Women, Peace and Security

The Regional Dimension of Statebuilding Interventions

“…66 However, despite wide-ranging concessions in the peace accord, the RUF did not commit itself to disarmament and eventually turned against UN forces in May 2000. 67 As a reaction, UNAMSIL was transformed into a strong statebuilding intervention. With a mandate to deploy up to 17,500 troops, its goal was '[..] to assist the efforts of the Government of Sierra Leone to extend its authority, restore law and order and stabilize the situation progressively throughout the entire country, and to assist in the promotion of a political process which should lead to a renewed disarmament, demobilization and reintegration program and the holding, in due course, of free and fair elections'.…”

“…Already during the formation stages of UNAMSIL, Nigeria had tried to convince the UN that Taylor's supplies were crucial for the RUF. 79 In July 2000, the UN put a ban on trade with diamonds from Sierra Leone. More importantly, in March 2001 it also placed an embargo on Liberia, thereby diminishing the ability of the Taylor regime to deal with diamonds sold by the RUF.…”

“…Despite the strong international troop presence in the country, the RUF held onto the territories in the Kailahun and Kono districts that had been its long-term powerbase. 87 However, in contrast to prior ceasefires, this time the RUF had to deal with decreasing supplies and, thus could not rebuild its capacities. 88 During this period, a concerted offensive by Guinean forces and Sierra Leonean militias pushed RUF fighters out of the Western Kambia district, 89 while the UN and local militias increasingly took control of the Eastern districts.…”

The Regional Dimension of Statebuilding Interventions

“…91 In May 2001, the rebel leadership met with representatives of Sierra Leone, the UN and ECOWAS to sign the Abuja Agreement II. 92 In contrast to all preceding peace treaties signed by the RUF, this time the de facto closure of the border forced the rebels to implement the treaty's provisions. The group immediately began to comply with the DDR program which had been agreed upon in the Lomé Treaty of 1999, but had not been implemented as long as the RUF had access to transnational spaces in the border region.…”