Monrovia (Agenzia Fides)- “It was a false start” Father Mauro Armanino, SMA Provincial Superior in Monrovia, told Fides with regard to the pause in the Liberian disarmament process ordered by the United Nations after more fighters wanted to hand in their weapons than was anticipated. More than 9,000 former fighters turned up at the Schieffelin military barracks, 25km east of the capital. The camp, which was designed to hold 1,000, has been overwhelmed and the UN says it will stop taking in the former combatants until 20 January. “They were taken by surprise. There was not enough money for all the men who wanted to hand in their weapons. Disorder broke out and the men began shooting in front of the disarmament camps”. Fighters will receive $300 each for laying down their arms. Under the UN plan, fighters should surrender their weapons and start to receive food rations, counselling and education. The first $150 was to have been paid at the end of a three-week demobilisation programme, with the second $150 being handed over when fighters return to their communities.
“Local women involved in giving disarmed troops counselling and education said that when it was announced that payment would be made in stages the men took back their weapons and began shooting in the air and that this operation lasted for 45 minutes” the missionary told Fides.
“This episode shows the distance between plans on paper and the situation in the field” Father Mauro told. “Not many officials in Liberia are willing to go and speak with the people and see the situation with their own eyes”. “In addition, the deployment of UN peace keepers in Liberia has yet to be completed which means the UN has not enough men to monitor the disarmament programme.”
The disarmament programme started officially on 7 December and it is a major point in the peace agreement signed in August this year to put an end to years of civil war between troops loyal to former President Charles Taylor, now exiled in Nigeria, and rebel groups LURD Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy and MODEL Liberian Democratic Movement.
(L.M.) (Fides Service15/12/2003, lines 30 words 386)