Sierra Leone warring parties agree new truce

ABUJA, Nigeria (Reuters) -- Sierra Leone's government and rebels agreed on Friday a new cease-fire in their nine-year conflict, pledging to allow U.N. troops unhindered access throughout the West African country, officials said.

A spokesman for the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) said the cease-fire would come into effect on Saturday morning.

"We have agreed on all aspects of the cease-fire and the immediate return of all weapons seized by RUF from peacekeepers," spokesman Gibril Massaquoi told reporters after talks in the Nigerian capital Abuja.

Regional analysts cautioned, however, that it was too early to read too much into the agreement given that it was not entirely clear if the RUF leadership at the talks had real control over armed guerrillas in the bush.

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The RUF's founder and figurehead, Foday Sankoh , is detained at a secret location in Sierra Leone. His guerrillas kidnapped hundreds of U.N. peacekeepers in May and relaunched fighting that shattered a peace accord signed in Lome, Togo, in 1999.

The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) wants to revive that accord following the emergence of a new RUF leader, who was not at the talks.

The RUF's chief delegate Jonathan Kposowa told Reuters that the rebel side did not demand Sankoh's release as part of the new agreement.

"What our country needs most is a cease-fire. Once there is peace we can then discuss other issues," he said.

In fighting marked by brutality on all sides, the rebels are accused of some of the worst atrocities seen in any civil war in Africa, including hacking off the limbs of civilians suspected of supporting President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah.

Sierra Leone's state radio earlier announced the new cease-fire agreement, saying the government had noted the new RUF leadership's "commitment towards the restoration of peace."

A draft of the accord obtained by Reuters said both parties agreed "that UNAMSIL shall have full liberty to deploy its troops and other personnel throughout Sierra Leone, including the diamond producing areas."

The two parties further agreed to restart the disarmament of combatants, a key requirement of the Lome accord but which was derailed by the abductions of U.N. soldiers for weeks.

Past efforts at disarmament have been hampered by the lack of sufficient peacekeepers. The U.N. is currently trying to replace Indian troops, pulling out after a dispute with Nigerians, and Jordanians who are also leaving.

Former colonial power Britain, which has a naval force off Sierra Leone and more than 400 troops in a force training the government army, welcomed the accord cautiously.

Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said: "While this is a very positive development, we are not complacent. This is not the time to drop our guard. The RUF has a history of failing to live up to its commitments.

"The real proof of the rebels' commitment to peace will be whether they give up control over the diamond fields," he said. The Commonwealth also welcomed the cease-fire.

The government and rebels agreed to reconvene in 30 days to review the new cease-fire and move to implementing other aspects of the Lome pact, which involved a power-sharing deal.

The Abuja talks were the first formal meeting between the RUF and government since the breakdown of the Lome accord. The talks were held under the auspices of a mediation committee of the 16-nation Economic Community of West African States.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Government of Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone Civil Defence Force
UNAMSIL Mission in Sierra Leone

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