YouSaid · the spoken record

Miyet

lines on the record

120

first

1998-12-18

most recent

2000-08-15

sittings or episodes

5

sources

un-security-council

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1. “This money is supposed to address some of the immediate needs of ex- combatants. On 6 December, a "pre-discharge orientation" programme began in the Lungi camp and was received enthusiastically by the ex-combatants. In this regard, it would be important to find ways and means of keeping the period of encampment as short as possible and to expedite the preparations for the reintegration of ex-combatants. (spoke in French) I should now like to turn to some causes for concern which still remain. The Secretary-General in his report has described a number of causes of concern for the future. The security situation in the country remains volatile, although in recent days the situation has seemed to stabilize somewhat. In early October, the RUF moved several hundred fighters from Kailahun to Makeni, which had been under joint RUF/AFRC control.”

   1999-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4078 (1999) · source

2. “The estimated large numbers of ex-combatants and the complex nature of the programme's management require continuous and close coordination between the Government and the various national and international actors to ensure that the programme can be implemented promptly and without any disruptions to stability in the country. The United Nations stands ready to assume its role in this regard. UNAMSIL has been instructed to assist the Government of Sierra Leone in preparing plans for the destruction of weapons surrendered by ex-combatants. After a period of unrest, the situation in the Lungi and Port Loko disarmament camps is now relatively quiet. In the last few days, the National Commission for the disarmament process has disbursed about $25 to each of 500 ex-combatants in the Lungi camp.”

   1999-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4078 (1999) · source

3. “Johnny Paul Koroma, 158 ex-Sierra Leone Army combatants, including 77 child soldiers, reported for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration in the Occra Hills area. Last week, Koroma visited Kabala and encouraged the AFRC fighters there to lay down their arms. This week, Mr. Sankoh did the same in Fadugu. But we have to note that despite these appeals, the response up to now has been very slow. To summarize, almost 5,000, or over 10 per cent of an estimated 45,000 combatants, are now taking part in the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme. However, the various armed groups have yet to provide detailed information on the strength of their military forces. At the same time, the disarmament process is difficult and will require a concerted effort as well as vigilance by all involved.”

   1999-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4078 (1999) · source

4. “I would like now to turn to the programme of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of ex- combatants. That programme, which is supported by the British Department for International Development (DFID) and the World Bank, is now picking up steam. It is hoped that this momentum can be maintained. The Secretary- General has been in touch with the President of the World Bank, Mr. Wolfensohn, to discuss means to improve the interaction between the World Bank, UNAMSIL and other stakeholders on the ground. As a result of public appeals by Mr. Foday Sankoh, a significant number of ex-RUF combatants have come forward to join the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme. Similarly, on 1 December, after an appeal by Mr.”

   1999-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4078 (1999) · source

5. “The rebels are now part of the Government and share in the responsibility for moving the country forward on the road to peace, reconciliation and development. Another positive development is the registration of the RUF as a political party on 22 November, now called the Revolutionary United Front Party (RUFP). However, the party still has to adopt its statutes and set up office. It is hoped that the RUF will give priority to transforming its military structures into a purely political party. Such efforts would be deserving of support and encouragement by the international community. After a long delay, the RUF and the AFRC have now also appointed their representatives to the Joint Monitoring Commission (JMC) and the Ceasefire Monitoring Commission (CMC). The first joint meeting of the JMC and the CMC was held on 7 December.”

   1999-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4078 (1999) · source

6. “Mr. Miyet: At your request, I should like to introduce to the members of the Security Council the first report on the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), which is contained in document S/ 1999/ 1223 and which was issued on 6 December this year. I should also like to update the Council on relevant developments that have occurred since the preparation of the report. As described in the report, progress has undoubtedly been made in the implementation Lome Peace Agreement of 7 July 1999. On the political level, a Government of National Unity, comprising members of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), was sworn in on 2 November.”

   1999-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4078 (1999) · source

7. “In Sierra Leone, as with other missions in which we are involved where the risks are considerable, we are endeavouring, working closely with our representatives on the ground, to deal with developments.”

   1998-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3957 (1998) · source

8. “I should first like to say that this is daily concern for us; for the special representatives on the ground, the force commanders who are there observing and the heads of the military observers, it is a constant concern. New instructions were given two days ago to ensure that every step is taken to deal with the renewed rebel activity near Freetown. Of course, we are continuously reviewing the security situation at each of the sites where observers are deployed. As I said earlier, for security reasons not all the observers have been deployed yet - just 40 out of 70. Furthermore, it was decided two days ago that only air transport would be used, and when ECOMOG assures us that the safety of our personnel can be assured at the destinations.”

   1998-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3957 (1998) · source

9. “It is clear that we cannot send even an assessment team if there is no security provided, and we are not in a position to do that at this point. It must be clear that there are priorities at this point. The Secretary-General stated in a report in June 1998 that monitoring would improve the situation in the region. But I think that because of the difficulties on the ground, the security situation and ECOMOG's lack of means, the difficulty of trying to deploy people in the jungle - and it is a jungle - would create big difficulties. (spoke in French) A second issue was raised by the representative of the United States with regard to measures taken to guarantee the safety of the observers.”

   1998-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3957 (1998) · source

10. “I should like to comment first on the points raised by Ambassador Dahlgren. I, too, want to thank him for the quality of his report and for his dedication. The question of joint border monitoring is one that we have certainly examined. As he said, these are essentially questions of security, and I would suggest that there is a role for the Sierra Leonean authorities and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) to play. For the time being, taking into account the difficulties and the means at the disposal of ECOMOG, it is clear that they do not have the capacity to deploy their troops along the borders. They are so actively engaged on other very difficult fronts that it would be difficult for them.”

    1998-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3957 (1998) · source

11. “On 30 July 1998, the Secretariat convened a Special Conference on Sierra Leone, in which pledges were made to support the Government and ECOMOG's efforts. The Conference was followed by a meeting of the Contact Group on Sierra Leone in London on 5 November. In Freetown, a Government working group, chaired by the Minister of Finance, Development and Economic Planning, Mr. James Jonah, is following up on the pledges and commitments made in order to ensure speedy disbursement. Taking all these elements into account, the Secretary-General, as can be seen from the report, is recommending that the Security Council extend the mandate of UNOMSIL by a further six months when its mandate expires on 13 January 1999.”

    1998-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3957 (1998) · source

12. “The report estimates that more than 300,000 people have now been displaced within the country since February 1998, an increase of nearly 60,000 since the second progress report. In the wake of recent fighting near Freetown, travel outside the capital for United Nations and humanitarian personnel is now conducted only by air and only to destinations where ECOMOG is present and confirms safety upon arrival. Yesterday, the 1999 consolidated inter-agency appeal for Sierra Leone was launched in Geneva in the amount of $28 million. The appeal was prepared by United Nations agencies, in consultation with Governments, national and international non- governmental organizations and donors, and comprises 29 projects ranging from immediate life-saving needs to longer-term projects to promote peace and sustainable socio-economic development.”

    1998-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3957 (1998) · source

13. “The human rights section of the report also describes a number of technical cooperation initiatives undertaken to improve domestic observance of human rights in Sierra Leone. In order to strengthen UNOMSIL's human rights capacity, the Secretary-General is planning to deploy a further five human rights officers to Sierra Leone. With regard to the humanitarian situation, the efforts of the humanitarian community to maintain access to populations in need, especially in the north and the east, have been disrupted further in the last few days by a spate of rebel attacks near Freetown, which has caused thousands of villagers to flee and has rendered the roads unsafe. There is general insecurity on the roads in all parts of the country.”

    1998-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3957 (1998) · source

14. “A total of 96 persons have now been tried in five separate trials in Freetown, of whom 77 have been sentenced to death. On 19 October the Government executed by firing squad 24 military officers who had been condemned to death by a court martial without the right of appeal. All the civilian convicts are now appealing the verdict or sentence, including the leader of the Revolutionary United Front, Corporal Foday Sankoh, who was found guilty of treason by the court on 23 October. On 16 November the Secretary-General wrote to President Kabbah, appealing to him to give every consideration, once the appeals process had been exhausted, to extending mercy to those who had been condemned to death.”

    1998-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3957 (1998) · source

15. “The Mission has also deployed five civilian police officers to advise the Government on the restructuring of the Sierra Leonean police force, which was widely discredited because of the links that it had previously established with the junta, and which is suffering from a severe shortage of the resources needed to carry out its task. In this context, the civilian police component of the Mission is working very closely with police officers deployed by the Commonwealth to work with the Government on specific projects. (spoke in English) I turn to the question of human rights. In addition to describing the human rights violations committed by the rebels, the human rights section of the Secretary-General's report also describes the treason trials conducted by the Government against civilian and military supporters of the junta now in custody.”

    1998-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3957 (1998) · source

16. “With regard to the Mission itself, the Security Council authorized the deployment of up to 70 military observers, as well as a medical unit of 15 people. We are endeavouring to bring this about, although it depends on the permanence of the security situation in the country and on the extent to which the Government is able to carry out its disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme. Since the security situation has not improved, and the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme has not progressed, only 40 military observers and the medical team have been deployed to date. The military observers are currently based in Freetown, Hastings, Lungi, Bo, Kenema and Makeni, where they are co-deployed with ECOMOG brigades.”

    1998-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3957 (1998) · source

17. “Despite this renewed military activity on the part of elements of the former junta, which repeats a familiar pattern, ECOMOG now states that the rebels have been repulsed and that the roads leading from the capital are now clear. There has also been a rise in tension in other parts of the country owing to rebel activity, especially in the north-east and east. As the Council is aware, part of the Mission's mandate is to assist the Government to carry out its programme to disarm, demobilize and reintegrate into civil society all Sierra Leonean fighters, including former members of the Republic of Sierra Leone Military Forces who had surrendered to ECOMOG. In view of the uncertain security situation, most of those former soldiers have now been reinducted to fight alongside ECOMOG and the Civil Defence Forces against the rebels.”

    1998-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3957 (1998) · source

18. “The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), and the Civil Defence Forces of Sierra Leone, which are assisting the Government in the restoration of law and order in the country, are currently overstretched and, as the report states, in great need of logistical support. Since the drafting of the report was completed a few days ago, new developments have taken place at the security level. Elements of the former junta in the north- west of the country have advanced southwards, attacking villages again, killing and mutilating civilians, looting and again destroying property. Thousands of people have been displaced or have fled to the capital, Freetown, for safety.”

    1998-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3957 (1998) · source

19. “It also describes the humanitarian aspects of issues relating to human rights and to the civilian police component of the Mission and submits the Secretary-General's recommendations on future activities for the Mission. With regard to the military and security situation in the country, in general, as noted in the report, the Government of Sierra Leone has continued to consolidate its political authority during the period under review. The military and security situation, however, continues to be extremely volatile and unpredictable because of the persistent resistance of elements of the former military junta, which are especially active in the east and north of the country.”

    1998-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3957 (1998) · source

20. “Mr. Miyet (Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations) (interpretation from French): It is a great honour for me to set this precedent in the Security Council of being able to speak to members from a seat that is not customarily mine. If possible I shall nonetheless endeavour to provide the Council with the same quality of information as in the past. The third progress report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL) has just been issued in document S/1998/1176, in accordance with resolution 1181 (1998), which established the United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone in July 1998. The report under consideration describes the political, military and security developments in the country since the second progress report was issued on 16 October 1998.”

    1998-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3957 (1998) · source