United Nations Security Council Resolution 1181 – Sierra Leone

Resolution 1181 (1998)

The Security Council,

Recalling its previous relevant resolutions and the statements of itsPresident,

Welcoming the continued efforts of the Government of Sierra Leone to restore peaceful and secure conditions in the country, to re-establish effective administration and the democratic process and to embark on the task of national reconciliation, reconstruction and rehabilitation,

Recognizing the important contribution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in support of these objectives,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General of 9 June 1998(S/1998/486 and Add.1),

Noting the objectives set by ECOWAS for its Military Observer Group(ECOMOG) as described in paragraph 17 of the report of Secretary-General,

Gravely concerned at the loss of life and immense suffering undergone by the people of Sierra Leone, including refugees and displaced persons, as a result of the continuing rebel attacks, and in particular at the plight of children affected by the conflict,

1. Condemns the continued resistance of remnants of the ousted junta and members of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) to the authority of the legitimate government and the violence they are perpetrating against thecivilian population of Sierra Leone, and demands that they lay down their armsimmediately;

2. Emphasizes the need to promote national reconciliation in Sierra Leone, encourages all parties in the country to work together towards this objective, and welcomes the assistance of the Secretary-General and his SpecialEnvoy in that regard;

3. Welcomes the proposal in the report of the Secretary-General of9 June 1998 on the establishment of the United Nations Observer Mission inSierra Leone (UNOMSIL);

4. Notes that the Government of Sierra Leone has adopted a disarmament,demobilization and reintegration plan agreed with the International Bank forReconstruction and Development, the United Nations Development Programme andother donors;

5. Commends the positive role of ECOWAS and ECOMOG in their efforts torestore peace, security and stability throughout the country at the request ofthe Government of Sierra Leone, and notes the role of ECOMOG in assisting theimplementation of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration plan adoptedby the Government of Sierra Leone, including the provision of security andresponsibility for arms collection and destruction;

6. Decides to establish UNOMSIL for an initial period of six months until 13 January 1999, and further decides that it shall include up to 70 military observers as well as a small medical unit, with the necessary equipment and civilian support staff, with the following mandate:

(a) To monitor the military and security situation in the country as a whole, as security conditions permit, and to provide the Special Representativeof the Secretary-General with regular information thereon in particular with aview to determining when conditions are sufficiently secure to allow subsequentdeployments of military observers beyond the first phase described inparagraph 7 below;

(b) To monitor the disarmament and demobilization of former combatants concentrated in secure areas of the country, including monitoring of the role ofECOMOG in the provision of security and in the collection and destruction ofarms in those secure areas;

(c) To assist in monitoring respect for international humanitarian law,including at disarmament and demobilization sites, where security conditions permit;

(d) To monitor the voluntary disarmament and demobilization of members of the Civil Defence Forces (CDF), as security conditions permit;

7. Decides further that the elements of UNOMSIL referred to in paragraph 6 above shall be deployed as outlined in the Secretary-General’sreport, with approximately 40 military observers deployed in the first phase to ECOMOG-secured areas, and that subsequent deployments shall take place as soon as security conditions permit, and subject to progress on the implementation ofthe disarmament, demobilization and reintegration plan and the availability ofthe necessary equipment and resources;

8. Decides further that UNOMSIL shall be led by the Special Envoy of theSecretary-General, who will be designated Special Representative for SierraLeone, that UNOMSIL shall subsume the office of the Special Envoy and itscivilian staff, and that the augmented civilian staff, as recommended by the Secretary-General in paragraphs 74 and 75 of his report, shall perform,inter alia, the following tasks:

(a) To advise, in coordination with other international efforts, the Government of Sierra Leone and local police officials on police practice,training, re-equipment and recruitment, in particular on the need to respectinternationally accepted standards of policing in democratic societies, toadvise on the planning of the reform and restructuring of the Sierra Leone police force, and to monitor progress in that regard;

(b) To report on violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in Sierra Leone, and, in consultation with the relevant United Nations agencies, to assist the Government of Sierra Leone in its efforts to address thecountry’s human rights needs;

9. Welcomes the commitment of ECOMOG to ensure the security of United Nations personnel, and in this regard welcomes also the intention of the Secretary-General to establish security arrangements for United Nations Personnel with the Chairman of ECOWAS and to conclude a status of missionagreement with Government of Sierra Leone;

10. Decides that the elements of UNOMSIL referred to in paragraph 6 above shall be deployed when the Secretary-General informs the Council that securityarrangements and the status of mission agreement have been concluded, and further decides to keep the deployment of UNOMSIL under review in the light ofthe prevailing security conditions;

11. Stresses the need for full cooperation and close coordination between UNOMSIL and ECOMOG in their respective operational activities;

12. Demands that all factions and forces in Sierra Leone strictly respect the status of UNOMSIL personnel, as well as organizations and agencies delivering humanitarian assistance throughout Sierra Leone, and that they respect human rights and abide by applicable rules of international humanitarian law;

13. Expresses its serious concern at the reports of cross-border arms flows and support to the rebels in Sierra Leone, welcomes the intention of the Secretary-General, as indicated in his report, to pursue with all parties concerned steps to eliminate these activities, and in that regard reaffirms theobligation of all States to comply strictly with the terms of the embargo on thesale or supply of arms and related matériel to Sierra Leone imposed byresolution 1171 (1998) of 5 June 1998, and to bring all instances of violationsof the arms embargo before the Committee established by resolution 1132 (1997)of 8 October 1997;

14. Welcomes the efforts of the Government of Sierra Leone to coordinate an effective national response to the needs of children affected by armed conflict, and the recommendation of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict that Sierra Leone be made one of thepilot projects for a more concerted and effective response to the needs ofchildren in the context of post-conflict peace-building;

15. Further welcomes the decision of the Secretary-General to convene a high-level conference to mobilize assistance for peacekeeping activities,emergency and humanitarian needs and reconstruction and rehabilitation in SierraLeone;

16. Reiterates its urgent appeal to States to make contributions to the Trust Fund which has been established to support peacekeeping and related activities in Sierra Leone, to provide technical and logistical support to assist ECOMOG to carry out its peacekeeping role, and to help facilitate otherECOWAS member States to provide additional troops to strengthen the deploymentof ECOMOG in Sierra Leone;

17. Urges all States and international organizations to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to Sierra Leone, in response to the consolidatedinter-agency appeal launched on 24 June 1998;

18. Encourages all States and international organizations to assist and participate in the longer term tasks of reconstruction and economic and social recovery and development in Sierra Leone;

19. Requests the Secretary-General to submit an initial report to the Council within 30 days of the adoption of this resolution and every 60 days thereafter on the deployment of UNOMSIL and on the progress of UNOMSIL in carrying out its mandate, and also to inform the Council on plans for the later phases of the deployment of UNOMSIL when security conditions permit these to be implemented;

20. Decides to remain seized of the matter.

Adopted by the Security Council at its 3902nd meeting,on 13 July 1998.