Sierra Leone - Peacewatch - return of Pres. Ahmad Tejan Ahmad Kabbah to power

UN Chronicle, Summer, 1998 by Beatrice Grabish

On 10 March, the democratically-elected President of Sierra Leone, Ahmad Tejan Ahmad Kabbah, returned to Sierra Leone after the forces of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) ousted the illegal military junta from Freetown on 12 February.

At the ceremony to mark President Kabbah's return, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Ibrahima Fall delivered a message on behalf of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, stating that the President's return accomplished a major objective for the people of Sierra Leone, as well as for the United Nations, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), ECOWAS and the entire international community. The return of President Kabbah must be celebrated as a step that strengthened democracy and the rule of law in Africa, he said, reiterating the conviction that the will of the people must be the basis of governmental authority.

On 16 March, the Security Council also welcomed President Kabbah's return by unanimously adopting resolution 1156 (1998). Acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, the Council decided to terminate, with immediate effect, its prohibitions on the sale or supply to Sierra Leone of petroleum and petroleum products, as stated in its resolution 1132 (1997) of 8 October 1997. It decided to review the other prohibitions it had imposed on the country.

On 17 April, the Council again took up the situation in Sierra Leone. Adopting unanimously resolution 1162 (1998), the Council authorized the deployment, with immediate effect, of up to 10 United Nations military and security advisory personnel to Sierra Leone, for up to 90 days, to perform a range of functions, including reporting on the military situation in the country.

The Council had responded to the Secretary-General's report of 18 March in which he called for the expeditious provision of humanitarian assistance because of the urgent needs of the population for food, medical care and shelter as a result of the recent fighting and abuses of junta rule. Member States were called on to contribute generously to the United Nations Trust Fund for Sierra Leone, and were urged to provide generous assistance to ECOMOG to enable it to meet its logistical requirements and fulfil its mandate. The Secretary-General stated that the past year's events in Sierra Leone carried a warning that similar crises might arise and challenge the international community. While stressing that "democracy may have deep roots in Sierra Leone", he cautioned that "it is a fragile plant and must be nurtured".