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The following is an unauthorized version of the Report of the Panel of Experts to the United Nations on Sierra Leone.
This is not the official report. The official report has not yet been released. The report posted here is subject to change by the sanctions committee.
INTRODUCTION
A. General
51. On August 2, 2000, in reference to Security Council Resolution 1306 (2000) concerning Sierra Leone, adopted by the Security Council on July 5, 2000, the Secretary General of the United Nations appointed a Panel of Experts to collect information on possible violations of the measures imposed by paragraph 2 of Resolution 1171 (1998) and the link between trade in diamonds and trade in arms and related matériel, and to consider the adequacy of air traffic control systems in the region.
52. Paragraph 2 of Resolution 1171 (1998) states that
The Security Council... decides, with a view to prohibiting the sale and supply of arms and related matériel to non-governmental forces in Sierra Leone, that all States shall prevent the sale or supply, by their nations or from their territories, or using their flag vessels or aircraft, of arms and related matériel of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment and spare parts for the aforementioned, to Sierra Leone other than to the Government of Sierra Leone through named points of entry on a list to be supplied by that Government to the Secretary-General who shall then promptly notify all Member States of the United Nations of the list.
53. In connection with this Resolution, the Panel took cognisance of Paragraph 8 of Security Council Resolution 788 (1992), which remains in force:
The Security Council... decides, under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, that all states shall, for the purposes of establishing peace and stability in Liberia, immediately implement a general and complete embargo on all deliveries of weapons and military equipment to Liberia until the Security Council decides otherwise.
54. The Panel also noted paragraphs 1 to 7 of Security Council Resolution 1306 (2000), which dealt with the issue of Sierra Leone's diamonds, and in which the Security Council decided that 'all States shall take the necessary measures to prohibit the direct or indirect import of all rough diamonds from Sierra Leone to their territory.'
55. On October 6, 2000, the Chairman of the Sierra Leone Sanctions Committee informed the President of the Security Council that his Committee had agreed to exempt the export of diamonds controlled by the Government of Sierra Leone through a new Certificate of Origin regime from the measures imposed by paragraph 1 of the resolution.
56. The Panel of Experts consisted of Mr. Martin Chungong Ayafor (Cameroon - Chairman), Mr. Atabou Bodian (Senegal - Expert from the International Civil Aviation Organization), Mr. Johan Peleman (Belgium - Arms and Transportation Expert), Mr. Harjit S. Sandhu (India - Expert from Interpol), and Mr. Ian Smillie (Canada - Diamond Expert). The letter appointing the Panel is included in Annex 1.
57. The Panel first met at UN Headquarters in New York on August 21, and it was subsequently agreed with the Security Council Sanctions Committee on Sierra Leone that its report would be submitted on December 8, 2000. This was subsequently rescheduled to mid December, 2000.
B. The Work of the Panel
58. The Panel received a great deal of logistical and moral support from the United Nations Secretariat, from UN Resident Coordinators and UNDP officials in almost every country it visited. Many governments helped with detailed information and advice, and many individuals and companies in the diamond industry provided helpful information. The Security Council exploratory hearings on Sierra Leone diamonds held in New York on July 31 and August 1, 2000 were also very helpful in setting the stage for the Panel.
59. The Panel was able to coordinate some of its work with the concurrent Angola Panel. In addition, Panel members were able to attend an important intergovernmental conference on conflict diamonds held in Pretoria in September 2000.
60. The Panel travelled widely to countries involved in the diamond trade, and to countries involved, or said to be involved in the trafficking of weapons and related matériel to Sierra Leone in contravention of UN Security Council embargoes. The entire panel visited Sierra Leone twice, and some Panel members visited three times. In addition to Freetown, trips were made to Daru and to the diamond trading centre of Kenema. In Guinea, Panel members visited Conakry and Nzerekore. The entire Panel also visited Liberia, South Africa and United Nations Headquarters in New York. Travel was undertaken by one or several of the Panel members to Belgium, Burkina Faso, Canada, Ghana, France, India, Israel, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Spain Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States and the United Arab Emirates. Stopover visits were made to Abidjan, but because of elections and subsequent civil unrest, only a limited number of telephone conversations were possible.
61. In each country Panel members met with government authorities, and where relevant, with diplomatic missions, civil society organizations, aid agencies, private sector firms and journalists. The Panel had access to a wide range of public and confidential information provided by official sources, including law enforcement and intelligence agencies. The Panel also contacted a number of key individuals and informants whose names have been a subject of interest and controversy in recent months in connection with the Sierra Leone crisis. A full list of those contacted is contained in Annex 2. Given the sensitive nature of the subjects investigated by the Panel, however, it should be noted that many individuals spoke under conditions of confidentiality. Several meetings held in various countries have therefore not been listed.
63. In August 2000, the Panel requested detailed statistics dating back to 1987 on diamond exports from major producing countries, and imports to countries with significant trading, cutting and polishing industries. The reason for going back to 1987 was to determine what trends might have prevailed before the wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia. In September, the Panel sent reminders to all governments that had not yet provided the requested statistics. In the end, most of the data requested was provided by most governments. Three exceptions stand out, despite reminders: no statistics were received from The Gambia, Côte d'Ivoire and the United Arab Emirates.
C. Standards of Verification
64. The Panel agreed at the outset of its work to use high evidentiary standards in its investigations. This required at least two credible and independent sources of information to substantiate a finding. Wherever possible, the Panel also agreed to put allegations to those concerned in order to allow them the right of reply. In the past, allegations against various parties to the conflict in Sierra Leone have been denied with the question, 'Where is the evidence?' An example of this is the standard response to charges that weapons have been channelled to Liberia through Burkina Faso. In the report that follows, we have dealt in detail with this particular allegation. It might still be asked, 'Where is the evidence?' On this charge and others, full details of the sources will not be revealed, but the evidence is incontrovertible. The Panel examined the flight records maintained at the offices of Roberts Flight Information Region (FIR) in Conakry for all aircraft movement in West Africa during the period in question. It saw photographs of the aircraft being loaded in Burkina Faso. It examined flight plans. It spoke to eyewitnesses of aircraft movement in Burkina Faso and Liberia, and it spoke to individuals who were on board the aircrafts in question. In addition to its own detailed verification, the Panel received corroborating information from international intelligence agencies and police sources operating at international as well as national levels. The assistance of Interpol specialists was also taken as and when required. This is an example of one of the more difficult issues examined by the Panel. All issues have been judged and reported using the same standard.
D. A Reminder
65. The Panel's mandate is described in Section A, above. The Panel was reminded of the background to its mandate, however, during its visits to Sierra Leone. There, thousands of civilians, many of them child victims of unspeakable brutality, face a future without hands or feet. Tens of thousands of Sierra Leoneans have lost their lives, half a million have become refugees and three or four times that number has been displaced. As the Panel concluded its report, much of Sierra Leone remained in rebel hands, where people lived without access to medical assistance, education or the means to a secure livelihood. The Panel remained cognizant, throughout its work, of its role and its responsibility in helping to end the suffering of the people of Sierra Leone, and this decade-long tragedy.