British Troops to Leave Sierra Leone, Leaving Doubts on Post-British Future

Strategic Insights -

In a surprising turn of events, the British troops who arrived in Sierra Leone last month to prop up a United Nations peacekeeping force on the verge of collapse are set to leave the country in mid-June. The 14-member team of Royal Marines, part of the 800-strong British force, will be departing, but their departure has left many wondering what the future holds for Sierra Leone and the United Nations peacekeeping forces.

Key Takeaways:

  • The British troops, led by Brigadier David Richards, have achieved their mission of evacuating people and giving the U.N. and the government another chance, according to the foreign secretary, Robin Cook.
  • The U.N. officials, who will remain in charge of the peacekeeping forces, are optimistic that with reinforcements and more troops expected, they can stand up to the Revolutionary United Front, which took 500 peacekeepers hostage last month.
  • However, privately, officials with the U.N. and other international humanitarian organizations, as well as diplomats in the region, express doubts about a post-British future, citing the mismanagement of the peacekeeping forces under the command of Maj. Gen. Vijay K. Jetley, an Indian who reports to the U.N. special envoy, Oluyemi Adeniji.
  • The British troops have had a significant impact on the ground, securing western Freetown and the international airport, gathering intelligence, and advising U.N. and government officials.
  • The U.N. peacekeeping force, on the other hand, has faced several setbacks, including the refusal of Jordanian troops to stay the night at a strategic spot on the highway out of Freetown and the dispatch of 500 Indian troops to Rogberi Junction, which was initially met with resistance.
  • A seven-member assessment team has been sent from U.N. headquarters to investigate what has gone wrong with the peacekeeping mission, with rumors also circulating that General Jetley may be replaced.

Statistics:

  • The British troops will be departing Sierra Leone in mid-June, a month after their arrival.
  • The U.N. peacekeeping force, led by Maj. Gen. Vijay K. Jetley, has faced significant challenges, including the refusal of Jordanian troops to stay the night at a strategic spot on the highway out of Freetown.
  • 500 Indian troops were dispatched to Rogberi Junction last Friday, but only after other nationalities refused the order to send soldiers there.
  • The Revolutionary United Front, led by Foday Sankoh, kidnapped about 500 peacekeepers in early May, causing the U.N. to declare that the capital, Freetown, was about to be invaded within hours.
  • The British government has sent over a delegation of 180 British military officials to train the first 1,000 soldiers for Sierra Leone's new army, with a smaller group expected to stay for three years to reconstruct the army.

Sources:

  • "British Troops in Sierra Leone, Where a U.N. Force Faced Collapse", The New York Times, June 15, 2000.
  • "British Soldiers in Sierra Leone, Facing Unknowns on the Future", The Guardian, June 16, 2000.