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An Assessment of India's Role Under UN Peacekeeping Operations in Sierra Leone

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An Assessment of India's Role Under UN Peacekeeping Operations in Sierra Leone International Journal of Research p-I SSN: 2348-6848 e-I SSN: 2348-795X Available at https://edupediapublications.org/journals Volume 03 Issue 1 1 July 2016 An assessment of India's role under UN Peacekeeping Operations in Sierra Leone Arief Hussain Ganaie Research Scholar, School of Studies in Political science Vikram University, Ujjain -M.P (India) E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Africa, one of the most conflict-ridden and when it served in the UN mission to the insecure places of the world has Congo (1960–1964) during the cold war experienced some of the most violent period. Since the end of the cold war, India conflicts in the world over the last five has been engaged in most of the United decades. From the early 1950s and Nations peacekeeping missions in Africa. especially in the post cold war period, The present paper sets out to explore Africa has witnessed an increasing number India's role under UN Peacekeeping of internal conflicts arising from ethnic Operations in Sierra Leone. and religious rivalries. The conflicts have caused the increased number of failed Keywords: - United Nations, Security states and regional destabilization in Council, Peacekeeping, Sierra Leone, Civil Africa. The ethnic strife so-called “new Defense Force (CDF), UNOMSIL, UNAMSIL, Sierra Leone Army (SLA) wars” are accompanied by a mixture of humanitarian emergencies, major human Historical Background of rights violations, the fall down of law and Sierra Leone Civil War order, and the collapse of functioning The history of Sierra Leone is a product of governments. In response to these mixed grievances from its colonial period. challenges, the United Nations (UN) A two-class society with a weak launched a series of peacekeeping bureaucracy was established during British missions throughout the world, particularly colonial rule, thereby sowing the seeds for in Africa. India participated in only one the later popular discontents. Post-colonial UN Peacekeeping Operation in Africa, Available online :http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 735 International Journal of Research p-I SSN: 2348-6848 e-I SSN: 2348-795X Available at https://edupediapublications.org/journals Volume 03 Issue 1 1 July 2016 mismanagement, poor governance, society.2 The entire generation of the endemic corruption, exclusion and disillusioned youth were attracted to the marginalisation especially of the youth, rebellious message of the Revolutionary even made the already weak state system United Front (RUF).3 Upon Sir Milton completely collapse. The young Margai’s death in 1964, Sir Albert Margai, population both in cities and rural areas was appointed as Prime Minister by became even more marginalised from their parliament. Albert Margai, half-brother of society, without access to appropriate Milton saw the state as a tool for personal education and employment. This directly gain and self-aggrandizement and even fuelled political and economic grievances used the military to suppress multiparty against the feeble government and ruling elections that threatened to end his rule.4 classes. Due to Albert Margai's growing Sierra Leone gained its authoritarianism from 1964-1967, the independence from the United Kingdom in democratic process became limited. 1961. After gaining its independence from Following a year of military British, successive regimes in Sierra Leone interregnum, Albert Margai’s great rival, failed to deal with the collapse of a Siaka Stevens, leader of the All People's patrimonial system of wealth redistribution Congress (APC) party headed the and inequitable exploitation of the government from 1968-85.Sierra Leone country's natural resources.1 In the years was a constitutional democracy when following the death of Sir Milton Margai Siaka Stevens in 1968 entered into politics Sierra Leone’s first prime minister in and when he stepped down in 1985 Sierra 1964, politics in the country were Leone was a one-party state.5 increasingly characterized by endemic Siaka Steven’s seventeen years corruption, mismanagement, poor rule, sometimes called “the 17 year plague governance, electoral violence and the of locusts,”6 saw the destruction and collapse of the education system. The perversion of every state institution. consequential social tensions created Parliament was undermined, judges were military governments and armed rebels bribed, and the treasury was bankrupted to who shared a common origin in the ranks finance pet projects that supported of the disaffected and unemployed youths insiders.7 When Stevens failed to co-opt on the fringes of both urban and rural Available online :http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 736 International Journal of Research p-I SSN: 2348-6848 e-I SSN: 2348-795X Available at https://edupediapublications.org/journals Volume 03 Issue 1 1 July 2016 his opponents, he often resorted to state democratic foundation and structure of the sanctioned executions or exile.8 nation. However, Momoh was not taken In 1985, Stevens stepped down, seriously as there was increasing abuse of and handed the nation’s preeminent power in Sierra Leone. position to Major General Joseph Momoh, The biggest victims of the former head of the Sierra Leone Army. patrimonial system collapse were, in fact, With government being almost bankrupt, it young people who were not able to be became impossible to pay most civil educated and employed in this servants, those desperate enough deteriorating situation. To make things ransacked and looted government offices worse, President Momoh delivered a and property. Even in Freetown, important speech in the eastern district of Kailahun commodities like gasoline were scarce. saying that education was not a right but a But the government hit rock bottom when privilege and then, not surprisingly, the it could no longer pay school teachers and RUF promptly used his speech as ‘one of the education system collapsed. Since only its justification to go to war’.11 Sierra wealthy families could afford to pay Leone was ranked as one of the poorest private tutors, the bulk of Sierra Leone’s countries in the world by 1991, even youth during the late 1980s roamed the though it benefited from abundant natural streets aimlessly.9 To overcome the lack of resources including diamonds, gold, state resources, Momoh tried to revive bauxite, iron ore, coffee, cocoa and fish.12 Sierra Leone's flagging political and In March 1991, the fighters of the economic fortunes by talking of a ‘New Revolutionary United Front (RUF) led by Order’. Momoh’s government pursued Mr Foday Sankoh, a former army corporal, structural adjustment measures and launched a war from the east of the embarked upon a slow process of political country near the border with Liberia to liberalization in the early 1990s.10 In 1990, overthrow the government. With the President Momoh set up a constitutional support of the Military Observer Group review commission to review the 1978 one (ECOMOG) of the Economic Community party-constitution with a view of of West African States (ECOWAS), Sierra broadening the existing political process, Leone's army tried at first to defend the guaranteeing fundamental human rights government but, the following year, the and the rule of law and consolidating the army itself overthrew the government in Available online :http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 737 International Journal of Research p-I SSN: 2348-6848 e-I SSN: 2348-795X Available at https://edupediapublications.org/journals Volume 03 Issue 1 1 July 2016 1992. Despite the change of power, the Revolutionary Council (AFRC) under RUF continued its attacks, however on Major Johnny Koroma overthrew contrary, it brought about widespread President Dr Ahmad Tejan Kabbah on 25 destruction across the country, both in May 1997;invited the RUF to form a terms of human lives and material loss. In government and formed the ruling Junta. addition to forcing about a tenth of the President Kabbah and his government population to seek refuge in neighbouring went into exile in neighbouring Guinea. states and making some thirty percent A new Special Envoy, Mr. Francis internally displaced, the hostilities also G. Okelo (Uganda) and other destroyed much of the infrastructure and representatives of the international ruined the country’s economy.13 In community tried, but failed, to persuade February 1995, the United Nations the junta to step down. The Security Secretary-General appointed a Special Council imposed an oil and arms embargo Envoy, Mr. Berhanu Dinka (Ethiopia). He on 8 October 1997 and authorized worked in collaboration with the ECOWAS to ensure its implementation Organization of African Unity (OAU) and using ECOMOG troops. After 10 months ECOWAS to try to negotiate a settlement in office, the junta was ousted by the to the conflict and return the country to Nigeria-led ECOMOG forces, and the civilian rule. Parliamentary and democratically elected government of presidential elections were held in president Kabbah was reinstated in March February 1996, and the army relinquished 1998. Kabba took power once again with power to the winner, Alhaji Dr. Ahmed Albert Joe Demby as vice president. The Tejan Kabbah. The RUF, however, did not Security Council terminated the oil and participate in the elections and would not arms embargo and strengthened the office recognise the results.14 of the Special Envoy to include UN Amidst the Chaos, in November military liaison officers and security 1996, Special Envoy Dinka assisted in advisory personnel. negotiating the Abidjan Accord- a peace agreement that took place between the United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra RUF and the government. However, these Leone (UNOMSIL) July 1998- October peace efforts were derailed due to military 1999: In June 1998, the Security Council coup when the Armed Forces established the United Nations Observer Available online :http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 738 International Journal of Research p-I SSN: 2348-6848 e-I SSN: 2348-795X Available at https://edupediapublications.org/journals Volume 03 Issue 1 1 July 2016 Mission in Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL), In the aftermath of the rebel attack, with the authorized strength of 70 military the Special Representative Francis G.
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