Sierra Leone: head of UN mission regrets rebel boycott of tripartite meeting

The head of the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Sierra Leone has expressed regret that the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) today boycotted a meeting with the UN and the Sierra Leonean Government.

Oluyemi Adeniji, who heads the UN Mission (UNAMSIL), deplored the fact that the meeting could not take place and that efforts to locate the RUF leadership in Makeni had proven unsuccessful. He said he hoped the RUF's non-attendance was "not an indication of what the future holds," but rather "a hiccup" in the peace process.

The RUF submitted a letter to the UN Mission explaining its reasons for not attending, including reported ceasefire violations by the pro-government Civil Defence Forces (CDF) and a demand that no meeting with the Government of Sierra Leone take place without the participation of civil society representatives.