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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |
SIERRA LEONE: Former junta member indicted for war crimes
FREETOWN, 17 September 2003 (IRIN) - Santigie Kanu, a non-commissioned officer who formed part of a military junta that ruled Sierra Leone from 1997 to 1998, was indicted for war crimes on Wednesday by the country's UN-backed Special Court.
Kanu, who is popularly known as "Brigadier 55," was charged on 17 counts with violating article three of the Geneva Convention and committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Article three prohibits murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture, the taking of hostages and outrages upon personal dignity.
Kanu, who is the 13th person to be charged by the court was a prominent member of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) which overthrew elected President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah.
The junta subsequently attempted to forge an alliance with the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebel movement, but it was swept aside by a West African military intervention force which restored Kabbah to power.
However Kanu remained in the army and was in charge of security at State House in Freetown when the RUF invaded the capital and tried unsuccessfully to capture it in January 1999. Thousands were killed and hundreds maimed during the attack.
He was arrested by the government earlier this year on charges of taking part in a raid on Wellington army barracks in Freetown on 13 January to seize arms for an attempted coup.
The Special Court, which is staffed by international prosecutors and judges, was set up to try those who bear the greatest responsibility for atrocities committed during Sierra Leone's 1991 to 2001 civil war. It said in a statement that Kanu had been transfered to its own cells from the government prison where he had previously been held.
The Special Court is currently holding nine of the 13 people it has indicted since March.
Two have died - former RUF leader Foday Sankoh and his military commander Sam Bockarie - and two are still at large.
Former Liberian president Charles Taylor was granted political asylum in Nigeria when he was forced to relinquish power last month. Johnny Paul Koroma, the leader of the AFRC, has meanwhile been missing since the attack on Wellington Barracks in January.
In New York, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan recommended in a report published on Wednesday that the mandate of the large UN peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone be extended for a further six months. He said the force, which is currently numbers about 12,000 men, should be withdrawn gradually to avoid jeopardizing the security situation, which has "remained generally stable." The last peacekeepers are due to leave Sierra Leone at the end of 2004.
Annan said in his recommendations to the UN Security Council "There were no major incidents that threatened the prevailing stability in the country." But he noted that the continued influx of young men to the diamond mining areas of the Kono and Kenema in the east remained a potential source of instability.
The youth groups are opposed to the participation of non-indigenous people in diamond mining have become increasingly vocal in some areas. "It is encouraging to note, however, that the government has stepped up its efforts to resolve these mining-related problems," Annan said.
The Secretary General said another challenge to the consolidation of peace was restiveness among former combatants who fought both for and against Tejan Kabbah's government over indictments being handed out by the Special Court.
He noted that ex-combatants of the Civil Defence Forces - a pro-Kabbah militia - were particularly concerned by the arrest of their former leader Sam Hinga Norman. He was sacked as interior minister and taken into custody in March.
Annan said the UN peacekeeping force, known as UNAMSIL, had handed over security responsibilities to governments forces in areas where there were relatively low security threats, mainly in the central part of Sierra Leone.
But he warned: "The lack of adequate equipment and infrastructure remains a critical element in enhancing the capacity of Sierra Leone police and army and in enabling them to effectively take over the responsibilities for security throughout the country, especially in the border areas."
"Once again, I urge the Government and its international partners to expeditiously address the logistical and infrastructure needs of both the police and the army," Mr. Annan said.
Theme(s): (IRIN) Conflict
[ENDS]
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