ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the implementation of the Lom Peace Agreement between the deployment of the United Nations force in 1999 and the sudden collapse of the mission in the early days of May 2000. It analyses the enlargement of the United Nations mission from February 2000 onwards into the areas controlled by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). The chapter considers the spark that caused the immediate crisis and the intial response of the international community through the auspices of the United Nations both in Sierra Leone and at its headquarters in New York. Both the Government of Sierra Leone and the RUF agreed to guarantee the safety, security and freedom of movement of United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone, UNOMSIL Military Observers throughout Sierra Leone. In February 2000 a further resolution 1289 gave United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, UNAMSIL a more robust mandate and expanded its authorised strength to 11,100 including 260 United Nations military observers (UNMOs).
