Weapons are not limited to military uses in the African trouble spot;
they are also the only means for many teenagers to survive
Disarming violent youths key to stability in Liberia
Sam accepted the offer of a cigarette, let his AK-47 rifle fall to
his side and admitted that a life spent as a Liberian rebel had largely
been a waste. “Brother's been killing brother,” said the 29-year-old, speaking in
Buchanan, a once-thriving Atlantic port now ruled by teenage gunmen in
flip-flop sandals. “We're tired of war,” he said.
Yesterday UN peacekeepers were to launch a scheme to give an
estimated 40,000 fighters the chance to turn their backs on a life of
drug-fuelled rape and murder by handing in their guns and learning a
trade. The plan sounds simple: end 14 years of war in Liberia by removing
weapons that have spread to fuel conflicts in neighboring Ivory Coast
and Sierra Leone.
Liberians used to living at the mercy of teenagers with machine guns
agree it is an excellent idea, saying disarmament is the only way to
enforce a peace deal signed by the government and rebels in August. The UN has enlisted gospel artists, the hip-grinding performance of a
woman singer called Ladylove and a clown named George to help convince
fighters to lay down their arms, but it may not be easy.
“I want to know book”
Sam's “Delta Force” comrade Emmanuel summed up the problem — finding
the combatants a way to make a living other than by taking what they
want at gunpoint. “That thing give him food to eat,” he said, giving Sam's battered
rifle a tap on its barrel. Add to that mistrust among factions, a lack of UN troops and a flow
of weapons from abroad, and the task of disarmament takes on monumental
proportions.
Buchanan seems to offer hope that at least some rebels might join the
disarmament program, following 800 fighters, mainly government troops,
who have already signed up.
On the edge of town, a 16-year-old rebel gunman called John levies
money from a car crossing a bridge over the river, the only break in the
tangle of palm fronds and creepers flanking the road. “I want to go to school, I want to know book,” he said, displaying
ritual chest scars to stop bullets. “I don't want to be in the army, I want to be a businessman,” he
said.
UN officials say they are confident of receiving US$50 million from
donors for the program to demobilize and retrain ex-combatants, but
unemployment already stands at 85 percent in a country where war has
smashed the economy.
Demobilization officers say up to half the combatants may be child
soldiers, a lost generation who can fire a gun but cannot read, and who
will also soon want work.
In Buchanan, 118km southeast of the capital Monrovia, rusted
machinery at the port bears stark witness to disruption of industries
like iron ore and timber extraction, which once were important sources
of income.
Perhaps aware that civilian life may be tough, rebel leaders are less
enthusiastic about disarming. At the end of Buchanan's main street, where virtually the only signs
of economic activity are a few women selling oranges in the shade, lies
the rebel headquarters. A man in a vest bearing the word “Model” — the name of the group
based in the town — strolls into the house with a pet monkey trailing
on a string. It is not long before the commander arrives — in a brown saloon car
with a gunman perched on the bonnet, and two more sitting in the open
boot at the back.
A man of few words, Tailey Gladior scoffed at the US$300 allowance
offered to fighters under the nine-month scheme. “We are willing to give the weapons, but by giving the weapons, what
will be our reward?” he asked, a gold watch dangling from his wrist. “I'm saying that before I give the arm, US$500 for each arm,” he
said.
Guns for hire
Handing in weapons might also appear rash for rebels who are still
involved in clashes with loyalists of former president Charles Taylor,
exiled to Nigeria in August. Model said it wanted peacekeepers to deploy to protect its men before
disarming — but the force so far has only about 4,500 of a planned
15,000 troops on the ground.
Even if peacekeepers can pacify the interior, experts say the program
will work only if steps are taken to limit the movement of Liberians as
hired guns abroad. In a region where sponsoring your neighbor's rebels is standard
procedure, officials say pressure also needs to be put on regional
governments to stop the arms flow.
Human rights groups say Guinea, a recipient of US military aid, backs
the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy rebels, while
Ivory Coast is accused of sponsoring the smaller Model group. Pausing from cycling down Buchanan's rutted street, Model fighter Aka
Poco, 34, said the UN force would have to ensure all sides in Liberia
complied.
“If the arms stay in this country there will be
problems. If they don't bring perfect peace to this country, the war can
start again,” he said.
By Matthew Green
8 December 2003
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/edit/archives/2003/12/02/2003078078
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