Since we have a contingent as part of the mission over there right now, thought this would be most appropriate.
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12 July 2021
MAJ GEN VIJAY KUMAR JETLEY
COMMANDER UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN SIERRA LEONE
The commander of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), Indian Army Maj Gen Vijay Kumar Jetley, has come under harsh criticism for not taking the initiative and limiting the military activities of the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF). Observers are especially concerned that with the withdrawal of UK forces now complete, except for a training team, the security situation could deteriorate.
Gen Jetley told Jane's Defence Weekly that with his multinational force planned to reach about 16,000 troops from 21 countries, he is capable of handling the situation.
"With such a large force under his command, he is in better condition to dictate the course of hostilities than anybody else. And that, basically, with the main body of British troops now gone, is what we would like to see," Brig David Richards, commander of the UK force deployed to Sierra Leone in May, told JDW before leaving Freetown.
Gen Jetley acknowledged that in recent months, UN forces had encountered aggression on the part of the RUF on numerous occasions. "While we would always try to negotiate our way, for instance, through a roadblock or a stoppage, we have had to resort to force on occasion. When this happened, we reacted aggressively. That would leave nobody in any doubt of our intentions," he said.
Some of the obstacles placed in the way of his forces in the interior, he disclosed, had been weak. "Others were strong, involving a lot of firepower," Gen Jetley said. He said that his instructions to his forces are clear. "If threatened, they have been told to employ very robust rules of engagement."
The general believes that "the UN in Sierra Leone had to move slowly and very methodically. There was no reason to rush anything. One sure step at a time is the only way and that dictates the way that I do things," he explained, stating that other priorities such as human rights and child protection were also important.
When UK forces, including an airborne battalion and Chinook helicopters, arrived in Freetown in early May, he said, "they helped very effectively to stiffen my defences. At that time I had a single battalion at Lungi Airport; now I have four battalions deployed there."
Elsewhere, the UN had other problems, he said. For instance, Gen Jetley said that he had cautioned the Zambian contingent about carrying out reconnaissance patrols shortly before some of their personnel were taken hostage. "But at that time we were all sort of feeling our way." The general acknowledged that his peacekeepers had been tricked. "But I can assure you that it won't happen again. We now know that we cannot negotiate with an adversary with a forked tongue. They have been very cunning," he added.
On the dozen or so armoured personnel carriers seized by the rebels, Gen Jetley regarded them as a minimal threat to future UN operations. "They are specialised vehicles and the RUF does not have the kind of experience needed to deploy them effectively. Also, they don't have access to the fuel needed." Aerial observations had indicated that many had been abandoned after they had run dry, he added.
On the use of force, the general is circumspect. This follows rumours in Freetown that both the Guinean and Jordanian commanders had said that their role in Sierra Leone was strictly of a peacekeeping nature and that they had not come to fight.
Gen Jetley said that his original concept was not to use any force and that it worked quite well initially. "We managed to deploy everywhere in the country except to Koidu [capital of the Kono diamond fields which are financing the RUF war effort]. Also, we managed to establish nine of the 11 disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration camps [for rebel forces]. I have effectively divided the country up into four operational sectors: two in the north and north-east, one in the south and last, Freetown on its own.
" And now that we have established our parameters, we will soon be able to do what we need to."
Gen Jetley acknowledged that the single government Mi-24 attack helicopter had several times come to the aid of his forces. The general said that if necessary he would employ the three Indian Mi-24s that recently joined UNAMSIL. "If we have to, we will. They are very effective force multipliers, but I don't want to bring any speculation into what the UN will or won't do. Our role here is first to bring order to a situation that until recently was chaotic."
Perhaps the biggest problem that he has faced, said Gen Jetley, is that the soldiers under his command come from so many different nations, most with different styles and standards of training. He cites the Indian contingent as an example. Two of the battalions, the 5/8th Gurkha Rifles and the 18th Grenadiers, had deployed from Kashmir.
"They are tough, aggressive and battle hardened. And while there is nothing wrong with the soldiers from other nations, they simply did not have the kind of combat experience that our boys have experienced," he declared. Because of this, he said, he needed to see for himself what the various components were capable of. "For that it is essential to follow the old tradition: a slow, steady plodding manner in which no time frames had been laid."
Last week, an Indian and two Jordanian companies reoccupied Masiaka which had been lost to RUF forces which seized the important town after government forces withdrew on 4 July. The UN action followed the 30 June RUF ambush of a UNAMSIL convoy in which one Jordanian peacekeeper was killed and two others wounded.
With more than 230 UN peacekeepers still held by the RUF as JDW went to press, it remains to be seen whether the UN action at Masiaka marks a shift away from Gen Jetley's cautious approach.
Al Venter JDW Special Correspondent
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-the patriot-