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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

SIERRA LEONE: 1,000 soldiers to be retired this year

FREETOWN, 14 August 2003 (IRIN) - Sierra Leone's army has announced plans to retire 1,000 soldiers who have attained the mandatory retirement age of 55 as part of moves to make the force leaner and more efficient.

The layoffs form part of a three-year programme to restructure the army and reduce its strength by 13,800 men to 10,500 by January 31 2004.

The process began last year when 765 soldiers volunteered for retirement following the end of Sierra Leone's 1991-2001 civil war.

A military spokesman said the latest manpower reduction should not affect the security forces' capability.

"After the war, we want a sizeable army which can be maintained financially and which will be well equipped," Director of Defense Information Adolphus Samuels told IRIN on Wednesday.

"We are targeting 1,000 soldiers each year for this and next year," Brig Alfred Nelson-Williams the Operations and Planning officer of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) said.

Nelson-Williams said all those affected would be given one year's notice of their demobilisation. All would receive a retirement bonus in addition to their pension. This would consist of the standard retirement gratuity, a years' salary and allowances and a lumpsum resettlement grant of US $850.

Major John Cathy of the British and Australian-run International Military Assistance Training Team (IMATT), explained that the reduction in size of the Sierra Leone army would be accompanied by improved training for those soldiers who were kept on.

"With increased training we'll have increased efficiency and then you end up with an army that is more capable to meet the security needs," Cathy said.

Security in Sierra Leone is currently guaranteed by a UN peace-keeping force known as UNAMSIL, whose strength is gradually being wound down with a view to the force's complete withdrawal at the end of 2004.

UNAMSIL currently has about 13,000 men in the country and has recently stepped up security along the eastern border with war-torn Liberia.

Samuels said by the time UNAMSIL leaves in December next year, the Sierra Leone army "will have been properly trained to take over."

There is also an economic facet to the downsizing of the Sierra Leonean army.

"The defense budget is under pressure with many competing demands including requirement for new equipment, improved infrastructure...and these cannot be fulfilled while the RSLAF is too large," Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Major-Gen Tom Carew said.

He noted that Sierra Leone's economy was dependent on large volumes of international aid and said donors were urging the government to downsize its armed forces in line with improved security situation.

Theme(s): (IRIN) Conflict

[ENDS]

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