Progress is being made on security for West Africa, UN official reports

Appreciable progress has been made in addressing United Nations Security Council recommendations on strengthening security for four West African countries, but more remains to be done, a senior UN official said today.

Assistant-Secretary-General Tuliameni Kalomoh, addressing the Council on a report by Secretary-General Kofi Annan concerning Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Liberia and Sierra Leone, called for continued engagement in the region to build on the advances recorded so far.

He endorsed a proposal to expand the small UN mission in Côte d'Ivoire (MINUCI) into a full-fledged force with a one-year mandate.

French and West African ECOWAS peacekeeping forces have been keeping Government and Forces nouvelles fighting forces apart there in recent months.

Mr. Kalomoh said the peace process was stalled from September to early December while the Forces nouvelles protested against the procedure used to select ministers of the coalition government. But they had since returned to their posts, demonstrating commitment to the peace process.

The deployment of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) outside of the capital, Monrovia, "would no doubt help enhance the security conditions, thus opening up the country for humanitarian and other assistance to the vulnerable population," he said. He called on the international community to ensure the success of a donor conference on the reconstruction of Liberia to be held in New York early next month.

Concerning Sierra Leone, he urged measures to ensure that the planned withdrawal of the UN Mission (UNAMSIL) "takes into account the Government's ability to assume primary responsibility for national security." An assessment mission would go to Sierra Leone in February to see whether the UN should maintain a residual presence there, he told the debate, which saw the participation of some two dozen speakers.

He said the political process in Guinea-Bissau resumed after the short-lived military junta handed over power to a civilian transitional committee. Legislative elections were scheduled for March, to be followed by presidential elections in 2005. Financial resources were in place, he said, and a number of the country's development partners were providing assistance to tackle social and economic problems.

In Mr. Annan's report, made available last month, he said stability, good governance and economic development remained out of reach for the four countries because of the cross-border movements of foreign fighters, inadequate UN peacekeeping troop strength, the possible repatriation of ex-combatants and a lack of urgent financial assistance.

Mr. Annan would submit a report in the next few weeks on the core cross-border issues that were contributing so much to the instability of the region, Mr. Kalomoh said.

Video of the Council meeting [3hrs 10min]