In May 1995 to January 1997 a private military company (PMC) called Executive Outcomes was contracted by the Sierra Leone government in a last
ditch attempt to prevent the murderous and mutilating Revolutionary United Front (RUF) entering the capital Freetown and taking over control of
the country.
Over a 21 month period an average of 150 Executive Outcomes personnel, supported by a solitary gunship and two transport helicopters, retrained
elements of the Sierra Leone army, drove the RUF back from the edge of the capital and destroyed their fighting capability in the bush. The cost
of providing their services? $20million a year.
The result of Executive Outcomes" intervention was the signing of a November 1996 peace accord between the government and the rebels in which the
RUF insisted for what would subsequently become clear that Executive Outcomes" contract with the State must be terminated. At the end of January
the following year they duly departed, despite strong support for their continued presence and warnings that their premature exit would allow the RUF
to mount a coup within 100 days.
On the 95th day following their departure, the RUF predictably reneged on the peace deal and marched into the capital, thus beginning a dark period
of murder, mayhem and mutilation which was only brought to a tenuous end almost a year later by the intervention of a 10,000 strong regional military
force advised and assisted by Sandline.
Since that time the UN has deployed the largest peacekeeping force ever sent to help a nation in crisis currently over 13,000-strong but with a proposal
pending to increase this to 20,500, and an annual budget approaching $1billion. In addition, up to 500 British soldiers and various Royal Navy vessels have
been despatched to Sierra Leone to support these UN peacekeepers at additional cost.
Is there an alternative?
There is a justifiable argument that a small, well-equipped and well-trained force of ex-first world military personnel supplied by a professional private
company could be contracted by the UN to re-establish law and order in Sierra Leone. After all, PMCs have proven their ability to do so in this conflict before.
To address any human rights concerns the UN could assign an observer team to supervise the PMC"s personnel, thereby assuring that they work to acceptable
Rules of Engagement. Sandline proposed this structure in a paper published as long ago as March 1998.
Then, instead of the UN deploying tens of thousands of troops with a bill to member nations approaching $1billion a year, the problem could be permanently
solved at a fraction of this cost and the misery suffered by ordinary Sierra Leoneans finally brought to an end.
Even the commander of the UN force in Sierra Leone, General Vijay Jetley, said in a documentary broadcast on Australian television in late August:
"I think in some countries perhaps a smaller, well-equipped, well-trained mercenary force would probably be the answer."