United Nations - In a decision described as a test of its commitment to conflict resolution in Africa, the Security Council agreed on Monday to double the size of the UN force in Sierra Leone to 11 100 troops.
It also expanded the force's mandate to include such tasks as providing security at government buildings and airports, facilitating the free flow of people, goods and humanitarian aid, and helping guard and destroy weapons due to be surrendered by an estimated 45 000 former combatants.
The difficulties the force faces were highlighted by a report that some of its soldiers had been ambushed by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and forced to hand over weapons and vehicles.
As it grows from six infantry battalions to 12, the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (Unamsil) will take over from the 10 000-strong West African peacekeeping force Ecomog.
So far, Unamsil has deployed five battalions and 4 819 soldiers.
Almost half are Nigerian, Ghanaian and Guinean units redeploymet from Ecomog in blue UN berets.
India has provided 1 442 troops and Kenya 843.
Ecomog ousted the rebel junta that ran Sierra Leone from May 1997 until February 1998, and reinstated President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah.
After repulsing new rebel attacks on the capital Freetown early last year, it was charged with helping to implement the July 7 peace agreement between Kabbah's government and the RUF, led by Foday Sankoh.
The agreement, signed in Lome, capital of Togo, paved the way for the RUF and another rebel group, the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), to enter government.
The nine-year conflict in Sierra Leone was marked by appalling brutality. Rebels chopped off the limbs of civilians and kidnapped about 5 400 children, many of whom were forced into their ranks and deliberately mutilated or branded to prevent them changing sides.
In unanimously approving Resolution 1289, the 15 council members gave Unamsil authority to use force if necessary to carry out those tasks and to protect civilians "under imminent threat of physical violence".
The assistant secretary general for operations in the department of peacekeeping, Hedi Annabi, told the council that contingent commanders had been instructed "to apply Unamsil's rules of engagement resolutely."
The Washington Post reported that Kenyan and Guinean troops surrendered 110 assault rifles, several rocket-propelled grenade launchers, four armoured personnel carriers, communications equipment and other equipment.
The alternate US representative to the United Nations, Nancy Soderberg, told the council this placed UN troops "in the bizarre situation of being disarmed by rebels, rather than the reverse."
The United States was "alarmed by these reports," she said, and called on Sankoh and the AFRC leaders "to bring an immediate halt to these dangerous and reprehensible actions."
Annabi said that as of Thursday only 7 616 of the estimated 45 000 former combatants in Sierra Leone had disarmed as required by the Lome agreement.
The British ambassador Jeremy Greenstock, said that in addition to troops, Unamsil required another 23 million dollars to finance the disarmament and demobilization programme.
Without this, he said, "the vast effort and expenditure involved in mounting this 11 000-strong UN force will be wasted."
Greenstock, the sponsor of Resolution 1289, said the implications of an expanded Unamsil extended to other parts of Africa, notably to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which he said was "the litmus test" of the UN's readiness to take decisive action in Africa.
If the UN were not seen to act successfully in Sierra Leone, he told the council, it would have scant chance of persuading others that it had "the capacity and will to play a useful part in DRCongo."
At full strength, Unamsil will be the United Nations' largest current peacekeeping operation, eclipsing the 9 150-strong contingent which is replacing the Australian-led international force in East Timor.
Annabi said "we expect another two battalions from Nigeria" and added "we have had offers from four other countries which are waiting for the adoption of the resolution before they confirm their offers." - Sapa-AFP