17 July -- After exhausting every diplomatic and political means to free detained United Nations peacekeepers in Sierra Leone, the UN mission in the country staged a daring rescue operation bringing to safety the 233 UN troops illegally surrounded for over two months by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels.
The successful completion of the operation was welcomed today by the Security Council and Secretary-General Kofi Annan. In a presidential statement, the Council expressed its admiration for the "professionalism, determination and robustness" displayed by UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), commending in particular the leadership and skill of UNAMSIL Force Commander General V. J. Jetley.
Agreeing that the UN mission had "no choice but to take resolute action to restore the security and freedom of movement of UNAMSIL personnel," the Council paid tribute to the forces of the Indian contingent -- which took the lead in the operation - as well as to the "flank and rear support" provided by the Nigerian and Ghanaian peacekeepers, "without which the operation would not have been possible." The Council also expressed its appreciation to the United Kingdom for its logistical help.
"The Council believes that there is now a firm foundation on which UNAMSIL can build as it continues to implement its mandate and work towards a lasting peaceful settlement to the conflict in Sierra Leone," the statement said.
A spokesman for Mr. Annan said that the Secretary-General also commended the military staff and troops engaged in the rescue operation. "The courage and remarkable discipline and determination displayed by all bring credit to them, to their countries' armed forces and to the United Nations," the spokesman said. He added that the Secretary-General deeply regretted that one Indian UNAMSIL peacekeeper had lost his life during the operation and that six others had been wounded. Mr. Annan extended his condolences to the family of "this brave Indian soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice while rescuing his colleagues," the statement said.
The military operation, which was described by UN officials as "inevitable" given increasing threats by the RUF and the worsening food and medical situation of the detainees, was launched early Saturday morning after the UN mission received distress signals from the troops.
With road conditions deteriorating rapidly because of torrential rains, it was determined that there was no alternative but to undertake military action. A team of soldiers from Ghana, Nigeria and India was dispatched to carry out the rescue, with the UNAMSIL Commander, Major General V.K. Jetley personally controlling the operation. In order to bring the detainees to safe ground, the rescuers had to cover some distance in a difficult area controlled by hostile rebels before reaching the nearest UN base at Daru.
The Secretary-General's spokesman underscored that "the extraction operation" was aimed at ensuring the security of UN personnel and restoring their freedom of movement, in full accordance with UNAMSIL's mandate.
"Now that this episode is behind us, the Secretary-General hopes that all efforts can now be directed toward establishing conditions conducive to a resumption of the peace process in Sierra Leone and an early end to the prolonged suffering that the people of Sierra Leone have had to endure," the spokesman said.
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