United Nations Security Council resolution 1270, adopted unanimously on 22 October 1999, after recalling resolutions 1171 (1998),

1181 Year 1181 ( MCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * King Philip II (Augustus) annuls all loans made by Jews to Christians, and takes a per ...

(1998), 1231 (1999) and 1260 (1999) on the situation in

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1265, Resolution 1265 (1999) on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, established the

United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) was a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Sierra Leone from 1999 to 2006. It was created by the United Nations Security Council in October 1999 to help with the implementation of the Lom� ...

(UNAMSIL) to assist in the implementation of the

Lomé Peace Accord Lomé is the capital and largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437

. The

Government of Sierra Leone The government of Sierra Leone is the governing authority of the Republic of Sierra Leone, as established by the Sierra Leone Constitution. The Sierra Leone government is divided into three branches: the Executive branch, executive, legislative an ...

and rebels in the country had taken important steps to implement the peace agreement of 7 July 1999 in

Lomé Lomé is the capital and largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437

. There were preparations for the

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 n ...

demobilisation Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and militar ...

and reintegration of ex-combatants, including

child soldiers Children (defined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child as people under the age of 18) have been recruited for participation in military operations and campaigns throughout history and in many cultures. Children in the military, includ ...

. The

Revolutionary United Front The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was a rebel group that fought a failed eleven-year war in Sierra Leone, beginning in 1991 and ending in 2002. It later transformed into a political party, which still exists today. The three most senior surv ...

(RUF),

Civil Defence Forces The Civil Defense Forces (CDF) was a paramilitary organization that fought in the Sierra Leone Civil War (1991–2002). It supported the elected government of Ahmed Tejan Kabbah against the rebel groups Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and Armed For ...

, former Sierra Leone Armed Forces/

Armed Forces Revolutionary Council The Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) was a group of Sierra Leone soldiers that allied itself with the rebel Revolutionary United Front in the late 1990s. While the AFRC briefly controlled the country in 1998, it was driven from the cap ...

(AFRC) and all other armed groups were called upon to lay down their arms. Meanwhile, the Council deplored the taking of

hostage A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized, such as a relative, employer, law enforcement or government to act, or ref ...

s, including personnel from the

United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone The United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL) was a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Sierra Leone from 1998 to 1999 that was established with the passage of United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Counci ...

(UNOMSIL) and the

Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group The Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) was a West African multilateral armed force established by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). ECOMOG was a formal arrangement for separate armies to work ...

(ECOMOG) by rebel groups. The Security Council then established UNAMSIL for a period of six months with the following mandate: :(a) co-operate with the Sierra Leonean government and other parties to the Lomé Peace Accord; :(b) assist in disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (of around 45,000 rebel troops); :(c) establish a presence at key locations in the country; :(d) ensure the safety and

freedom of movement Freedom of movement, mobility rights, or the right to travel is a human rights concept encompassing the right of individuals to travel from place to place within the territory of a country,Jérémiee Gilbert, ''Nomadic Peoples and Human Rights' ...

of United Nations personnel; :(e) monitor adherence to the agreed

ceasefire A ceasefire (also known as a truce or armistice), also spelled cease fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be between state act ...

; :(f) encourage the development of confidence-building mechanisms; :(g) facilitate the delivery of

humanitarian assistance Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance to people who need help. It is usually short-term help until the long-term help by the government and other institutions replaces it. Among the people in need are the homeless, refugees, and ...

; :(h) support operations of United Nations personnel; :(i) provide support for

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

in Sierra Leone. The mission would consist of up to 6,000 troops including 260 military observers and would take over the tasks of the previous UNOMSIL operation which was terminated upon the establishment of UNAMSIL in addition to participating alongside ECOMOG. Furthermore, acting under

Chapter 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 an ...

, the Council authorised the mission to take necessary measures for its own security to ensure the freedom of movement of its personnel and to protect civilians against direct threats. The resolution also remarked that refugees should be able to return home, further humanitarian aid was essential and it was important to address the needs of children affected by the conflict. Finally, the Secretary-General

Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder ...

was requested to report every 45 days on the peace process.

References

External links

*
Text of the Resolution at undocs.orgUNAMSIL website
{{UNSCR 1999 1270 1999 in Sierra Leone 1270 Sierra Leone Civil War October 1999 events

See also

References

External links