Army History - Peace Operations
ECOMOG Operations
Between 1991 and 1998, RSLAF troops participated in the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) operations as part of Sierra Leone’s contribution to ECOWAS effort in bringing peace to neighboring LIBERIA during their bloody civil war waged by Charles Gangay Taylor in 1989. Three successive battalions were rotated during this period. RSLAF troops fought bravely in that operation and they were highly commended. The first contingent was among the force that prevented Charles Taylor from taking over Monrovia. The last contingent returned home after the 1997 AFRC Coup.
The reinstated government strongly considered an option to disband the Army and transform the CDF into a Territorial Defense Force (TDF) as an alternative. While this issue provoked debate amongst scholars and elites of society, the AFRC/RUF elements that fled the capital Freetown in the face of the ECOMOG intervention made a come-back in January 1999 and advanced as far as the maximum security prisons freeing all military and civilian inmates who were awaiting trials. This incident became a saving grace for the country, as the government lost total confidence in the ECOMOG troops.
Realizing how vulnerable the city and the populace might continue to be despite the presence of these ECOMOG troops, the government saw the need to adopt a more reconciliatory stance instead of their initial high-handed stream of reprisals against suspected junta collaborators. They declared general amnesty for everyone, discontinued all trials and eventually abandoned the unwieldy idea of disbanding the Army.
UNAMID (SRC 1 – 5)
In Darfur (Sudan), the RSLAF rotated 5 Sector Reconnaissance Companies (SRCs) which served with the United Nations - African Union Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). The SRCs were complimenting UNAMID’s effort to bring peace to that part of SUDAN. The first SRC was deployed in 2010 and the fifth and last SRC in the mission returned home in 2012. However, RSLAF officers continue to serve with UNAMID as Military Observers (MILOBs) and Staff Officers (SOs). This same RSLAF presence is being maintained in the United Nations Mission in South SUDAN (UNMISS).
AMISOM (LEOBATT 1)
The RSLAF also deployed a Motorized Infantry Battalion with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in order to bring peace to Somalia which initially disintegrated into a failed state. The deployment of the battalion commenced in April 2013 and completed in June 2013. The battalion, operating under the Kenyan Sector, has been held to high esteem for its professionalism and operational effectiveness. This has given confidence to the mission to allocate a whole sector (Sector KISMAYO) to the Sierra Leone Contingent commanded by a Sierra Leonean officer, Brig Gen TR Allieu. The first Sierra Leone Contingent (LEOBATT 1) in Somalia will be rotated in June 2014 after completing one year in the mission. There are also 6 RSLAF Officers serving in staff appointments at the AMISOM Force Headquarters in Mogadishu.
MINUSMA (3 + 2 Pers)
The RSLAF deployed 3 officers and 2 senior non-commissioned officers (SNCOs) initially with the African Union Integrated Security Mission in Mali (AFISMA) in February 2013. These personnel were serving in various staff appointments at the AFISMA HQ. When the mission was transformed into the United Nations Security Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) in June 2013, these officers and SNCOs were also rebadged into MINUSMA.
Other Missions
The RSLAF contributed MILOBs and Staff Officers to other UN missions in NEPAL and EAST TIMOR between 2006 and 2012. Those missions have long closed down. However, the RSLAF continues to contribute Staff Officers to serve with the United Nations Integrated Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Also RSLAF officers currently serve in various appointments with the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) Headquarters in ABUJA, Nigeria.
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