Unmil Strength Under Test As Fighters Go On the Rampage; New Disarmament
Schedule Released

The NEWS (Monrovia)
NEWS
December 10, 2003
Posted to the web December 11, 2003

By Stanley Mcgill
Monrovia
The strength of the United Nations Mission in Liberia(UNMIL), and the
popularity of the UN Secretary General Special Representative Jacques Paul
Klein are being tested by fighters of the Government of exiled President
Charles Taylor since the disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and
reintegration(DDRR) began on December 7, 2003.
The fighters went amok Sunday, the first day of the disarmament at the
cantonment site in Camp Schieffelin when they claimed that the United Nations
had failed to make available their incentives in keeping with the DDRR program
package.
The disgruntled fighters took to the main highway leading from Monrovia to the
disarmament site, brandishing assault riffles, shooting in the air,
commandeering vehicles and looting valuables from ordinary citizens and even in
some cases extorted monies from the UNMIL soldiers.
As the incident unfolded, UNMIL soldiers sat by and watched the armed militias
carried out their lawlessness without any action.
The situation continued until Monday morning with the fighters placing
roadblocks along the main highway leading to the DDRR site in Scheiffelin,
about 35 miles from Monrovia.
For the third day running, the fighters took to the streets of Monrovia and its
suburbs Tuesday, demanding that they be given their DDRR package promised them
by the UN.
There were sporadic shooting around Monrovia and its environs which resulted
into injuries of ordinary civilians.
At the UNMIL Headquarters in Sinkor, the fighters opened suppressive fire from
their automatic riffles as UN personnel into their compound for cover.
Hundreds of fighters crowded at the UNMIL Headquarters to await their
commanders who had gone there to negotiate with Ambassador Klein and other top
UN officials on the matter.
Instructions were passed to security at the main entrance that no UN vehicle
leave the compound for fear of being attacked by the angry fighters.
What obtained at the compound of the UN on Tuesday was virtually a confinement
as Ambassador Klein and other top UNMIL officials could not venture outside the
building.
The action of the UN left doubts on the minds of many Liberians as whether the
UNMIL has the capacity to bring the situation under control militarily in
keeping with Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter which brought the troops
into Liberia.
This Chapter requires that the UN use whatever available means to bring a
situation under control, that which threatens the peace and security of a given
event in the world.
Many who spoke with The NEWS wondered as to whether the "show of force" of the
disarmament ceremony which took place in Monrovia recently and spearheaded by
Ambassador Klein was just a big bluff.
Lots of people are also wondering whether the popularity of the tough-talking
UN envoy, Jacques Klein can be translated into action to bring the situation
under control.
The former GOL, MODEL and LURD have blamed the United Nations for not
adequately sensitizing the fighters on the process involve in the DDRR program
which has landed it to where it is today.
UNMIL Spokesman Corker rejected this claim and noted that sensitization took
place in Buchanan and other parts of the Country except for Tubmanburg where
LURD authorities refused to allow the program to take place.
Meanwhile, an emergency meeting to reach a common ground took place at the
UNMIL Headquarters in Monrovia on Tuesday morning with top former GOL
commanders, officials of the National Commission on Disarmament,
Demobilization, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (NCDDRR).
At the meeting were also the Chief of Staff of the former presidential elite
force (Anti Terrorist Unit) Gen. John Wennie, the Commander of GOL militias
Kuku Dennis, Strike Force Commander Adolphus Dolo, Navy Commander Roland Duo
and Defense Minister Daniel Chea.
At the close of the meeting, UNMIL issued a statement observing that there were
problems following the launching of the DDRR on Sunday, December 7, 2003.
UNMIL said it had initially established the cantonment site in Scheiffelin with
the capacity to hold 1,000 combatants, "but the influx of combatants well
exceeded the capacity of the camp and large numbers of combatants continue to
arrive for disarmament at the site."
UNMIL said it observed that "combatants have obstructed the disarmament process
by firing their weapons and threatening the security of the population inside
and outside the camp."
The UN said during the emergency meeting, the commanders agreed on key points
that it believes would move the process forward smoothly.
The former GOL commanders, according to UNMIL, agreed to disarm their fighters
by schedules to include Tuesday December 9, 2003, the 400 fighters who are
already disarmed and are at the cantonment site would receive US75.00 each.
On December 10, 2003, the Army Division of the former GOL will move to
Scheiffelin to disarm and receive US75.00;
December 11, 2003 would be the turn of ATU, Wild Geese, Jungle Fire, SOD, MOD
and the Special Operation Strike Force.
December 12, 2003, the Artillery and other units would disarm. The Navy and
Marine Divisions will disarm on December 15 and 16 respectively.
UNMIL noted that the intake of combatants will be a maximum of 400 per day from
9am to 430pm daily in a designated reception center separate from the
cantonment site.

   

  =============================================================================
   Copyright © 2003 The NEWS. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica
                         Global Media (allAfrica.com).
  =============================================================================