Security Council urged to consider authorizing stabilization force for Liberia - new report

The report of the United Nations Security Council's recent special mission to West Africa - carried out at a time when the stability of the sub-region appeared "particularly precarious"- recommends that the 15-nation body urgently consider authorizing an international stabilization force to quell the violence in Liberia.

Warning that the volatile situation in Liberia could deteriorate into a massive humanitarian catastrophe, Secretary-General Kofi Annan late last month urged the Security Council to mandate the deployment of a multinational force to the West African nation. At that time, the Council decided to postpone any decision until hearing the report of the mission.

The report was released at UN Headquarters in New York today as the mission's leader, Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock of the United Kingdom, and Ambassador Adolfo Aguilar Zinser of Mexico, briefed an open meeting of the Council on the 26 June to 5 July trip, which included stops in Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, Ghana, and Cote d'Ivoire.

The mission had been scheduled to visit Liberia, but because of the intensifying conflict in the country - particularly in the capital Monrovia where fighting in the streets had left hundreds of civilians dead - it travelled instead to Accra, Ghana, where parties to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) - led Liberian peace talks had been gathered since 4 June. On 27 June, spiralling violence in and around Monrovia, violating a 17 June ceasefire, forced the ECOWAS to suspend the talks until 4 July.

The report urges the Council to consider the deployment of a stabilization force on the basis of current ECOWAS plans - including that it be led by a State outside the region and be comprised of over 5,000 troops. It notes that while any decision will inevitably be linked with progress in the political negotiations, "plans for deployment should be drawn up rapidly, since delay will risk renewed breakdowns of the ceasefire." It also says countries in a position to do so should consider rapidly providing financial and logistical support to ECOWAS and its member states to facilitate deployment of such a force.

Overall, the report notes that the Council mission heard a highly consistent message throughout its visit regarding the causes of conflict in the troubled sub-region, including widespread poverty, poor governance, the proliferation of small arms and cross-border mercenary activities. There was a clear need for international action to address these and other persistent problems, including treatment of refugees, use of child soldiers and humanitarian access issues - all of which had been frequently identified but were not yet being tackled with enough political resolve or resources.

Ambassador Greenstock reiterated that message in his oral briefing to the Council, stressing that that in spite of the considerable resolve displayed by West African Governments and ECOWAS, they had been constrained by limited resources. "West Africa can not be asked to sort out its problems without international funds and stronger links to the global community," he said.

For his part, Ambassador Zinser, who led the mission's first leg in Guinea Bissau, said the Council delegation had aimed to send a clear message - that the political process had to move forward. For Guinea Bissau, where conditions for peace and security were closely linked to the political process and economic development, that meant elections must be held soon, in order to ensure solid post-conflict reconstruction and progress. He announced that the mission had left the country with assurance that the elections would be held in October, and that assurance had shortly been followed by the Government's declaration that the ballot would be held on 12 October.

Video of Security Council meeting