DATE=1/14/99
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-42368
TITLE=SIERRA LEONE / NEWS ANALYSIS
BYLINE=WILLIAM EAGLE
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=
CONTENT=
NOT VOICED: ACTUALITIES AVAILABLE FROM SOUND-ON-DEMAND.
INTRO: IN SIERRA LEONE, REBELS ARE THREATENING TO OUST THE
DEMOCRATICALLY-ELECTED GOVERNMENT OF PRESIDENT AHMAD TEJAN KABBAH
FOR THE SECOND TIME IN NEARLY THREE YEARS. WEST AFRICAN
PEACE-KEEPING FORCES ARE FIGHTING TO CLEAR THE REBELS FROM
FREETOWN, THE CAPITAL. OBSERVERS ARE ASKING HOW THE GOVERNMENT
LOST CONTROL. FROM WASHINGTON, WILLIAM EAGLE REPORTS.
TEXT: AHMAD TEJAN KABBAH HAS BEEN THE PRESIDENT OF SIERRA LEONE
SINCE 1996. BUT HE HAS NOT HAD MUCH TIME TO GOVERN. ABOUT A
YEAR AFTER HE WAS ELECTED, HE WAS OUSTED BY A MILITARY COUP --
AIDED BY REBELS OF THE "REVOLUTIONARY UNITED FRONT," OR R-U-F.
BUT PRESIDENT KABBAH PREVAILED: MULTINATIONAL FORCES OF THE WEST
AFRICAN MONITORING GROUP -- OR ECOMOG -- PUT HIM BACK IN POWER
LAST MARCH.
SOME SAY PRESIDENT KABBAH ERRED IN TRYING -- AND EXECUTING --
SCORES OF MEMBERS OF THE JUNTA THAT OUSTED HIM. HIS GOVERNMENT
ALSO TRIED THE LEADER OF THE REBELS, CORPORAL FODAY SANKOH.
BEFORE BEING RELEASED THIS WEEK TO MEET WITH INTERNATIONAL
MEDIATORS, HE WAS IN PRISON APPEALING A TREASON CONVICTION.
DURING THIS CURRENT REBEL ATTACK, PRESIDENT KABBAH HAS MADE FEW
PUBLIC STATEMENTS. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE COMMANDER OF THE
FORCES INVADING FREETOWN, SAM "MASKITA" BOCKARIE [PRON.
'BOE-KAH-REE] USES A SATELLITE PHONE TO REGULARLY CALL THE
INTERNATIONAL PRESS, INCLUDING THE V-O-A AND B-B-C.
SOME SAY THE PRESIDENT'S PUBLIC RESPONSES TO CRISES DO NOT
INSPIRE CONFIDENCE AMONG SIERRA LEONEANS. THEY SAY HIS FORMER
CAREER AS A LAWYER WITH THE U-N DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM MAY NOT HAVE
PREPARED HIM FOR A ROLE REQUIRING FIRM POLITICAL LEADERSHIP.
WILLIAM RENO [PRON. 'REE-NO] IS AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF
POLITICAL SCIENCE AT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY IN MIAMI:
/// RENO ACT ///
KABBAH IS NOT THE GREAT COMMUNICATOR AND MAYBE HE WAS
A FINE U-N BUREAUCRAT -- BUT THIS WAS HIS MISTAKE THE
FIRST TIME AROUND: HE DID NOT PUBLICIZE SOME OF THE
BENEFITS THAT HIS FIRST GOVERNMENT HAD BROUGHT TO SIERRA
LEONE. HE IS NOT A PARTICULARLY CHARISMATIC MAN.
[APPARENTLY] HE DOES NOT UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE RADIO
[AND OTHER MASS MEDIA EFFECTIVELY].
/// END ACT ///
// OPT // SUPPORTERS COUNTER BY SAYING MR. KABBAH IS MOST
EFFECTIVE WORKING QUIETLY AND BEHIND THE SCENES, BUILDING
INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR HIS GOVERNMENT. // END OPT ///
OTHERS SAY CORRUPTION HAS WEAKENED NATION-BUILDING IN SIERRA
LEONE. SOME SAY POLITICIANS IN THE KABBAH GOVERNMENT ARE AS
CORRUPT -- AND INEFFECTIVE -- AS THOSE IN PREVIOUS
ADMINISTRATIONS.
JIMMY KANDEH [PRON. 'KAHN-DAY] IS AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF
POLITICAL SCIENCE AT UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND IN VIRGINIA:
/// FIRST KANDEH ACT ///
I AM NOT A KABBAH SUPPORTER. HE IS NOT A
POLITICIAN, BUT I THINK HE IS A DECENT MAN. BUT HE DID
RECYCLE A LOT OF OLD, CORRUPT POLITICIANS -- WHICH LED
TO A LOT OF DISAFFECTION WITHIN THE PUBLIC, WHO FELT HE
WAS BRINGING BACK THESE POLITICIANS [WHO LACKED]
CREDIBILITY.
// OPT // PRIOR TO [THE FIRST] COUP IN 1997 HIS
POPULARITY DIPPED, BECAUSE HE EMBRACED SOME OF THESE
ROGUE POLITICIANS OF THE PAST. MOST NOTABLY WAS FORMER
PRESIDENT [MAJOR GENERAL JOSEPH] MOMOH, TO WHOM HE GAVE
VERY LAVISH PENSION. ... THERE WERE HUGE DEMONSTRATIONS
AGAINST THE VERY IDEA OF PENSIONING MOMOH, BECAUSE MANY
SIERRA LEONEANS BLAME HIM FOR CURRENT STATE OF RUIN. SO
HIS WHOLE IDEA WAS ONE OF RECONCILATION -- AND IF IT
MEANT GRANTING AMNESTY TO ROGUE POLITICIANS, R-U-F
TYPES...HE WAS WILLING TO DO ANYTHING. // END OPT //
/// END ACT ///
SOME ACCUSE PRESIDENT KABBAH OF BEING TOO STRICT, AND UNWILLING
TO COMPROMISE WITH REBELS. UNTIL THE LATEST ATTACK ON FREETOWN,
HE REJECTED NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE R-U-F UNTIL ITS FIGHTERS LAID
DOWN THEIR ARMS. THE GOVERNMENT HAS ALSO EXECUTED MANY OFFICERS
IN THE SIERRA LEONE ARMY WHO DROVE MR. KABBAH FROM OFFICE TWO
YEARS AGO.
BUT OTHERS SAY HE HAD NO CHOICE, THAT PUBLIC OPINION IN SIERRA
LEONE IS FIRMLY AGAINST THE REBELS. THEY HAVE A REPUTATION FOR
TERRORIZING CIVILIANS. MANY SAY IT'S USELESS TO NEGOTIATE WITH
THE REBELS. THEY SAY THE R-U-F HAS NO CLEAR IDEOLOGY -- AND
SIMPLY USES ITS POWER TO LOOT AREAS UNDER ITS CONTROL.
// OPT // STEVEN ELLIS IS A SENIOR RESEARCHER AT THE AFRICA
STUDIES CENTER IN LEIDEN, THE NETHERLANDS:
/// OPT ELLIS ACT ///
IT IS AN EXTRAORDINARY ORGANIZATION. IT'S. NOT LIKE
ANYTHING I'VE SEEN IN AFRICA... IT'S MORE LIKE A
RELIGIOUS SECT THAN A POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OR EVEN A
GUERRILLA ARMY. [IT'S] LARGELY COMPOSED OF VERY YOUNG
PEOPLE, SOME KIDNAPPED FROM THEIR HOMES, AND THEY ARE
BROUGHT UP BY THE R-U-F. IT'S LIKE A FAMILY TO THEM.
[REBEL LEADER] FODOY SANKOH IS LIKE THEIR GRANDFATHER
... THEY ARE BRAINWASHED. IT IS HARD TO SHARE POWER
WITH THE R-U-F BECAUSE EVEN IF YOU COULD NEGOTIATE WITH
SOME OF ITS MILITARY LEADERS, THEY THEMSELVES WOULD
HARDLY BE CAPABLE -- QUALIFIED -- OF BEING MINISTERS OF
STATE. AND THE SIERRA LEONEAN GOVERNMENT IS SO POOR IT
HAS VERY LITTLE TO OFFER YOUNGSTERS FROM THE R-U-F
COMING IN FROM THE BUSH. IT CAN NOT OFFER SCHOOLING,
JOBS OR MONEY.
/// END ACT /// /// END OPT ///
PRESIDENT KABBAH MAY ALSO HAVE MADE A MISTAKE IN TRYING TO REFORM
THE ARMY. IT'S BEEN DISCREDITED AFTER YEARS OF COUPS, AND AFTER
MANY OF ITS MEMBERS JOINED THE REBELS.
MR. KABBAH WAS REPORTEDLY SUPPORTED IN HIS DRIVE FOR ARMY REFORM
BY THE HEAD OF THE WEST AFRICAN PEACE-KEEPERS IN FREETOWN,
NIGERIAN COLONEL MAXWELL KHOBE [PRON. 'KOE-BAY]. PROFESSOR JIMMY
KANDEH SAYS THEY BELIEVED FORMER MILITARY MEN COULD BE
RE-INTEGRATED INTO A NEW ARMY WITH PROPER TRAINING. INSTEAD, HE
SAYS SOME OF THEM WERE AMONG THE ATTACKERS.
/// SECOND KANDEH ACT ///
THERE WAS A LOT OF DEBATE OVER WHETHER TO RETRAIN FORMER
SOLDIERS. THE NIGERIAN HEAD OF THE NEW SIERRA LEONEAN
ARMY, [COLONEL] MAXWELL KHOBE, ADVISED KABBAH -- AND
KABBAH WENT ALONG WITH THIS -- TO RETRAIN SOME OF THE
SOLDIERS WHO HAD SURRENDERED. THE PUBLIC WAS OPPOSED TO
RETRAINING "SOLDIERS" AND "REBELS" -- WHO THEY CALLED
"SOBELS." BUT THE GOVERNMENT WENT AHEAD, AND KHOBE IS
QUOTED AS SAYING HE REGRETS THAT HE GAVE THEM A SECOND
CHANCE, BECAUSE THEY BETRAYED [THE COUNTRY] ONCE AGAIN.
/// END ACT ///
SOME BELIEVE A MILITARY SOLUTION IS NEEDED -- AT LEAST IN THE
SHORT TERM. THEY SAY PRESIDENT KABBAH'S DEMOCRATICALLY-ELECTED
GOVERNMENT MUST FIRST PROVIDE SECURITY FOR ITS CITIZENS --
WITHOUT DEPENDING ON FOREIGN INTERVENTION.
BUT THAT COULD TAKE TIME AND MONEY. PRESIDENT KABBAH'S
SUPPORTERS FEAR SIERRA LEONE COULD BE SHORT ON BOTH. (SIGNED)
NEB/WE/WTW
14-Jan-99 7:17 PM EST (0017 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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