Sierra Leone: Government and rebel group agree to restart disarmament process

Meeting under the auspices of the United Nations, the Government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) have agreed to immediately restart the process of disarming the rebel forces and the government-backed Civil Defence Force (CDF).

The agreement was reached on Tuesday during a meeting at the Freetown headquarters of the UN mission in the country (UNAMSIL), where the two parties laid out the timetable and modalities for the simultaneous disarmament of CDF and RUF combatants, which will begin on 18 May in the Kambia and Port Loko districts. The agreement also stipulated the release of all child combatants and abductees starting on 25 May.

According to a statement released at the end of the meeting, which was chaired by UNAMSIL chief Oluyemi Adeniji, the CDF and the RUF will be required to disclose, by location, the number of combatants and weapons in their possession and to communicate the information to UNAMSIL.

The Government and the RUF also proposed the establishment of a Trust Fund to support the reintegration of ex-combatants and agreed to open access to all identifiable government positions, including Sierra Leone Army and the Sierra Leone Police, for those eligible for recruitment.

The two parties further agreed to form joint sensitization teams to visit various parts of the country to educate the combatants about the decisions taken by the two sides, and to arrange for visits of joint teams to witness the disarmament process, starting in Kambia and Port Loko districts. In addition, agreement was reached to promote countrywide community reconciliation.

During the meeting, the RUF requested, as a confidence-building measure, the release of its members currently detained by the Government. The Government reaffirmed its commitment to consider the release of RUF detainees, especially in the light of progress being made in the peace process.

Earlier in the day, the CDF and the RUF had committed themselves in a joint communiqué to cease all hostilities and to instruct all of their combatants to desist from any hostile activity.