Que Sierra, Sierra

Out of sight, out of mind. That about sums up the nation's response to theunprecedented tragedy that is slowly unfolding in Sierra Leone. ...

Out of sight, out of mind. That about sums up the nation8217;s response to theunprecedented tragedy that is slowly unfolding in Sierra Leone. Most peopledo not even know where Sierra Leone is on the map. The few who have figuredthis out, imagine that 8220;our boys8221; are out there on a cushy UN assignmentand will soon come back, safe and sound. Fewer still realise that 21 Indiansoldiers have been held hostage for over a month and a half in a region inSierra Leone called Pendembu. Very, very few have figured out that another213 or is it 423? are 8220;encircled8221; in another region calledKailahun.

Unfortunately, the handful who do know the full facts of the Sierra Leoneand India8217;s involvement in peacekeeping there, have preferred to keep theirmouths shut and try and 8220;manage8221; an increasingly untenable situation.

The fact is that these are men in mortal danger. If the nation could beconcerned about the fate of its men in Kargil last year, this time, itcannot but demonstrate a similar concern now. True, the conflict in SierraLeone does not concern India directly, it can even be seen as somebodyelse8217;s war, but the fact remains that among the peacekeepers there are manyIndians and their fate concerns us all.

So far, apart from the Prime Minister8217;s telephonic conversation withNigeria8217;s President Obasanjo and a letter to President Charles Taylor inLiberia the country neighbouring Sierra Leone precious little hasofficially been done to ensure the return of the hostages, the greatmajority of whom, let it not be forgotten, are Indian. If India does notbestir itself on the issue, there is little likelihood of any other countrydoing so.

Musuleng Cooper, former foreign minister of Liberia, who is formally incharge of negotiating the release of the trapped UNAMSIL United NationsMission in Sierra Leone peacekeepers, assured The Indian Express that shewas doing her best. But even she hinted that things are extremely uncertainin Sierra Leone at the moment.

The threat from Foday Sankoh8217;s Revolutionary United Front RUF is asubiquitous as ever, even though the man himself may have been captured.Indeed, the primary demand of the RUF for the release of the hostages isthat Sankoh be allowed to walk free. In the meanwhile, Sierra Leone8217;sPresident Ahmed Tejan Kabbah seems powerless to guarantee a modicum ofpeace, despite the Lome ceasefire agreement of May 1999, under which the RUFwas supposed to disarm.

The British task force, which was overseeing security in Freetown thus far,has largely been withdrawn, partly because of strong public oppositionwithin Britain to endangering the lives of its troops. This means that it isthe UNAMSIL that bears a great deal of the responsibility of ensuring asemblance of peace in a region that has seen conflict for well nigh adecade. Just a couple of days back, it had to halt an ugly shoot-out on thestreets of Freetown between rival groups of government supporters. Whether alasting peace will eventually happen is of course the question that raisesits head in such a situation. The Vajpayee government will have to apply itsmind to this conundrum.