16:52:20
Opening Montage: Freetown....war torn capital of Sierra Leone. Until recently, Nigerian soldiers of the ECOMOG intervention force watched over a fragile peace, here. It was an uneasy, hard-fought-for peace, that for ten short months, allowed a semblance of normality to return to the streets of Freetown.
16:53
FX woman dancing.... That ended in early May, when 19 unarmed protestors were gunned down outside the house of this man,Corporal Foday Saybana Sankoh, leader of the largest rebel movement in Sierra Leone, the Revolutionary United Front. He is now in the custody of the Sierra Leonian government.
Sankoh drinks... His countrymen have called him a blood thirsty madman; Human rights organisations have accused his soldiers of waging a war of terror on the civilian population. They have accused the rebels of conducting a systematic campaign of abduction, rape, and murder. But it is for the widespread amputation of the limbs of their enemies that the RUF will be most remembered.
SOUNDBYTE-
Corinne Dufka/Human Rights Watch
‘He has been at the head of organisation the RUF who have committed some of the worst war crimes we have seen in our time'
16:54
CU Machine gun-House sequence (NB: Move wide shot to second in sequence)
A heavily guarded house overlooking Freetown. It is to here, that Sankoh returned after the signing of the Lome peace accords. For a few short months this house was a focal point of a fragile peace process. And in the end, it was here, where the peace process all but collapsed.
16:54:10
Bus Arrives... A bus brings in members of Sankoh's newly formed party, the RUFP, from the east of the country for a regional congress. It is early March, and the signs seem good that Sankoh is making the transition from General to Politician and his supporters have answered the call to build the party structures.
16:54:25
Women singing... ‘Sankoh is our saviour' they sing. His political rhetoric strikes a chord here among the poor in Sierra Leone. He preaches an end to the corruption and nepotism that has characterised Sierra Leonian politics since independence from Britain in the early nineteen sixties.
It's the same populist tune he sang when he launched the RUF in the wake of a student revolt nine years ago, and took his soldiers into the bush to wage war on the government.
And it's this same tune he hopes that will carry him into next year's general elections, and win him the prize that has thus far eluded him, the Presidency
16:55:15
Chair fight... But the transition from a rag tag rebel movement to a well disciplined political party capable of winning an election was never going to be an easy one.
In a country characterised by one party dictatorships and military coups, you take what you can get.
Lists being drawn up... Sierra Leone has a complex constitutional structure and for Sankoh to stand any chance of winning power through the ballot box he has to ensure that his party has a presence in every region of the country.
ADD UPSOUND OF ZAINAB BANGURA ON CONSTITUTIONAL CONSTRAINTS
Women singing... Yet the mood is festive among Sankoh's supporters, as they celebrate their leaders pending victory.
MOVE PICTURE OF WATER TO HERE:
16:55:40
A man spreads water over the dust as the final preparations for the leader's arrival are made.
As Sankoh emerges to address his followers, he seems confident that his final goal is now within his grasp. Until his recent arrest Sankoh was effectively a vice-president of the country and in charge of the important Commission on Strategic Minerals, which includes Sierra Leone's vast diamond reserves.
Pa or Pape as Sankoh likes to be called, seems comfortable in the role he has cast for himself as the "Father of Sierra Leone".
The former army corporal and TV cameraman is a charismatic character.
And it is, in part, this charisma he uses to inspire his followers for the task ahead.
UPSOUND OF SANKOH: (Translation from Creole)
What we need to do is to build the level of our organisation in your various constituencies, so that we can build a strong party.
And so...if you invite me to your constituencies, I will come there...I will come there ...when you've elected your officials, we'll get a house for the party and we can begin campaigning.
Me I'm a poor man among leaders...I've got nothing...
Hand in Pocket...CUT OUT SHOT OF MAN ASKING QUESTION...to
16:56:50 Sankoh on the move
Accountability is part of democracy. Sankohs's started allowing questions during his meetings
He obviously enjoys playing the role of a politician. He knows however, that it is as a General of troops in the field, that his real power lay. And so it was that by as early as February this year...
Sankoh leaves rally... Long shadows had begun to form over the implementation of the Lome peace deal. Eight months after its signing, two thirds of the countryside remained under the control of Sankoh's troops, with as many as 15 000 RUF fighters reported to be, still under arms. Under the terms of the Lome Peace Accord, these troops were to have begun handing in their guns and reporting to Demobilisation centres.
16:59:23
Amputee Camp... A mile down the road from Sankoh's house lies a living monument to the legacy of the war waged by these troops. At a camp run by the French NGO, Medcin sans Frontiers, are some of the victims of the rebel's ruthless campaign of terror. Not even children were spared the brutality of this war.
Men playing draughts... Far from reporting to Demobilisation camps in any significant numbers, Sankoh's troops continued to be active in the field, playing a cat and mouse game aimed to delay the deployment of United Nations peace-keepers who were replacing the Nigerian-led ECOMOG force.
Nigerian Arrival Pix... Over the past three years Nigerian troops have formed the backbone of international efforts to restore Sierra Leone to democracy. In 1998 it was Nigerian troops who restored the democratically elected government of Ahmed Tejan Kabba to power, and again in January 1999, thwarted the rebels as they threatened to overrun Freetown.
Nigeria's new president Oluguheng Obasanjo has re-affirmed his government's commitment to help in Sierra Leone.
17:00:30
SLA Training... The Nigerians have also played a key role in re-training and re-equipping the Sierra Leonian Army. Under the watchful eyes of highly skilled Nigerian officers, a new army was built up to give the elected government the capacity to fight its own war.
17:00:46
SWAP PICTRES OF BRIT RE-TRAINING...
USE UPSOUND OF CLEARING GUNS...
British Training... British soldiers too, have played a role in the re-training of the new army. But Britain's contribution, has been more controversial. The storm over the illegal shipment of arms to government supporters in defiance of a UN arms embargo in 1997 was a severe set-back to Whitehall.
Peter Penfold... At the centre of that storm was the former British ambassador to Freetown, Peter Penfold. A close ally of the government, he was rewarded for his support by being made a paramount chief.
17:01:40
Radio Room... Meanwhile back at Sankoh's house the RUF's Publicity Secretary Eldrid Collins, took us on a tour that included Sankoh's radio room. According to sources at the British Embassy, it is from here that Sankoh keeps in touch with his troops in the field. These broadcasts are regularly monitored by the Embassy who claim to have recordings of Sankoh ordering his troops to commit acts that are in violation of the Lome Peace Accord...Today, however, no one seemed to be answering.
17:02:30
Sankoh Meeting... Outside on the varanda, Sankoh meets with the newly-elected party offcials from the east of the country. They have come with a veritable shopping list of requirements needed to build a strong party: These include two houses, three cars, four typewriters, a tractor and shirts for the local football team...Sankoh agrees to fund some of their requirements. The show their gratitude.
And while he admires their gift, it seems as if events outside Sankoh's compound are soon to overtake him.
The Brits aren't the only people monitoring the airwaves. Here Sankoh's boys listen to the United Nations Spokesman interviewed on the BBC, claiming the RUF is blocking UN deployment.
BBC Radio UPSOUND... "When our patrols are stopped..." thru to "...authority from the chariman."
"...As to why they're stopping us...Let the right thing be done."
Security Sweep... The United Nations were not the only ones who were concerned with the direction of Sankoh's strategy. On any given day a continual stream of delegations make their way through the elaborate security and protocol arrangements that surrounded Sankoh.
MCS in yard... On this occasion a delegation from the Movement for Civil Society has arrived to personally deliver a note of protest to the Chairman.
A collection of a broad range of civic organisations, the Movement for Civil Society has often played a key role in the struggle to preserve democracy in Sierra Leone.
Inside house... They are credited with influencing the collapse of military regime in 1998, by mobilising mass protests in Freetown. It was these protests ECOMOG used as a pretext for its initial intervention that restored Tejan-Kabaa to power.
(UPSOUND OF INTRODUCTIONS)... They are specifically concerned about the recent disarming and seizure of weapons from a contingent of 200 Guinean peace keepers
UPSOUND "...And the frequency of arms siezures..." through to "...Lome Peace Accord."
Sankoh is clearly agitated.
UPSOUND "No one will provoke ...through to "...Shepherd of the RUF, we believe"
17:05:45
Women's March... While Sankoh awaits further instructions from God...thousands of women have take to the streets of Freetown, using the occasion of International Women's Day to make their mark for peace.
It seems ordinary Sierra Leonians were not being fooled by Sankoh's act. The Campaign for Good Governance - one of the organisations that make up the Movement for Civil Society - is forthright in their criticisms of Sankoh:
17:06:09
Zainab Bangura (CGG) "Because of his limited education..." through to "...they cannot leave."
UN Helicopters... On a helicopter pad, near the beaches of Freetown, preparations are made for the day's flights. Despite all the set-backs the Untied Nations Mission in Sierra Leone has suffered, including the kidnapping of its personnel, the disarming of its peace keepers, and the blocking of its patrols, they have continued to slowly press ahead with their deployment.
But the UN mission has been slow to get off the ground. Ten months into the mission only 8 500 of the 11 000 peace keepers, had arrived in Sierra Leone.
As one flies east, it becomes apparent why the UN has been blocked at nearly every turn.
Diamond Digging... Despite a declared moratorium agreed to by all sides, everybody is mining diamonds. This is as true for Sankoh's rebels as it is for the private, government-backed, security firms.
This is the UN base in Daru in the east of the country.
17:07:35
Check point... Ghanaian troops of the crack Jungle Battallion man a check point...UPSOUND OF COLONEL...A patrol of Indian Ghurkas is off to Chegwema some 5 kilomenters down the road. This is RUF territory and the UN patrols are routinely stopped and forced to return to base, especially near the diamond sites.
17:08:30
Guns loaded... Today they're lucky, and get to collect weapons that have been handed in.. Under the terms of the Lome Peace Accord, UNAMSIL is responsible for the disarmament and demobilisation of combatants.
Mi-26...
The slow pace of the UN deployment has been matched only by the slower pace of the disarmament and demobilisation process. And here the burden of responsibility lies squarely on Sankoh's shoulders. By late March, only a quarter of twenty odd thousand fighters who had reported to these camps were members of Sankoh's RUF.
Guns smashed... UN troops render the weapons useless. This is a temporary measure designed to avert the possiblity of them falling back into the hands of the rebels should the peace process collapse.
APC's... As the UN prepared to step up a gear, its troops on the ground were clearly anxious that there were hidden agendas that threatened the peace process. The final withdrawl of ECOMOG forces was now only weeks away, and it is clear that the UN don't have the rebel situation under control.
Road to rebels... But they do try. Here a group of UNAMSIL military observers, are headed into rebel territory. They have been ordered by Freetown to facilitate the visit of Sankoh to his troops in Chegwema. He's to address them and tell them to disarm.
The rebels seem friendly enough...and make idle chatter with the soldiers. We asked the local RUF commander, if his troops were tired and ready to lay down their arms.
17:09:35
Col Harris Mohmoh "But to say that we are tired..." through to "...our RUF"
Despite the apparent willingness of his troops to disarm, Sankoh almost predictably didn't come, leaving everyone asking the question why?
Zainab Bangura... "He's a very difficult person... through to "...less than that."
Sankoh's tailor... So convinced is his tailor, that he's even picked out the suit for the day Sankoh becomes President.
Sankoh arrives at rally... As for Sankoh himself, he was on the campaign trail. On this occasion here was in Kissy, one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Freetown.
Sankoh feels there is no contradiction to pursuing his political objectives while holding onto his guns. It's clear that it's become his safeguard. As was the case in neighboring Liberia, the politics of fear may well hold the sway come election day...
17:11:30
Sankoh Upsound... "But mind you very soon by the will of God, we will be opening a party office. When that time comes we will begin campaigning through the radio and on the streets so that we can consolidate the peace. Because it is this election day that is the reason that we have laid down our guns and entered the political process, so that we can achive everlasting peace...But believe me, no RUF no peace in this country."
The truth of that will become apparent as the current crisis unfolds.
17:13:30
End