Sierra Leone
Aktuelle Einsätze
UNIPSIL
United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UN-Peacebuilding)
Beginn: 10/08
Link zum Einsatz
Security Council extends UN mission and slows troop withdrawal (30.03.2004)
(Quelle: UN News) Extending the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) by another six months, the Security Council today endorsed plans to scale down the size of its peacekeeping force to a residual presence next year to give Government forces time to assert control over the country. … The Council also resolved that a reduced UNAMSIL presence should stay on in Sierra Leone for at least six months starting 1 January, to help with the smooth transition of authority over security to the national government.
Annan proposes keeping residual UN force in Sierra Leone until end of 2005 (24.03.2004)
(Quelle: UN News) United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has proposed leaving a residual UN peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone until December 2005 to ensure a smooth transfer of security responsibilities to the national government. … The proposal will also facilitate the work of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, according to the report, which notes that some members of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces have become disaffected by poor conditions of service and still support Johnny Paul Koroma, an indicted former military leader.
UNAMSIL drawdown: too soon for Sierra Leone to stand alone (15.03.2004)
(Quelle: Reliefweb) In a few days, the United Nations Security Council will make a critical decision for Sierra Leone … . The UN must determine if the Government of Sierra Leone (GOSL) is capable of protecting its citizens without assistance from the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL). Refugees International believes that a complete withdrawal of UNAMSIL forces in December 2004 would risk a return to conflict. … UNAMSIL is currently in Stage 3 of its downsizing plan.
War crimes court opens (10.03.2004)
(Quelle: BBC) The UN-backed war crimes tribunal in Sierra Leone has opened its new courthouse to try people involved in one of Africa's bloodiest civil wars. … The opening ceremony took place amid tight security. Soldiers from the UN peace keeping force that helped end the war three years ago patrolled the court compound, while armed Sierra Leonean police kept watch from rooftops around the perimeter.
War crimes investigators begin searching Taylor’s properties (08.03.2004)
(Quelle: Irinnews) The UN-backed Special Court set up to try those considered most responsible for war crimes in Sierra Leone has begun carrying out investigations in Liberia: a team of investigators began searching residences of ex-president Charles Taylor on Friday. … Taylor is currently in exile in Nigeria. There have been no moves to date by the Nigerian authorities to hand him over to the Special Court in Sierra Leone.
ECOWAS seeks retention of UN troops (29.02.2004)
(Quelle: AngolaPress) ECOWAS Defence Chiefs Friday called for the retention of some UN peacekeepers after the end in December of the mandate of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), to avoid a resurgence of hostilities. … A communiqué read by the Commission`s chair, General Seth Obeng suggested that 4,000 of the UNAMSIL troops should be retained until the conclusion of the Disarmament, Demobilisation, Reintegration and Rehabilitation (DDRR) process in neighbouring Liberia.
War Crimes Court to Open March 10 (20.02.2004)
(Quelle: Vanguard) The UN-backed war crimes court for Sierra Leone will open its doors March 10 ahead of trials of nine defendants in custody for alleged crimes against humanity during the West African state’s decade-long rebel war, officials said yesterday. The court will hold special sessions in early March for the prosecution and defense to present a status report of their pre-trial preparations to the judges, who will then fix a date for trials, court spokeswoman, Alison Cooper told local radio. Observers say trials are likely to commence in late March or early April.
UN Says Pullback from Sierra Leone "On Course" (17.02.2004)
(Quelle: Reliefweb) The pullback of UN peacekeepers from war-torn Sierra Leone after a four-year mission in the west African state is proceeding 'on course as planned,' a mission spokesman said Tuesday. … The force size will be reduced to 10,200 in June, right after municipal elections set for May 22 that will be the first local polls in Sierra Leone in three decades.
UN Assessment Team Maps out Drawdown of Mission (12.02.2004)
(Quelle: Reliefweb) An assessment team is in Sierra Leone evaluating the benchmarks for the reduction of the United Nations mission (UNAMSIL) in the country by the end of the year in the increasingly stable security situation there after a decade of conflict. The team will make a comprehensive assessment of the security sector and identify major gaps that the mission may have no time to fill by 31 December. It may suggest a post-mission team to complete those tasks.
200 Nigerian UN peacekeepers return home from Sierra Leone (11.02.2004)
(Quelle: Reliefweb) Some 200 Nigerian soldiers serving on the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) have returned home, an army spokesman said Wednesday. UNAMSIL has been on the ground since 2001, helping to restore peace and stability to the diamond-rich country devastated by a decade-long rebel war that killed more than 200,000 people and left thousands more mutilated.
Peace-Keeping Contingent Ready for Sierra Leone, Liberia (10.02.2004)
(Quelle: allAfrica) A contingent of over sixty members of the Gambia Police Force are currently on stand-by, awaiting signals from the United Nations in New York to embark on a peace-keeping mission in Liberia and Sierra Leone. The contingent, whose members have already undergone the required tests in various areas related to their UN mission, were tested by the U.N experts in driving, writing, oral communication and firing techniques to enable them carry out their mission effectively in both Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Disarmament and Rehabilitation Completed after Five Years (04.02.2004)
(Quelle: Irinnews) Sierra Leone this week completed a five-year programme to disarm and rehabilitate more than 70,000 combatants who took part in the country's brutal civil war. President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah wound up the process by officially disolving the National Committee for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (NCDDR) at a ceremony on Tuesday. Reading his last report, Francis Kaikai, Executive Secretary of the NCDDR, said that after disarming 72,490 fighters and demobilizing 71,043, including 6,845 child soldiers, he was 'no longer aware of any illegal armed groups posing a threat to the state of Sierra Leone.'
UN to Assess Security Before Scaling Down Mission (19.01.2004)
(Quelle: Reliefweb) A UN team is expected in Sierra Leone early in February to begin a security assessment before scaling down the four-year peacekeeping mission to the west African state, state radio reported Monday. … UN special envoy Daudi Mwakawago met Saturday with President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah to discuss the graduated withdrawal of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), which is expected to begin in June.
CIVPOL Begins Three-Day Induction Course (19.01.2004)
(Quelle: UNAMSIL) The Civilian Police (CIVPOL) of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) today began a three-day induction course for 31 police officers from 14 commonwealth countries.
New UN Envoy Pledges to Consolidate Peace Efforts (13.01.2004)
(Quelle: Reliefweb) The new senior United Nations envoy to Sierra Leone has arrived in Freetown pledging to consolidate peace in the country as he takes over the reins of the UN operation there (UNAMSIL). 'With team work, we can pull together and ensure the mission given to us by the international community is accomplished,' Ambassador Daudi Ngelautwa Mwakawago of Tanzania, who was appointed to the position last month, told reporters yesterday.
Sierra Leone's DDR Secretariat to End Operations (11.01.2004)
(Quelle: Reliefweb) Sierra Leone's National Commission for Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) has begun winding down its operations, according to DDR Information Officer Sheik Bakar Kamara. Kamara said the DDR had finished its mandate and was now phasing out its operations after succeeding in achieving its basic tasks. These were to disarm combatants, reintegrate them and make the nation free of arms, he added.
UNAMSIL Tightens Border Security (15.12.2003)
(Quelle: UN-News) The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) has stepped up around-the-clock air, land and river patrols along the West African country's borders with Guinea and Liberia to prevent illegal infiltration resulting from efforts to disarm former combatants in Liberia's civil wars.
Taylor Makes Interpol Most Wanted List (04.12.2003)
(Quelle: BBC World) International police body Interpol has issued a global notice for the arrest of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, currently in exile in Nigeria. Mr Taylor has been indicted for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity by a UN-backed court in Sierra Leone. Nigeria has announced it will not arrest Mr Taylor on the basis of the notice, describing it as 'political'.
New UN Envoy Named (01.12.2003)
(Quelle: UN-News) United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today appointed senior Tanzanian official Daudi Ngelautwa Mwakawago his new Special Representative for Sierra Leone, succeeding Oluyemi Adeniji, who recently became Nigeria's Foreign Minister. Mr. Mwakawago was Tanzania's Permanent Representative to the UN from 1994 to 2003, after having held ministerial positions in his government.
UN Applauds Progress (05.11.2003)
(Quelle: UN-News) Post-conflict Sierra Leone has made substantial progress in observing human rights and the United Nations mission is preparing to leave the country at the end of 2004, if certain benchmarks are met, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR).
Special Court Appeals Chamber to Hold First Hearing (30.10.2003)
(Quelle: UN-News) A panel of judges, led by the court's President, Geoffrey Robertson, will hear arguments by lawyers for President Taylor that his indictment is invalid because he was a Head of State and therefore immune from prosecution. … Counsel for former Sierra Leonean Internal Affairs Minister Sam Hinga Norman will argue that he cannot be charged with recruiting child soldiers because that is not an offence under international law, according to the court.
Key Prosecution Witnesses to Seek Shelter in Canada (23.10.2003)
(Quelle: Globe and Mail) The United Nations is asking Canada to take in and protect some of the most important prosecution witnesses in the coming war-crimes trials in Sierra Leone. … David Crane, the UN's chief prosecutor, said the most vulnerable witnesses are insiders who have been granted immunity and will testify against the most senior figures in a vast 'diamonds, guns and money' criminal conspiracy.
Local, UN Forces Hold Joint Border Operations (21.10.2003)
(Quelle: UN-News) Troops from UNAMSIL have launched a joint border operation with local police and air force units, designed to increase security in the frontier with Liberia, and to enhance Sierra Leone’s armed forces’ capabilities. … “Operation Vigilance Blue will increase UNAMSIL forces and the national security agencies’ presence along the border with Liberia, thereby preventing potential infiltrations of Liberian combatants into Sierra Leone,” the Mission said.
Militia Commander Charged with Crimes against Humanity (17.09.2003)
(Quelle: BBC World) The international war crimes court for Sierra Leone has said it is holding a former junta commander, Santigie Kanu. … Mr Kanu was handed over to the international court in Freetown by local authorities, who had earlier detained him on separate charges of treason.
UNAMSIL to be Extended (16.09.2003)
(Quelle: UN-News) Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended that the mandate of the United Nations mission in Sierra Leone be extended a further six months, given the need to continue the gradual drawdown of the UN peacekeeping force without jeopardizing the security situation, which has 'remained generally stable.' … The Secretary-General stresses, however, that serious challenges remain despite these encouraging developments.
Army to Be Downsized (12.08.2003)
(Quelle: allAfrica) Defence Ministry has declared a restructuring of the army, which will affect many. The head of the restructuring team Brigadier A.C Nelson-Williams said … the current strength of the army now is 13,800 and would be reduced to 10,000.
Kabbah Talks about Role during Civil War (06.08.2003)
(Quelle: BBC World) The President of Sierra Leone, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, has told the country's truth and reconciliation commission that he had no say over the operations of pro-government militias during Sierra Leone's brutal civil war. … Mr Kabbah's former interior minister, Hinga Norman, has been detained by the UN-backed war crimes court and is awaiting trial for the atrocities committed by the militias while he was the head of CDF (Civil Defence Force).
Tod eines Massenmörders (30.07.2003)
(Quelle: NZZ) Sankoh war mitverantwortlich für einen der grausamsten Guerillakriege Afrikas. Das von der Uno unterstützte Sondertribunal für Sierra Leone klagte ihn deshalb wegen Kriegsverbrechen und Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit an.
Reactions to the Death of Foday Sankoh (30.07.2003)
(Quelle: Sierra Leone News) Foday Saybana Sankoh, the once-feared rebel leader who plunged his country into a decade of brutal civil war, died in hospital late Tuesday of natural causes. He was 65. Sankoh had been in detention since May 2000, after his bodyguards opened fire on a crowd of protesters outside his Freetown home.
Special Court keeps Foday Sankoh and Alex Tamba Brima in Jail (23.07.2003)
(Quelle: Irinnews) Judge Benjamin Itoe of Cameroon dismissed as 'unwarranted and without substance' a request by Sankoh's lawyers for a 'stay of proceedings' against the former leader of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebel movement until the Court had completed a full psychiatric and physiological examination of the accused. He also rejected an application for bail by Brima, who served on the military junta headed by Johnny Paul Koroma, which ruled Sierra Leone from 1997 until its removal by an international intervention force in 1998.