United Nations Security Council Resolution 1270 – Sierra Leone
Resolution 1270 (1999)
The Security Council,
Recalling its resolutions 1171 (1998) of 5 June 1998, 1181 (1998) of 13 July 1998, 1231 (1999) of 11 March 1999 and 1260 (1999) of 20 August 1999 and other relevant resolutions and the statement of its President of 15 May 1999(S/PRST/1999/13),
Recalling also the report of the Secretary-General of 8 September 1999(S/1999/957) and its resolution 1265 (1999) of 17 September 1999 on the protection of civilians in armed conflict,
Affirming the commitment of all States to respect the sovereignty,political independence and territorial integrity of Sierra Leone,
Having considered the report of the Secretary-General of 23 September 1999(S/1999/1003),
Determining that the situation in Sierra Leone continues to constitute athreat to international peace and security in the region,
- Welcomes the important steps taken by the Government of Sierra Leone,the leadership of the Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone (RUF), theMilitary Observer Group (ECOMOG) of the Economic Community of West AfricanStates (ECOWAS) and the United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone(UNOMSIL) towards implementation of the Peace Agreement (S/1999/777) since itssigning in Lomé on 7 July 1999, and recognizes the important role of the JointImplementation Committee established by the Peace Agreement under thechairmanship of the President of Togo;
2. Calls upon the parties to fulfil all their commitments under the PeaceAgreement to facilitate the restoration of peace, stability, nationalreconciliation and development in Sierra Leone;
3. Takes note of the preparations made for the disarmament,demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants, including child soldiers, bythe Government of Sierra Leone through the National Committee for Disarmament,
Demobilization and Reintegration, and urges all concerned to make every effortto ensure that all designated centres begin to function as soon as possible;
4. Calls upon the RUF, the Civil Defence Forces, former Sierra LeoneArmed Forces/Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and all other armedgroups in Sierra Leone to begin immediately to disband and give up their arms inaccordance with the provisions of the Peace Agreement, and to participate fullyin the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme;
5. Welcomes the return to Freetown of the leaders of the RUF and AFRC,and calls upon them to engage fully and responsibly in the implementation of thePeace Agreement and to direct the participation of all rebel groups in thedisarmament and demobilization process without delay;
6. Deplores the recent taking of hostages, including UNOMSIL and ECOMOG personnel, by rebel groups and calls upon those responsible to put an end tosuch practices immediately and to address their concerns about the terms of thePeace Agreement peacefully through dialogue with the parties concerned;
7. Reiterates its appreciation for the indispensable role which ECOMOG forces continue to play in the maintenance of security and stability in and the protection of the people of Sierra Leone, and approves the new mandate for ECOMOG (S/1999/1073, annex) adopted by ECOWAS on 25 August 1999;
8. Decides to establish the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone(UNAMSIL) with immediate effect for an initial period of six months and with the following mandate:
(a) To cooperate with the Government of Sierra Leone and the other partiesto the Peace Agreement in the implementation of the Agreement;
(b) To assist the Government of Sierra Leone in the implementation of thedisarmament, demobilization and reintegration plan;
(c) To that end, to establish a presence at key locations throughout theterritory of Sierra Leone, including at disarmament/reception centres anddemobilization centres;
(d) To ensure the security and freedom of movement of United Nationspersonnel;
(e) To monitor adherence to the ceasefire in accordance with the ceasefireagreement of 18 May 1999 (S/1999/585, annex) through the structures provided fortherein;
(f) To encourage the parties to create confidence-building mechanisms andsupport their functioning;
(g) To facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance;
(h) To support the operations of United Nations civilian officials,including the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and his staff,human rights officers and civil affairs officers;
(i) To provide support, as requested, to the elections, which are to beheld in accordance with the present constitution of Sierra Leone;
9. Decides also that the military component of UNAMSIL shall comprise amaximum of 6,000 military personnel, including 260 military observers, subjectto periodic review in the light of conditions on the ground and the progressmade in the peace process, in particular in the disarmament, demobilization andreintegration programme, and takes note of paragraph 43 of the report of theSecretary-General of 23 September 1999;
10. Decides further that UNAMSIL will take over the substantive civilianand military components and functions of UNOMSIL as well as its assets, and tothat end decides that the mandate of UNOMSIL shall terminate immediately on theestablishment of UNAMSIL;
11. Commends the readiness of ECOMOG to continue to provide security forthe areas where it is currently located, in particular around Freetown andLungi, to provide protection for the Government of Sierra Leone, to conductother operations in accordance with their mandate to ensure the implementationof the Peace Agreement, and to initiate and proceed with disarmament anddemobilization in conjunction and full coordination with UNAMSIL;
12. Stresses the need for close cooperation and coordination between ECOMOG and UNAMSIL in carrying out their respective tasks, and welcomes theintended establishment of joint operations centres at headquarters and, ifnecessary, also at subordinate levels in the field;
13. Reiterates the importance of the safety, security and freedom ofmovement of United Nations and associated personnel, notes that the Governmentof Sierra Leone and the RUF have agreed in the Peace Agreement to provideguarantees in this regard, and calls upon all parties in Sierra Leone to respectfully the status of United Nations and associated personnel;
14. Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,decides that in the discharge of its mandate UNAMSIL may take the necessaryaction to ensure the security and freedom of movement of its personnel and,within its capabilities and areas of deployment, to afford protection tocivilians under imminent threat of physical violence, taking into account theresponsibilities of the Government of Sierra Leone and ECOMOG;
15. Underlines the importance of including in UNAMSIL personnel withappropriate training in international humanitarian, human rights and refugeelaw, including child and gender-related provisions, negotiation andcommunication skills, cultural awareness and civilian-military coordination;
16. Requests the Government of Sierra Leone to conclude a status-of-forces agreement with the Secretary-General within 30 days of the adoption ofthis resolution, and recalls that pending the conclusion of such an agreement the model status-of-forces agreement dated 9 October 1990 (A/45/594) shouldapply provisionally;
17. Stresses the urgent need to promote peace and national reconciliationand to foster accountability and respect for human rights in Sierra Leone,underlines in this context the key role of the Truth and ReconciliationCommission, the Human Rights Commission and the Commission for the Consolidationof Peace established under the Peace Agreement, and urges the Government ofSierra Leone to ensure the prompt establishment and effective functioning ofthese bodies with the full participation of all parties and drawing on therelevant experience and support of Member States, specialized bodies, othermultilateral organizations and civil society;
18. Emphasizes that the plight of children is among the most pressingchallenges facing Sierra Leone, welcomes the continued commitment of theGovernment of Sierra Leone to work with the United Nations Children’s Fund, theOffice of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children andArmed Conflict and other international agencies to give particular attention tothe long-term rehabilitation of child combatants in Sierra Leone, and reiteratesits encouragement of those involved to address the special needs of all childrenaffected by the conflict;
19. Urges all parties concerned to ensure that refugees and internallydisplaced persons are protected and are enabled to return voluntarily and insafety to their homes, and encourages States and international organizations toprovide urgent assistance to that end;
20. Stresses the urgent need for substantial additional resources tofinance the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process, and callsupon all States, international and other organizations to contribute generouslyto the multidonor trust fund established by the International Bank forReconstruction and Development for this purpose;
21. Stresses also the continued need for urgent and substantialhumanitarian assistance to the people of Sierra Leone, as well as for sustainedand generous assistance for the longer term tasks of peace-building,reconstruction, economic and social recovery and development in Sierra Leone,and urges all States and international and other organizations to provide suchassistance as a priority;
22. Calls upon all parties to ensure safe and unhindered access ofhumanitarian assistance to those in need in Sierra Leone, to guarantee thesafety and security of humanitarian personnel and to respect strictly therelevant provisions of international humanitarian and human rights law;
23. Urges the Government of Sierra Leone to expedite the formation ofprofessional and accountable national police and armed forces, including throughtheir restructuring and training, without which it will not be possible toachieve long-term stability, national reconciliation and the reconstruction ofthe country, and underlines the importance of support and assistance from theinternational community in this regard;
24. Welcomes the continued work by the United Nations on the developmentof the Strategic Framework for Sierra Leone aimed at enhancing effectivecollaboration and coordination within the United Nations system and between theUnited Nations and its national and international partners in Sierra Leone;
25. Notes the intention of the Secretary-General to keep the situation inSierra Leone under close review and to revert to the Council with additionalproposals if required;
26. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council every 45 daysto provide updates on the status of the peace process, on security conditions onthe ground and on the continued level of deployment of ECOMOG personnel, so that troop levels and the tasks to be performed can be evaluated as outlined in paragraphs 49 and 50 of the report of the Secretary-General of 23 September 1999;
27. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.
Adopted by the Security Council at its 4054th meeting on 22 October 1999.
