Symbolic bonfire marks end of UN-assisted disarmament process in Sierra Leone

A symbolic weapons burning ceremony in Sierra Leone today marked the end of the disarmament process, an event that was welcomed by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan who called for continued support by the international community for the country's reconciliation efforts.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sierra Leone, Oluyemi Adeniji, and several West African Heads of State and Government were on hand in Lungi, where a bonfire of weapons and ammunition marked the completion of the process. Nearly 3,000 small arms and light weapons collected in the disarmament process were torched in a bonfire lit by Sierra Leone's President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah and Ghanaian President John Kufuor.

Mr. Adeniji lauded the work of all those who had contributed to the effort, which resulted in the disarming of some 46,500 combatants. "While this day symbolizes an end it also symbolizes a beginning," he said. "With the completion of disarmament the reintegration phase will now begin."

The Special Representative emphasized the importance of the reintegration programme for former soldiers and again appealed for international financial support for that task. "The gravity of a failed reintegration programme cannot be overemphasized," he warned.

In New York, a spokesman for the Secretary-General said in a statement Mr. Annan "welcomes the formal completion of the disarmament process in Sierra Leone."

Looking to the country's future challenges, the Secretary-General noted that "the forthcoming parliamentary and presidential elections in May 2002, the extension of the State authority throughout the country, the restoration of ex-combatants, the restoration of Government's control over natural resources, and the resettlement of returning refugees and internally displaced persons, as well as forgoing national reconciliation, remain crucial tasks for the peace process, which also require generous support from the international community."

Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today said it would start repatriating Sierra Leonean refugees from camps in Liberia next week. The plan follows a spate of recent spontaneous returns and repeated requests from refugees for UNHCR help in going back home. It will be the first UNHCR-assisted return from Liberia since the war erupted in Sierra Leone a decade ago. Many refugees are keen to repatriate so they can vote in the May elections, the agency said.