C O D I S A L
The Coalition for Democracy in Sierra Leone
Promoting Government by the Consent of the Governed
P R E S S * R E L E A S E
Strong Possibility Junta Will Leave Before April 22
No matter what anyone says, Chief Samuel Hinga Norman, Commander of the Civil Defence Forces (CDF), believes there is a strong possibility that the AFRC/RUF junta will be booted out of the sit of government before April 22, 1998.
Chief Norman made the assertion during a telephone conversation in response to questions from a group of Sierra Leoneans meeting in Dayton, Ohio on January 17. Mr. Norman was speaking from his base in Sierra Leone via a satellite telephone-hookup.
"We hope to do it before that," he said, referring to the April 22 deadline now set for the handing over of power to the constitutionally elected government of Sierra Leone. "The junta is illegitimate and, therefore, has no right to dictate a deadline," Mr. Norman said. Speaking from his office in Conakry, Guinea President Tejan Kabbah, who also was contacted by phone seemed to share Mr. Norman's optimism.
"The CDF are doing a very good job," Mr. Kabbah said. "They have conveyed a very strong message that something has to be done on or before April 22."
"So many things are happening that make it seem possible," Mr. Kabbah said. Mr. Kabbah said the UN team which recently visited Freetown and met with junta representatives reported to him that the "soldiers made statements that they are committed to the peace process."
"No one accepts anything beyond the April 22 deadline," he said. "These activities are ongoing," Mr. Kabbah said. "I believe that one way or the other, something will happen. Just don't ask me for details."
The Dayton (Ohio) meeting was organized by the Coalition for Democracy in Sierra Leone (CODISAL), in collaboration with STARFISH, a nongovernmental organization with over 10 years of experience working with Sierra Leoneans.
Five Sierra Leonean organizations of pro-democracy orientation were represented at the meeting, including CODISAL, STARFISH, MRD (Movement the Restoration of Democracy), OSLIN (Organization of Sierra Leoneans in Indiana), and SACSL (Society for the Advancement of Culture and Welfare in Sierra Leone).
The meeting was held as part of the ongoing effort in the search for lasting peace, sustainable development and democracy in Sierra Leone. The group spent the entire morning session dissecting the 23 October 1997 ECOWAS Peace Accord item by item, brainstorming, and then preparing an Action Plan consisting of both short-term and long-term goals.
The short-term goals included identifying "doable" projects that Sierra Leoneans in the United States can support collectively, arranging meetings with members of Congress, especially with the Congressional Black Caucus and organizing another meeting to bring more organizations together.
For the long-term, the group recommended that Sierra Leoneans should be encouraged to form non-governmental organizations (NGOs). As an NGO, STARFISH was seen as a model that NGOs in post-war Sierra Leone might emulate.
STARFISH which operated in the rutile mining region of the country, drew its personnel primarily from the the local population. It maintained an office not in Freetown, as almost all the other NGOs do, but in the mining community from where it distributed relief supplies to often neglected populations in an efficient and cost effective manner.
"We don't use expensive sports utility vehicles as other NGOs do to perform our work," said Joseph Giardullo, a Ohio resident who established STARFISH and has worked in Sierra Leone since 1986.
During that period, it expanded the Sierra Rutile Clinic, doubling patient services, according to Giardullo. Through procurement or donation of medical equipment and supplies from U.S. and European resources, STARFISH provided radiological technology, minor surgery, medical laboratory and dental and eye services to residents of the mining community and the general public, Giardullo said.
The organization used outreach programs at Serabu and Mattru Hospitals to provide pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and supplies, and training for Sierra Leonean medical personnel.
Besides Chief Hinga Norman, Sierra Leone's UN Ambassador, James Jonah, United States Ambassador to Sierra Leone, John Hirsch, and President Tejan Kabbah respectively answered through telephone hook-up questions the delegates posed to them. Without exception, all of them indicated they were confident Mr. Kabbah and his government will return to Sierra Leone by April 22.
Mr. Jonah said the junta was using the release of Foday Sankoh only as a means of stalling the peace process and the return of Tejan Kabbah's government. "They really don't want Foday Sankoh to be released," Jonah said. "They are using this only for their own means, especially the civilian supporters of the junta like Karefa-Smart and Abas Bundu." Ambassador Hirsch encouraged the delegates to continue to lobby Congress, especially the Congressional Black Caucus. "Go to members of Congress (and) ... continue this line of action because it is effective," Mr. Hirsh said.