Sierra Leone
September 2012
On 12 September, the Council adopted resolution 2065 extending UNIPSIL’s mandate until 31 March 2013 and authorising UNIPSIL to assist Sierra Leone through elections in November and to perform a number of post-election tasks, including “the preparation of a transition plan and exit strategy” following the elections. The adoption followed a briefing from Jens Anders Toyberg-Frandzen (Denmark), the head of UNIPSIL, on the Secretary-General’s latest report. Ambassador Guillermo Rishchynski (Canada), the chair of the PBC configuration for Sierra Leone, and Ambassador Shekou M. Touray (Sierra Leone) also addressed the Council.
June 2012
On 22 June, Ambassador Guillermo Rishchynski (Canada), head of the PBC configuration for Sierra Leone, chaired an informal meeting of the PBC in New York to discuss preparations for the forthcoming elections.
May 2012
On 23 May, Council members visited Sierra Leone as part of a three-country visit to West Africa. The Sierra Leone leg—led by Council members South Africa and the UK—was intended to encourage continued efforts to consolidate peace and national reconciliation. Reporting on the trip to the Council on 31 May, the South African ambassador said progress was being made for the elections on 17 November. However, the political environment in the country was dominated by intense rivalry and mistrust between the two major political parties—the ruling APC and the opposition SLPP. On the contentious issue of the purchase of weapons for paramilitary police, which was raised in the Council by UNIPSIL on 22 March, the South African ambassador reported that the president of Sierra Leone reassured Council members that those weapons were transferred to the armed forces of in the presence of international observers.
