people, Chief Balla advised them not only to embrace peace but also forgive and forget the past, adding that it was only when peace reigned that they could benefit from the agricultural and natural resources that the chiefdom is endowed with. The chief appealed to the Government, through the Maj. Gen. Agwai, to assist the chiefdom in rehabilitation and reconstruction.
In response to appeals for humanitarian relief, the Acting Force Commander assured them that the government and non-governmental organizations would come to their aid after disarmament in the district.
From Yifin, Maj. Gen. Agwai flew to Makeni were he held discussions with the RUF leadership including its interim leader, Gen. Issa Sesay; Gibril Massaquoi, Spokesman; Augustine Gbao, Chief Security Officer; and Jonathan Kposowa, Chief of Administration. Their discussions centred on the scheduled visit to Kono on 3 September by the Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and the current chairman of ECOWAS, Malian President Alpha Oumar Konare.
UNAMSIL INVESTIGATES ALLEGED ATTACKS IN KOINADUGU DISTRICT
The Acting Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), Maj. Gen. Martin Luther Agwai, on 28 August visited the villages of Kaima and Yirya as well as Kurutor and Yifin villages in Koinadugu District as part of his ongoing investigations into allegations by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) that the Civil Defence Force (CDF) attacked their positions. Several chiefs from the two districts and other senior UNAMSIL officials accompanied the Force Commander.
Speaking on behalf of Kaima villagers, Chief Sahr Musa Kamanda told Maj. Gen. Agwai that his people were not as afraid of the RUF as they had been when the Force Commander visited them earlier in the year. He observed that peace had returned to the area and the people who had run away had returned. Chief Kamanda however decried the destitution of the villagers, as there was no food, medical care and enough shelter for them. Many people were crowded in the few houses that were not burnt during the war. He appealed for aid from UNAMSIL, the Government of Sierra Leone and non-governmental organizations and expressed his appreciation to UNAMSIL for its tireless efforts in restoring peace to the country.
The Force Commander thanked the people for embracing peace and for their efforts to rehabilitate the roads so that their village could be accessible. He promised to relay their appeal for aid to the appropriate organizations.
At Yirya, Maj. Gen. Agwai found the village in ruins and deserted. Finally, the Force Commander visited Yifin and met the local CDF Commander, Nieni Koroma, who briefed him on the general security situation in the area.
UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN APPEALS FOR MORE DONOR ASSISTANCE FOR SIERRA LEONE WOMEN
The visiting United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Radhika Coomaraswamy, has called for more donor commitments in support of the women of Sierra Leone, particularly the internally displaced.
Addressing a press conference on 28 August at the conclusion of her week-long visit to Sierra Leone, Ms. Coomaraswamy expressed concern over the social state of women whose condition has been worsened by a decade of civil strife, adding that "the donor community is not responding appropriately."
The UN Special Rapporteur also said her office was concerned over the country's commitment to the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to which Sierra Leone is a signatory. Other problems confronting women in Sierra Leone included the use of women as sexual slaves, rape, drug abuse, traditional practices that are harmful to women including female genital mutilation and discriminatory laws on inheritance.
During her visit to Sierra Leone, Ms. Coomaraswamy met with UNASMIL officials, President Ahmed Kabbah and senior members of his Government, foreign diplomats, the RUF high command and several women's organizations. She also visited Kenema, Bo and Makeni where she heard testimonies from female victims of psychological and physical atrocities perpetrated during the war.
Answering questions on the Special Court, Ms. Coomaraswamy said those who committed atrocities should be made accountable for their crimes. She however pointed out that only those who bear the greatest responsibility should be brought before the Court and that this should be done in a manner that does not jeopardize the current peace process. She also called for the inclusion of women on the Special Court bench and other branches associated with the court such as the Appeals Court and the prosecutor's office.
TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS CONFERENCE BY
THE SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
AMBASSADOR OLUYEMI ADENIJI
UNAMSIL HEADQUARTERS, FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE, 4 SEPTEMBER 2001
Margaret Novicki: Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, I'm happy to be back here with you after my leave. I have the pleasure to introduce to you today the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ambassador Oluyemi Adeniji, who will speak to you about the successful meeting that was held yesterday in Koidu with the visiting Heads of State.SRSG: Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen. I am almost certain that you all know as much as I do about the visit yesterday, in terms of how the meeting went. Not all of you were in Kono, so I suppose that those of you who were not there have some questions and need some clarifications. There were two visitors in Sierra Leone yesterday - President Alpha Oumar Konare, who is the current Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria. They were on that visit, which also had the Deputy Executive-Secretary of ECOWAS present, practically to signify the continued involvement and interest of ECOWAS in the implementation of the peace process.
As you would recall, what we are implementing presently rose out of the two ceasefire agreements signed in Abuja in November 2000 and May 2001 - both under the auspices of ECOWAS and the United Nations. We have since continued that process here with a series of meetings held first in Freetown, then in Magburaka, then in Bo, then in Kenema and in a few days time, we will hold the next one in Makeni. Therefore, it is in continuation of that and to see for themselves what has been happening on the ground that they came here.
The choice of Kono is to symbolize the importance which not only you in Sierra Leone, but the entire international community, attach to the disarmament of Kono. When Government authority is extended to Kono, the Government will be able to organize properly the exploitation of the valuable resource of diamonds for the benefit of the entire people of Sierra Leone, which has not been the case ever since it has been taken over by the RUF. I will now answer your specific questions.
Clarence Roy-Macaulay (Associated Press): Yesterday you were very silent in Koidu town, although many praises were returned to your Organization under your particular leadership. Can you now give us your own impression about the visit?
SRSG: I was not very silent in Kono. I did speak when I had to, particularly in relation to how things should be going. However, if you mean by that, that I did not make any formal statement, I think this was to be expected. Yesterday was a day for President Kabbah and his two august visitors to shine. It was not a day for UNAMSIL. Therefore, I found it appropriate that they should occupy the center stage.
The Democrat: So far, what has been done to address the RUF's political demands?
SRSG: During the meeting the RUF had with the three presidents, the RUF did indicate its interest to transform itself into a political party in order to participate in the political process in the country. It is natural because in the Abuja meetings, both in November last year and in May this year, they had raised all those political issues. At that time, they had been told that neither ECOWAS nor the United Nations were willing to discuss political issues with them until the disarmament process has been well under way. By consensus, there is some agreement that indeed there has been considerable progress on the disarmament process. We here at UNAMSIL as well as ECOWAS, and maybe the Government, are willing to begin addressing these issues, which does not mean that all the demands the RUF makes will necessarily be accepted. But it is not the same thing as saying the RUF has no right to make those demands. The RUF is not the only party asking for an interim government. So I do not think it would be fair to put that squarely at their door. Indeed, they are vocal about it but the All Political Party Association (APPA) is making the same demands. However, it was not a matter of debate yesterday. In any case, there was no debate at all.
Umaru Sesay (The New Vision): What is the current relationship between the RUF and the CDF?
SRSG: I wish you would ask this question to either one of them--they know where the shoe pinches. All I can say is indeed there has been some degree of cooperation in getting the disarmament moving. In some cases, the CDF and the RUF combatants have been put together in the same DDR camp. It helped them to know each other. There are still clashes here and there, but these are minor incidents that could happen in any process. The important thing is that they are manageable. It takes time for people to get their minds changed, to get reoriented from the stance of antagonism to one of cooperation and peaceful coexistence.
Unity Now: Despite the fact that a moratorium has been passed on mining activities, mining is still going on in Kono. On Sunday, the Ombudsman, Francis Gabbidon, claimed that even UNAMSIL officers are mining in Kono. Did the Presidents made any call to the combatants to stop mining?
SRSG: There are no more combatants in Kono. That is a fact that you should get straight. Disarmament in Kono has ended; the DDR camps have been closed. Over 6,000 combatants from both the RUF and the CDF have been disarmed. Yesterday, some former RUF combatants were in the hall where the meeting was arranged, participating in the event like any other citizen. While presentations were being made to the visiting Heads of State, the RUF also made presentations on behalf of its movement in Kono, thus proving that they are indeed back in the community as any Sierra Leoneans living in Kono.
The visiting Heads of States were not in Kono to investigate who is mining or not. That is the duty of the Government, and President Kabbah did mention that the Government was looking into ways of regulating the mining activities in Kono. But you are making too much of the mining activities in Kono, as if they had just started. Whatever happens in Kono today is a little pittance to what has been going on in terms of mining in the past. Mining will not stop in Kono, the only thing that you want to do is to regulate the activity so that the Government can have its own fair share, by collecting taxes.
Christo Johnson (Reuters): The Ombudsman said in the radio show "Security Tok" that the Ghanaian peacekeepers were mining in Kenema. What is your reaction?
SRSG: Obviously, the Ombudsman is an important figure in Sierra Leone by virtue of the office he holds. When a person in such a position makes a comment, you would expect that he has investigated and not just behaving like journalists sometimes do - by speculating or provoking to get a comment. I would hope that he does not see his role in that manner, because you would expect that someone in such a position would come to UNAMSIL and ask for an investigation to be conducted. For him to go to that radio show and to make that - frankly speaking - wild allegation is the least I would have expected from a man of his stature. Sometimes, when you hold an office, your right to speak is constrained by the weight of your office because you want to be taken seriously.
First, the Ghanaian battalion is essentially in Daru. Secondly, two weeks ago, a journalist from the Washington Post came to Sierra Leone and he referred to peacekeepers mining diamonds - the Bangladeshi contingent. He even quoted his source as being high UN officials, which is false. There is hardly a contingent which has come in this country that has not been accused of diamond mining. A man in the Ombudsman's position, knowing the role that foreign troops play in this country should be the last to make that kind of allegation. At one stage, it was the Nigerians, then it was the Bangladeshi, now it is the Ghanaians, and I am sure next week it will be the Pakistanis. You journalists should discourage that kind of thing; it does not help this country; it does not boost the morale of those who have come here to make many sacrifices. They could have stayed in their countries, enjoying the peace and comfort of their home and families. When they come, if it is what they get, that is ridiculous. I hope that the Ombudsman will make proper investigations, in collaboration with us. We do not have anything to hide.
*********** For additional information, contact UNAMSIL Public Information Office: UNAMSIL Headquarters, Mammy Yoko, P. O. Box 5, Freetown, Sierra Leone. Tel: 232-22-273-183/4/5 Fax: 232-22-273-189
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