Agreements of Lome

The Accords of Lome were signed in the town of Lome, with the Togo, the July 7th 1999. The purpose of they were to put an end to the Civil war of Sierra Leone, opposing RUF to the government of the Sierra Leone

They should not be confused with the the Lome Convention of 1975, intended to control the commercial exchanges between the European Union and the ACP Pays.

Origin

The meeting of Lome is an initiative of the president of Togo, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, then President-in-Office of the Economic community of the States of West Africa (CEDEAO).

The meeting began the May 25th 1999, with Lome, in the presence of five presidents of the countries of West Africa:

and of the representatives of , , the Organization of African Unity (OAU) UNO the United States and the England.

Contents

The Agreements of Lome stipulate that:

  • all the rebellious groups must disarm
  • the various crimes committed by all the parts of the conflict are amnestied. Thus, none the persons in charge and the executants of the great number of murders, rapes and various mutilations can be continued. In addition, the many civilian victims are regarded as simple war victims
  • the RUF is integrated in a provisional government, while waiting for the behavior of general elections
  • a Charged commission of the mining resources and rebuilding is created and the presidency is held by the chief of the RUF, Foday Sankoh

Application

The implementation of the Agreements of Lome is difficult as of the beginning. Number 2 of the RUF, Sam Bockarie, refuses to deposit the weapons, then Foday Sankoh replaces it and the constrained one with the exile with the Liberia.

The October 22nd 1999, the Safety advice of the United Nations vote the resolution 1270, which created the Mission of the United Nations in Sierra Leone (MINUSUSIL), the purpose of which is to guarantee the respect of the Agreements of Lome.

The February 22nd 2000, the Parliament votes a law creating the Commission of truth and reconciliation, charged to inquire into the atrocities made during the civil war.

After having wanted to renegotiate all the licenses of diamond extraction, Foday Sankoh realizes that the Commission of which he is the president is in fact only one empty shell, not having even never been able to meet, and that unrelentingly the members of the MINUSIL spread in the diamantiferous areas. It then decides to set out again in clandestinity and, the May 3rd, the RUF takes as an hostage 500 Blue helmets. Officially, Foday sankoh reproach with Kofi Annan to support the Head of the State, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah.

The May 17th, Foday Sankoh, in escape, is stopped.

The hostages are released the May 28th after international interventions near Charles Taylor.

Following this taking of hostages, the Opération Pallister is started by the the United Kingdom. Its original intention is to evacuate the nationals of the European Union and the the Commonwealth. But after dohaving done it, they remain in place to support the regular troops against the RUF.

With the embargo of UNO on illegal diamonds of Sierra Leone, the rise to power of the MINUSIL and the logistical support and tactical of the troops British for the regular army of Sierra Leone, the RUF is put at knee.

Criticisms

Of outset, criticisms against the Agreements of Lome were very sharp. Kofi Annan and of many ONG estimated that these agreements would not regulate the conflict; according to them, there could not be peace without the judgment of the war criminals.

Thus was created the August 14th 2000, by the resolution 1315 of the Safety advice of UNO, the Special court for the Sierra Leone (TSSL).

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