Chaos in Sierra Leone

If there’s a hell on earth, it must be Sierra Leone. What could be more horrific than rebel army leaders ordering child-soldiers to murder unarmed civilians, including family members? And what could be more disheartening than watching the United Nations peacekeeping mission disintegrate into chaos in the face of an army largely made up of children?

The notion of sending a peace-keeping force into Sierra Leone was sheer madness in the first place. There was never a peace to keep in this war-torn West African nation, only a tepid truce brought about when a Nigerian-led force — the Economic Community of West African States Cease-Fire Monitoring Group, dubbed ECOMOG — restored President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah to power in March 1998.

Kabbah was democratically elected in 1996, though his mandate was so thin as to be almost meaningless. Critics argued that it was folly to have an election when the country was at war, and when citizens living in disputed or rebel-held territory could not vote. As it turned out, less than 25% of the population cast ballots.

The two rebel groups — the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and the Revolutionary United Front (RUD) — responded by overthrowing Kabbah in May 1997. Their main goal was to consolidate control of the country’s rich diamond resources, which they set about plundering while unleashing a reign of terror on the civilian population.

The unrest continued even after Kabbah was restored to power, and, by early 1999, commerce was at a standstill. Thousands were killed, maimed or driven from their homes by bitter fighting between AFRC/RUF and ECOMOG troops. When ECOMOG quit the country a few weeks ago to allow the UN peacekeepers to enforce a UN-negotiated truce, violence flared again.

The truce means nothing to the rebels, who have refused to surrender their weapons. They are boldly stealing guns and equipment from the UN forces while taking hundreds of soldiers hostage — mere child’s play for a soul-dead army used to burning families alive in their homes, hacking off limbs and raping young girls. Not that Kabbah’s troops are angels either. His forces have been cited by humanitarian groups for indiscriminate killings and torture, and for recruiting child soldiers too.

Against this backdrop, and in light of recent UN fiascoes in Somalia and Rwanda, it isn’t surprising that the UN peacekeeping mission has been a disaster. A cobbled- together peace accord designed by diplomats holds no weight in this blood-soaked nation, which has endured a series of military regimes and rebellions since achieving independence from the British in 1961.

The key to peace in Sierra Leone lies in the very thing that has triggered violence and political turmoil since independence: the country’s natural resources. No rebel group can sustain itself without them. That is why reputable firms such as De Beers have refused to purchase diamonds from areas in Africa controlled by rebel forces.

In the past, both the government and commercial groups have secured control of these areas by employing mercenaries, often in exchange for lucrative contracts and mining concessions. The outcry from human interest groups has been fierce and the practice condemned. Unfortunately, this only served to give rebels unfettered access to the resources, and more money for more guns.

The leaders of West African nations are now putting their heads together to devise a solution to the Sierra Leone problem. We wish them success, but nothing will work unless the country’s natural resources are secured and defended — something the UN forces have neither the will nor the mandate to achieve. Only a real army with real guns can do the job; only then can those resources be used for the benefit of the people, not against them.

It is folly to think that peace will come to Sierra Leone through a peace accord negotiated by diplomats. This ravaged country needs a Winston Churchill, not a Neville Chamberlain willing to make deals with the devil. The rebels understand only force and, regrettably, will never be brought under control by other means.