Lomé Peace Accord
Encyclopedia
The Lomé Peace Accord was a peace agreement signed on 7 July 1999 between the warring parties in the civil war
that gripped Sierra Leone
for almost a decade. President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah
signed with the Revolutionary United Front
(RUF) leader, Foday Sankoh
, granting Sankoh a position in the transitional government as well as amnesty
for him and all combatants. The accord is named for Lomé
, the capital of Togo
, where the negotiations took place and the agreement was signed.
's "foreign minister"). At the same time, president Kabbah was worn down from the fighting, the coup attempt, the siege of Freetown
(Sierra Leone's capital), and the weakening support of the Nigerians in ECOMOG, a peacekeeping
force in the country. Kabbah wanted peace, and was willing to make sacrifices. Sankoh wanted power, and was willing to fight for it. On 18 May, in the presence of United States
special envoy Jesse Jackson
and Togolese president Gnassingbé Eyadéma
, Kabbah and Sankoh signed an initial cease-fire in Lomé. As a result, Sankoh, along with a negotiation team consisting of field commanders and allies, went to Lomé for negotiations with Kabbah's delegation, headed by Attorney General Solomon Berewa
. After delays, the negotiations began in Lomé on 26 May.
. Berewa conceded some seats for RUF members in the transitional government and that the RUF could form a political party in elections to be held in 2001 but would not grant the vice presidency. Four cabinet
posts and four deputy-ministerial positions were eventually granted to the RUF, subject to approval by the Parliament of Sierra Leone
, and on the RUF side, on the agreement of senior rebel commander Sam Bockarie
, as well as some other field commanders. A RUF team headed by People's War Council chairman Soloman Y. B. Rogers returned to Sierra Leone to garner the support of rebel command. Bockarie pushed for more seats, but rescinded after Charles Taylor intervened. Finally Kabbah and Sankoh signed the agreement in Lomé on 7 July 1999. The Parliament unanimously ratified the accord on 16 July.
. It included commitments to end hostilities, reestablish the Commission for the Consolidation of Peace, provide for demobilization and disarmament, and aid in the reintegration of combatants into civil society. It also granted amnesty to Sankoh and all rebel combatants (Article IX), and allowed for the RUF to become a political party. In order to achieve these goals, it called for the UN observer Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) and ECOMOG to form a neutral peacekeeping force, and all mercenaries to leave the country, as well as a creation of a new Sierra Leone Army.
Sankoh was offered chairmanship of the Commission for the Management of Strategic Resources, National Reconstruction, and Development (Article V), which was to have the status of Vice President, in that he was to be only answerable to the president.
) out of the country, the number 2 in the RUF, Sam Bockarie
, refused to disarm. Rebel activity continued (notably that of new group, the West Side Boys
), and Freetown was again under siege by May, 2000. Disarmament of rebel forces finally began in earnest in May 2001.
, instructed UN representative Francis Okelo not to sign the agreement. However, Okelo was able to convince the UN that his signature was necessary for peace, and he signed with the caveat that the UN would not recognize amnesty for acts of genocide
, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and other serious violations of international humanitarian law, as per the request of the United nations Security Council.
Sierra Leone Civil War
The Sierra Leone Civil War began on 23 March 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front , with support from the special forces of Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia , intervened in Sierra Leone in an attempt to overthrow the Joseph Momoh government...
that gripped Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
for almost a decade. President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah
Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah served as President of Sierra Leone from 1996 to 1997 and again from 1998 to 2007.He worked for the United Nations Development Programme and returned to Sierra Leone in 1992...
signed with the Revolutionary United Front
Revolutionary United Front
The Revolutionary United Front was a rebel army that fought a failed eleven-year war in Sierra Leone, starting in 1991 and ending in 2002. It later developed into a political party, which existed until 2007...
(RUF) leader, Foday Sankoh
Foday Sankoh
Foday Saybana Sankoh was the leader and founder of the Sierra Leone rebel group Revolutionary United Front in the 11-year-long Sierra Leone Civil War, starting in 1991 and ending in 2002...
, granting Sankoh a position in the transitional government as well as amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
for him and all combatants. The accord is named for Lomé
Lomé
Lomé, with an estimated population of 737,751, is the capital and largest city of Togo. Located on the Gulf of Guinea, Lomé is the country's administrative and industrial center and its chief port. The city exports coffee, cocoa, copra, and palm kernels...
, the capital of Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
, where the negotiations took place and the agreement was signed.
Context
The conflict had been dragging on since a RUF coup attempt against Kabbah in 1997. Sierra Leonean politicians at home and abroad were ready to negotiate with the rebels, including Omrie Golley and Pallo Bangura (AFRC/RUF juntaMilitary junta
A junta or military junta is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term derives from the Spanish language junta meaning committee, specifically a board of directors...
's "foreign minister"). At the same time, president Kabbah was worn down from the fighting, the coup attempt, the siege of Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
(Sierra Leone's capital), and the weakening support of the Nigerians in ECOMOG, a peacekeeping
Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
force in the country. Kabbah wanted peace, and was willing to make sacrifices. Sankoh wanted power, and was willing to fight for it. On 18 May, in the presence of United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
special envoy Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
and Togolese president Gnassingbé Eyadéma
Gnassingbé Eyadéma
General Gnassingbé Eyadéma , was the President of Togo from 1967 until his death in 2005. He participated in two successful military coups, in January 1963 and January 1967, and became President on April 14, 1967...
, Kabbah and Sankoh signed an initial cease-fire in Lomé. As a result, Sankoh, along with a negotiation team consisting of field commanders and allies, went to Lomé for negotiations with Kabbah's delegation, headed by Attorney General Solomon Berewa
Solomon Berewa
Solomon Ekuma Dominic Berewa was Vice-President of Sierra Leone from May 2002 to September 2007...
. After delays, the negotiations began in Lomé on 26 May.
Negotiations
The RUF demanded that a four year Transitional Government of National Unity be formed with Sankoh as its vice presidentVice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
. Berewa conceded some seats for RUF members in the transitional government and that the RUF could form a political party in elections to be held in 2001 but would not grant the vice presidency. Four cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
posts and four deputy-ministerial positions were eventually granted to the RUF, subject to approval by the Parliament of Sierra Leone
Parliament of Sierra Leone
The unicameral Parliament of Sierra Leone is the country's legislative body. It is sometimes known as the House of Representatives.The current Parliament, formed following elections held on 14 May 2002, has a total of 124 members. 112 members are directly elected in multi-member constituencies...
, and on the RUF side, on the agreement of senior rebel commander Sam Bockarie
Sam Bockarie
Samuel "Sam" "Mosquito" Bockarie was a leading member of the Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone. Bockarie was infamous during the Sierra Leone Civil War for his brutal tactics, which included amputation, mutilation, and rape. He earned the nickname "Mosquito" for his ability to attack...
, as well as some other field commanders. A RUF team headed by People's War Council chairman Soloman Y. B. Rogers returned to Sierra Leone to garner the support of rebel command. Bockarie pushed for more seats, but rescinded after Charles Taylor intervened. Finally Kabbah and Sankoh signed the agreement in Lomé on 7 July 1999. The Parliament unanimously ratified the accord on 16 July.
Contents of the agreement
The Lomé Peace Agreement contained thirty-seven articles and five annexes. It was largely a rehash of the Abidjan Peace AccordAbidjan Peace Accord
The Abidjan Peace Accord was a treaty signed between the Sierra Leone People's Party government of Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, and the Revolutionary United Front rebel group led by Foday Sankoh to find a resolution to the Sierra Leone Civil War...
. It included commitments to end hostilities, reestablish the Commission for the Consolidation of Peace, provide for demobilization and disarmament, and aid in the reintegration of combatants into civil society. It also granted amnesty to Sankoh and all rebel combatants (Article IX), and allowed for the RUF to become a political party. In order to achieve these goals, it called for the UN observer Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) and ECOMOG to form a neutral peacekeeping force, and all mercenaries to leave the country, as well as a creation of a new Sierra Leone Army.
Sankoh was offered chairmanship of the Commission for the Management of Strategic Resources, National Reconstruction, and Development (Article V), which was to have the status of Vice President, in that he was to be only answerable to the president.
Aftermath of the agreement
Immediately after the signing of the agreement, thousands of civilians and rebels made their way into the cities from the countryside searching for food and overwhelming aid agencies capabilities. However, with government hired mercenaries (especially Executive OutcomesExecutive Outcomes
Executive Outcomes was a private military company founded in South Africa by former Lieutenant-Colonel of the South African Defence Force Eeben Barlow in 1989. It later became part of the South African-based holding company Strategic Resource Corporation....
) out of the country, the number 2 in the RUF, Sam Bockarie
Sam Bockarie
Samuel "Sam" "Mosquito" Bockarie was a leading member of the Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone. Bockarie was infamous during the Sierra Leone Civil War for his brutal tactics, which included amputation, mutilation, and rape. He earned the nickname "Mosquito" for his ability to attack...
, refused to disarm. Rebel activity continued (notably that of new group, the West Side Boys
West Side Boys
The West Side Boys aka West Side Niggaz or West Side Junglers, were an armed group in Sierra Leone, sometimes described as a splinter faction of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council....
), and Freetown was again under siege by May, 2000. Disarmament of rebel forces finally began in earnest in May 2001.
Criticism of the agreement
The granting of Amnesty was highly objectionable from the perspective of the UN. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary RobinsonMary Robinson
Mary Therese Winifred Robinson served as the seventh, and first female, President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, from 1997 to 2002. She first rose to prominence as an academic, barrister, campaigner and member of the Irish Senate...
, instructed UN representative Francis Okelo not to sign the agreement. However, Okelo was able to convince the UN that his signature was necessary for peace, and he signed with the caveat that the UN would not recognize amnesty for acts of genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and other serious violations of international humanitarian law, as per the request of the United nations Security Council.