weekly anb05116.txt #8

[anb-bia <anb-bia at village.uunet.be>]

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 11-05-2000      PART #6/8

* Sierra Leone. Le chaos  -  4 mai. Revisant son bilan, le porte-
parole de l'Onu a Freetown a precise que non pas sept, mais quatre
casques bleus ont ete tues dans des affrontements avec les
partisans du Front revolutionnaire uni (RUF). Trois autres ont ete
blesses a Makeni, d'ou ils ont ete evacues. Le chef du RUF, Foday
Sankoh, n'est pas assigne a residence, mais des casques bleus
encerclent son domicile a Freetown pour "assurer sa securite". La
veille, Sankoh a lance un appel afin que ses hommes liberent les
otages. L'Onu multiplie aussi ses appels aux mediateurs: les
presidents malien et liberien ont ete sollicites. Cette epreuve de
force intervient alors que l'Onu doit achever son deploiement dans
les zones diamantiferes dans l'est du pays, fief et coffre-fort du
RUF. La reussite ou l'echec de l'operation de l'Onu en Sierra Leone
pourrait avoir des repercussions sur d'autres engagements en
Afrique, notamment au Congo-RDC. - 5 mai. Le vendredi soir, les
Nations unies ont annonce qu'au total 318 membres de leur mission
(Minusil) etaient pris en otage par les ex-rebelles du RUF. Dans la
journee, les 4 membres d'equipage et les 2 passagers civils d'un
helicoptere de l'Onu ont ete liberes. Cependant, s'ajoutant aux 86
otages sequestres depuis trois jours, 208 soldats zambiens au
centre du pays et 24 autres casques bleus a Kailahun, a l'est, ont
ete desarmes par les rebelles qui les retiennent. Le Parlement
sierra-leonais a adopte une "resolution", sans valeur coercitive,
reclamant l'arrestation de Foday Sankoh. Les agences de l'Onu et
les ambassades occidentales ont decide l'evacuation de leur
personnel "non essentiel". - 6-7 mai. Le samedi 6, 226 soldats
zambiens, envoyes en renfort a Masiaka a 65 km au nord de Freetown,
ont rejoint leurs quelque 300 freres d'armes deja sequestres. Dans
la nuit, le porte-parole du Minusil a annonce que des bandes armees
du RUF foncaient sur Freetown, ce qui a suscite une panique en
ville. L'Onu a appele les organisations humanitaires a une
evacuation d'urgence. Mais au petit matin, le porte-parole a du
annoncer que tout n'etait qu'une "erreur malheureuse" de leur
part... Le dimanche soir, la Grande-Bretagne a annonce qu'elle
envoyait un bataillon de parachutistes et cinq navires au Senegal
par "mesure de precaution" afin d'aider a un eventuel rapatriement
massif de ses ressortissants. - 8 mai. 250 soldats britanniques ont
debarque a Freetown et "securise" l'aeroport en vue d'assurer
l'evacuation des expatries occidentaux. 500 autres debarquaient a
Dakar, pre-positionnes pour un eventuel accroissement de
l'intervention en Sierra Leone; Londres n'a pas exclu qu'ils
pourraient etre utilises dans une operation de retablissement de la
paix. A Freetown, une manifestation devant la residence de Foday
Sankoh s'est soldee par au moins 4 morts et plusieurs dizaines de
blesses lorsque des rebelles se trouvant a l'interieur ont ouvert
le feu. Par ailleurs, pour conjurer le peril d'une nouvelle debacle
de l'Onu en Afrique, Washington s'est declare pret a apporter une
aide logistique a la Minusil, tout en excluant des "troupes
americaines au sol". D'autre part, le Nigeria a convoque pour le 9
mai un sommet regional extraordinaire consacre a la crise en Sierra
Leone, auquel ont ete invites les chefs d'Etat de neuf pays
d'Afrique de l'Ouest. -9 mai. Toute la journee a Freetown, les
troupes britanniques ont poursuivi l'evacuation des expatries.
Paris a mis en alerte sa base a Dakar et y a constitue un
"detachement aeromobile" de soutien aux Britanniques. Les casques
bleus stationnes a Masiaka, a 65 km a l'est de Freetown, s'en sont
retires apres avoir essuye des tirs. Dans la capitale regnait une
apparence de calme; les boutiques et les bureaux ont ouvert, mais
l'electricite est coupee. Cependant, des milliers de civils fuyant
vers Freetown affirmaient que les rebelles du RUF etaient a leurs
trousses. On ne semble pas savoir ou se trouve Foday Sankoh qui a
disparu la veille de son domicile pendant la manifestation hostile.
D'autre part, le sommet de la CEDEAO, reuni au Nigeria, devait
conferer un mandat regional a un corps expeditionnaire nigerian qui
pourrait servir de "force d'action rapide" a l'Onu. Les chefs
d'Etat africains ont egalement mandate le dirigeant liberien
Charles Taylor pour negocier la liberation des casques bleus. - 10
mai. Alors que des milliers de refugies continuaient a affluer a
Freetown, les casques bleus, aides par des parachutistes
britanniques, se preparent a defendre la ville. Cependant, une
coalition de forces loyalistes composee de guerriers traditionnels
et de soldats de l'armee sierra-leonaise a reussi dans la soiree a
repousser les rebelles du RUF de Waterloo (28 km de Freetown) a
Newton (36 km de la capitale).   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 11
mai 2000)

* Sierra Leone. Deteriorating situation  -  4 May: Foday Sankoh
warns the UN not to reinforce military positions near his
stronghold. "We don't want violence hear again. It's provocation.
You provoke the man, you make a big mistake". At the same time, he
orders his fighters to free dozens of UN peacekeepers seized during
a dispute over disarmament which cost the lives of at least seven
Kenyan UN soldiers. The UN calls for more UN troops to be sent to
Sierra Leone. 5 May: Rebels have captured a 208-strong contingent
of Zambian peacekeepers sent to reinforce the Kenyan battalion that
came under attack earlier this week, and may be using 13 stolen
armoured personnel carriers for their own operations. The UN says
that with the detention of the Zambian troops on their way to the
central town of Makeni, and the taking of 24 other UN personnel
near Kailahoun in the east, the total number of UN peacekeepers and
staff being held hostage has risen to 318. A team of British
military experts is due to arrive in Sierra Leone tomorrow to
advise the embattled UN force. 6 May: The 15-strong "technical
assistance" team from Britain arrives in Sierra Leone. The UN
sparks panic in Freetown when it announces its troops have clashed
with the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels outside Freetown.
It later withdraws its report, blaming "inaccurate information" for
the mistake. The UN also says contact has been lost with another
200 of its soldiers. Sources have said that the RUF procured at
least five large planeloads of weapons from the former Soviet bloc
through Burkina Faso in 1998 and 1999. 7 May: From the town of
Lunsar, 80 km northeast of Freetown, RUF rebels attack UN forces.
The Independent reporter in Sierra Leone says that the small town
of Rogberi in central Sierra Leone is in ruins after fighting at
the weekend. Zambia's Defence Minister says the Zambian
peacekeepers captured by Sierra Leonean rebels were "lured into a
trap". 8 May: A battalion of 700 British paratroopers has flown
into Sierra Leone as the rapidly deteriorating situation persuades
the British government to advise all Britons with no essential
reason to remain, to leave the country. A British helicopter
carrier, a frigate and three support ships are also being
dispatched. The paratroopers immediately begin the operation to
airlift British and other foreign nationals from Freetown. The
rebel advance towards Freetown has been halted after talks with UN
officials. The rebel commander, General Issa, says he has ordered
his troops to withdrawn to Makeni, 140 km east of Freetown.
Witnesses say at least four people died after bodyguards protecting
the home of RUF leader, Foday Sankoh, open fire on thousands of
protestors, marching to demand Mr Sankoh respect the 1999 Lome
peace accord. Sankoh's home is looted during the course of the
afternoon. The press agency MISNA reports that Foday Sankoh is now
(9 May) in a military base in Freetown. After the fight outside Mr
Sankoh's house, truckloads of Major Johnny Paul Koroma's men could
be seen heading towards the property. In recent days, he has been
on the radio ordering his soldiers to gather in specific spots to
help protect Freetown against RUF soldiers. Nigeria is said to be
considering sending about 1,600 soldiers to back up government
forces. The Nigerians will not be UN peacekeepers but will operate
under their own flag. The WFP announces the suspension of emergency
humanitarian assistance to needy people in most parts of Sierra
Leone. 8-9 May: Gangs of guntoting fighters cruise the streets of
Freetown during the night, and the roads are jammed with refugees
and soldiers. 9 May: Fighting between government and rebel forces
prompts thousands of people to flee towards Freetown. The rebels
have taken control of the strategic town of Masiaka. The Presidents
of Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria and Togo, plus ministers
from Burkina Faso, Ghana and Liberia, meet in Abuja, Nigeria, and
warn they are prepared to use military force to prevent any attempt
to seize power in Sierra Leone. They call for a defence ministers'
meeting for 17 May in Abuja. The UN says some of its difficulties
in Sierra Leone are due to the fact that it is being asked to carry
out peacekeeping missions on a shoestring budget. The Independent
(UK) reports that the people of Freetown watch in anger and sadness
as the foreign nationals in their midst, are plucked to safety.
"They are left to observe a peace plan that is unravelling, and an
inept United Nations force that is rarely seen outside its
fortified compounds", says the paper. 10 May: Pro-government troops
are reported to have recaptured a strategically important town. The
RUF captured Masiaka on the night of 8 May sparking the refugee
exodus. The development comes as thousands of refugees flee from
rural areas to Freetown, to escape a reported rebel advance towards
the city. Sierra Leonean government hopes that British troops would
bolster its defences have ben dashed by the UK defence secretary.
Army chief. Johnny Paul Koroma told a private radio station that
his troops has recaptures Masiaka. The UN pledges that Freetown
will not be abandoned to the RUF. The lack of news about the fate
of RUF leader Foday Sankoh, is a matter of grave concern. The fear
of many people is that he escaped back into the bush after the
attack on his Freetown home. Also, speculation is rife that he was
whisked away by UN forces to their headquarters. The UN denies
this. The MISNA press agency reported a senior political source as
saying Mr Sankoh was being held at defence headquarters in Freetown
for his own protection. The Deputy Defence Minister denies this.
Nigeria says it and not the UN should command West African troops
if they are sent back to Sierra Leone. 11 May: Senior British
ministers are expected to hold a crisis meeting today to confront
the dilemma Britain faces: getting involved in war that cannot be
won, or suffering the opprobrium that will come if UN peacekeepers
are left in the lurch by British paratroopers. The most likely
outcome is the paras will continue to hold Lungi Airport outside
Freetown, awaiting the arrival of reinforcements for the UN force
(mainly from India, Jordan and Bangladesh). Canada has committed
itself to ferrying the extra soldiers to Freetown.   (ANB-BIA,
Brussels, 11 May 2000)

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