U.N. Needs More Troops in Sierra LeoneThe commander of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone, known as the UNAMSIL, said Thursday that he needs more troops on the ground to carry out its mandate, but he failed to say how many more troops are needed to monitor the peace process in the West African country.Major General Vijay Jeley, an Indian national, told reporters after he briefed a closed-door Security Council meeting that "we need more troops." "They (the Security Council members) didn't say how many more troops at the moment, because they are talking about moving (the peacekeeping troops into Sierra Leone) in a gradual manner," he said. The U.N. force commander was echoing the statement by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who recommended an increase of U.N. peacekeepers in Sierra Leone. In his latest report to the Security Council, Annan recommended Tuesday a six-month renewal of the UNAMSIL when its current mandate expires on August 7, and said it would have to be increased beyond its current authorized strength of 13,000 drawn from more than 30 countries. "I remain convinced that it will be necessary to further UNAMSIL to enable it to fulfill new tasks in Sierra Leone," Annan said, promising to submit proposals to the 15-nation council soon after assessing the political and military situation. A brutal eight-year civil war, financed by rebel sales of illicit diamonds and marked by widespread atrocities, was supposed to have ended with an accord signed in Lome, capital of Togo, in July 1999 that brought rebel leader Foday Sankoh into the coalition government. However, fighting broke out again in the war-torn country early this year and more than 500 U.N. peacekeepers were held hostage by the rebels, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) led by Sankoh, in May. Sankoh is currently under government custody in Freetown, capital of Sierra Leone. Jetley was briefing the Security Council on the current situation in Sierra Leone, which Jetley said is largely under the U.N. control. The Security Council met Thursday behind the closed doors also to discuss a draft resolution, which is expected to be adopted Friday. But the resolution will not touch on the increase the strength of the UNAMSIL, and it will approve Annan's recommendation to extend the mandate of the U.N. peacekeeping force in the West African country. |
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