United Nations Security Council Resolution 1071 – Liberia

Resolution 1071 (1996)

The Security Council,

Recalling all its previous resolutions concerning the situation in Liberia,in particular resolution 1059 (1996) of 31 May 1996,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General dated 22 August 1996(S/1996/684) on the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL),Noting the letter of 21 August 1996 to the President of the Security Council containing the Final Communiqué of the Heads of State and Government ofthe Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) Committee of Nine of Liberia,held at Abuja on 17 August 1996 (S/1996/679),

Welcoming the increasing restoration of Monrovia as a safe haven,

Emphasizing once again that the people of Liberia and their leaders bear the ultimate responsibility for achieving peace and national reconciliation,

Recognizing the positive role of ECOWAS in its efforts to restore peace,security and stability in Liberia,

Expressing its appreciation to those African States contributing troops tothe ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG),

Commending also those Member States that have supported the peace process,UNOMIL, and ECOMOG, including through contributions to the United Nations trustfund for Liberia,

Stressing also that the continued presence of UNOMIL in Liberia is predicated on the presence of ECOMOG and its commitment to ensure the safety of UNOMIL and emphasizing the need for enhanced coordination between UNOMIL and ECOMOG,

1. Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General dated 22 August 1996;

2. Decides to extend the mandate of UNOMIL until 30 November 1996;

3. Welcomes the agreement of ECOWAS in Abuja on 17 August 1996, which extended the 1995 Abuja agreement until 15 June 1997, established a timetablefor implementation of the agreement, adopted a mechanism to verify compliance bythe faction leaders with the agreement, and proposed possible measures againstthe factions in the event of noncompliance;

4. Calls upon the Liberian factions to implement fully and expeditiously all the agreements and commitments they have entered into;

5. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Security Council by 15 October 1996 with proposals for assistance which UNOMIL or other UnitedNations agencies could provide in support of the Liberian peace process,including support for the election process, disarmament, demobilization, andverification of compliance by the factions;

6. Further decides to maintain UNOMIL deployments at an appropriate levelas recommended in the report of the Secretary-General and requests that theSecretary-General take into account the need to ensure the security of UNOMILpersonnel and advise the Council of any planned further deployments;

7. Stresses that the continued support of the international community forthe peace process in Liberia, including the participation of UNOMIL, is contingent on the Liberian factions’ demonstrating their commitment to resolvetheir differences peacefully and to achieve national reconciliation inaccordance with the agreement reached in Abuja on 17 August 1996;

8. Condemns all attacks against and intimidation of personnel of ECOMOG,UNOMIL, and the international organizations and agencies delivering humanitarianassistance as well as the looting of their equipment, supplies, and personalproperty, calls upon the leaders of the factions to ensure the immediate returnof looted property, and requests the Secretary-General to include in the reportreferred to in paragraph 5 above information on how much of the stolen propertyhas been returned;

9. Condemns the practice of some factions of recruiting, training, anddeploying children for combat, and requests the Secretary-General to include inthe report referred to in paragraph 5 above details on this inhumane andabhorrent practice;

10. Demands once more that the factions and their leaders strictly respectthe status of the personnel of ECOMOG, UNOMIL and international organizationsand agencies, including humanitarian assistance workers, and further demandsthat these factions facilitate the freedom of movement of UNOMIL and thedelivery of humanitarian assistance and that they strictly abide by the relevantprinciples and rules of international humanitarian law;

11. Stresses the importance of respect for human rights in Liberia andalso the human rights aspect of UNOMIL’s mandate;

12. Stresses the obligation of all States to comply strictly with theembargo on all deliveries of weapons and military equipment to Liberia imposedby resolution 788 (1992) of 19 November 1992, to take all actions necessary toensure strict implementation of the embargo, and to bring all instances ofviolations of the embargo before the Committee established pursuant toresolution 985 (1995) of 13 April 1995;

13. Urges all States to provide financial, logistical and other assistance in support of ECOMOG to assist it to carry out its mandate;

14. Urges all States to contribute to the United Nations trust fund forLiberia;

15. Stresses the importance of close contacts and enhanced coordination between UNOMIL and ECOMOG in their operational activities at all levels andcalls on ECOMOG, in accordance with the agreement regarding the respective rolesand responsibilities of UNOMIL and ECOMOG in the implementation of the Cotonouagreement (S/26272) and with the UNOMIL concept of operations, to providesecurity for UNOMIL;

16. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to keep the Security Council closely informed of the situation in Liberia;

17. Decides to remain seized of the matter.

Adopted by the Security Council at its 3694th meeting,on 30 August 1996.