U.S. for global efforts to end crisis

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, MAY 12. In the face of rapidly deteriorating conditions in Sierra Leone, the U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton, is sending the veteran civil rights leader, Rev. Jesse Jackson, to that country and the administration is saying that there is determination to intensify international efforts to end the crisis. Mr. Clinton also had a telephone talk with the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan.

``I have asked Rev. Jesse Jackson, my special envoy for Democracy in Africa, to return to the region to work with leaders there for a peaceful resolution of this crisis'', Mr. Clinton remarked. The President also said that he and Mr. Annan agreed that ``... the international community must intensify international efforts to restore peace in Sierra Leone and to prevent a return to an all- out civil war. The situation there has been grave''.

The White House is saying that the U.S. was working on ways to see how best the United Nations Peacekeeping force could be shored up in Sierra Leone at the same time working on plans for the deployment of the remainder of the force allocated to that country. But beyond words of intent by the President and senior officials of the administration, there has been no substantive change in the manner Washington is going about the crisis.

The U.S.'s role is still confined to logistics - for instance in preparing the transportation of the Jordanian special forces and a possible deployment of troops from Nigeria. ``It should send them (the rebels) an unmistakable signal that the international community is committed to reinforce this mission, to stabilise the situation and to see if we can't turn back towards progress on the ground'', a White House spokesman, Mr. P. J. Crowley, has said.

```Let us not fail Africa'' seems to be the bottomline message that Mr. Annan has been sending to member nations as he urged the Security Council to ensure that the present mission in Sierra Leone does its job. ``I plead with you. Let us not fail Sierra Leone. Let us not fail Africa. This time, in this crisis, let us back words with deeds and mandates with the resources that work'', Mr. Annan told the Security Council members in New York. Mr. Annan is making the point that unless the developed nations came up with funding, West African troops cannot play a meaningful role in Sierra Leone. With reports from Freetown indicating that the rebel forces of Foday Sankoh may have been held back from overrunning the Capital and the Government forces, there is disagreement at the U.N. on how the world body must respond to the situation.

Some are against a stronger role for the U.N. in Sierra Leone on the grounds that such a move would endanger the troops who are now being held hostage. Others are saying that the focus ought to be on getting the force levels in Sierra Leone to the full authorised limit.

Split in RUF

AFP reports:

In a significant development, a report from Freetown said a split had emerged in the RUF with a top figure in the movement denouncing the leader Foday Sankoh ``for perpetuating the killing in Sierra Leone.''

Peter Vandy, who holds a ministerial post under a July 1999 peace accord, read a nine-point memorandum on Thursday evening, withdrawing support to Sankoh on state radio and television along with a number of other figures in the RUF's political wing.

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Section  : International
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