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Liberia Rejects Use of Territory by S. Leone's Rebel Delegation
The Liberian government has rejected a request from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for use of its territory to convey a delegation of Sierra Leonean rebels to a meeting in Bamako, Mali, according to reports reaching Lagos on Wednesday from Liberia's capital Monrovia.
The Liberian government rejected the request a few weeks ago because the country has "disengaged the Revolution United Front (RUF) and from the Sierra Leonean peace process," a Liberian foreign ministry official was quoted as saying.
"It was a difficult decision for us considering the level of collaboration we have with ECOWAS; but normally when we accept these kinds of requests, we get burnt," the official said.
The Bamako meeting was focused on demobilization and disarmament of the rebel RUF, which has been engaging war in Sierra Leone for nearly 10 years now.
Liberia has been accused of lending support to the Sierra Leonean rebels, leading the country to the brink of facing sanctions from the U.N. Security Council.
As part of the efforts to avert the U.N. sanctions, Liberia has announced a policy of disengagement with the RUF and from the Sierra Leonean peace process, including expelling all individuals connected with the RUF from Liberia.
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