United Nations Security Council Resolution 1626
Encyclopedia
United Nations
Security Council Resolution
1626, adopted unanimously on September 19, 2005, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situations in Liberia
and Sierra Leone
, particularly resolutions 1509
(2003), 1610
(2005) and 1620
(2005), the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Liberia
(UNMIL) until March 31, 2006 and authorised the deployment of 250 troops to Sierra Leone to protect the Special Court
.
(ECOWAS) and African Union
(AU) were playing in the Liberian process in addition to that of the United Nations. It welcomed progress made in preparations towards the general elections in October 2005 and efforts made by the transitional government towards the lifting of sanctions imposed by Resolution 1521
(2003).
The preamble of the resolution also welcomed the work of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, noting that the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone
(UNAMSIL) was ending its mission on December 31, 2005 and the need for continued protection of the court.
, the Council extended the mandate
of UNMIL and called upon the Liberian authorities to ensure free, fair and transparent elections. The international community
was urged to provide resources to meet needs relating to ex-combatants and reform of the security sector.
UNMIL was authorised to deploy 250 personnel to Sierra Leone to protect the Special Court, and at the same time, a temporary increase of UNMIL personnel was ordered until March 31, 2006. Furthermore, UNMIL was also authorised to deploy military personnel to Sierra Leone if needed to evacuate personnel there in the event of an emergency. The United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone
(UNIOSIL) was instructed to provide support for UNMIL personnel deployed in Sierra Leone.
The resolution asked the Secretary-General Kofi Annan
and government of Sierra Leone to conclude an agreement regarding the status of UNMIL military personnel in the country. United Nations missions in the region were encouraged to pursue intermission co-operation in order to prevent arms trafficking, movement of combatants, the illegal exploitation of natural resources and the implementation of disarmament
, demobilisation and reintegration
programmes.
Finally, the Secretary-General was required to provide a drawdown assessment for UNMIL in his March 2006 report.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Security Council Resolution
United Nations Security Council Resolution
A United Nations Security Council resolution is a UN resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council; the UN body charged with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security"....
1626, adopted unanimously on September 19, 2005, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situations in Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
and 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...
, particularly resolutions 1509
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1509
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1509, adopted unanimously on September 19, 2003, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation in Liberia, including Resolution 1497 , the Council established the 15,000-strong United Nations Mission in Liberia to assist in implementing a...
(2003), 1610
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1610
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1610, adopted unanimously on June 30, 2005, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation in Sierra Leone, the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone for a final six months until December 31,...
(2005) and 1620
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1620
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1620, adopted unanimously on August 31, 2005, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation in Sierra Leone, the Council established the United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone for an initial period of twelve months beginning on...
(2005), the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Liberia
United Nations Mission in Liberia
The United Nations Mission in Liberia is a peace-keeping force established in September 2003 to monitor a ceasefire agreement in Liberia following the resignation of President Charles Taylor and the conclusion of the Second Liberian Civil War....
(UNMIL) until March 31, 2006 and authorised the deployment of 250 troops to Sierra Leone to protect the Special Court
Special Court for Sierra Leone
The Special Court for Sierra Leone is an independent judicial body set up to "try those who bear greatest responsibility" for the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Sierra Leone after 30 November 1996 during the Sierra Leone Civil War...
.
Observations
The Security Council recognised the important role that the Economic Community of West African StatesEconomic Community of West African States
The Economic Community of West African States is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region....
(ECOWAS) and African Union
African Union
The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
(AU) were playing in the Liberian process in addition to that of the United Nations. It welcomed progress made in preparations towards the general elections in October 2005 and efforts made by the transitional government towards the lifting of sanctions imposed by Resolution 1521
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1521
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1521, adopted unanimously on December 22, 2003, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation in Liberia and West Africa, the Council established a monitoring body to oversee international sanctions against Liberia...
(2003).
The preamble of the resolution also welcomed the work of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, noting that the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone
United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone
The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone was a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Sierra Leone from 1999 to 2005. It was created by the United Nations Security Council in October 1999 to help with the implementation of the Lomé Peace Accord, an agreement intended to end the Sierra Leonean...
(UNAMSIL) was ending its mission on December 31, 2005 and the need for continued protection of the court.
Acts
Acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations CharterChapter VII of the United Nations Charter
Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter sets out the UN Security Council's powers to maintain peace. It allows the Council to "determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression" and to take military and nonmilitary action to "restore international peace...
, the Council extended the mandate
Mandate (international law)
In international law, a mandate is a binding obligation issued from an inter-governmental organization like the United Nations to a country which is bound to follow the instructions of the organization....
of UNMIL and called upon the Liberian authorities to ensure free, fair and transparent elections. The international community
International community
The international community is a term used in international relations to refer to all peoples, cultures and governments of the world or to a group of them. The term is used to imply the existence of common duties and obligations between them...
was urged to provide resources to meet needs relating to ex-combatants and reform of the security sector.
UNMIL was authorised to deploy 250 personnel to Sierra Leone to protect the Special Court, and at the same time, a temporary increase of UNMIL personnel was ordered until March 31, 2006. Furthermore, UNMIL was also authorised to deploy military personnel to Sierra Leone if needed to evacuate personnel there in the event of an emergency. The United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone
United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone
The United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone was established by Resolution 1620 of the United Nations Security Council in 2005 to begin operations in 2006 as a follow up to United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone which helped end the Sierra Leone Civil War.It was extended twice and ended...
(UNIOSIL) was instructed to provide support for UNMIL personnel deployed in Sierra Leone.
The resolution asked the Secretary-General Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
and government of Sierra Leone to conclude an agreement regarding the status of UNMIL military personnel in the country. United Nations missions in the region were encouraged to pursue intermission co-operation in order to prevent arms trafficking, movement of combatants, the illegal exploitation of natural resources and the implementation of disarmament
Disarmament
Disarmament is the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing weapons. Disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. Disarmament is often taken to mean total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear arms...
, demobilisation and reintegration
Social integration
Social integration, in sociology and other social sciences, is the movement of minority groups such as ethnic minorities, refugees and underprivileged sections of a society into the mainstream of societies...
programmes.
Finally, the Secretary-General was required to provide a drawdown assessment for UNMIL in his March 2006 report.
See also
- List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1601 to 1700 (2005 – 2006)
- Second Liberian Civil WarSecond Liberian Civil WarThe Second Liberian Civil War began in 1999 when a rebel group backed by the government of neighbouring Guinea, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy , emerged in northern Liberia. In early 2003, a second rebel group, the Movement for Democracy in Liberia, emerged in the south, and...
- Sierra Leone Civil WarSierra Leone Civil WarThe 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...