| UN Security Council Resolution 856 | |
|---|---|
 Liberia | |
| Date | 10 August 1993 |
| Meeting no. | 3,263 |
| Code | S/RES/856 (Document) |
| Subject | The situation in Liberia |
Voting summary | 15 voted for None voted against None abstained |
| Result | Adopted |
| Security Council composition | |
Permanent members | |
Non-permanent members | |
United Nations Security Council resolution 856, adopted unanimously on 10 August 1993, after reaffirming Resolution 813 (1993) and welcoming a peace agreement signed, under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), between the Interim Government of National Unity of Liberia (IGNU), the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), and the United Liberation Movement for Democracy (ULIMO), the Council approved a dispatch of 30 military observers to Liberia. [1]
United Nations Security Council Resolution 813, adopted unanimously on 26 March 1993, after reaffirming Resolution 788 (1992) and determining that the situation in Liberia constituted a threat to international peace and security, the Council condemned the failure of the parties in the country – the Armed Forces of Liberia, ULIMO, National Patriotic Front of Liberia and Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia among others, to implement the Yamoussoukro IV Accord.
The Economic Community of West African States, also known as ECOWAS, is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an area of 5,114,162 km2 (1,974,589 sq mi), and in 2015 had an estimated population of over 349 million.
The National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) was a rebel group that initiated and participated in the First Liberian Civil War from 1989 to 1996.
Contents
The Council discussed the proposed establishment of the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL), further announcing that the military observers would participate in the work of the Joint Cease-fire Monitoring Committee, including in particular to monitor, investigate and report ceasefire violations for a period of three months. [2] A report of the Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali was anticipated concerning the proposed establishment of UNOMIL and its financial costs, a time-frame and projected conclusion of the operation and co-operation with the ECOWAS peacekeeping force already in Liberia.
A ceasefire, also spelled cease fire, is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal treaty, but they have also been called as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces.
Boutros Boutros-Ghali was an Egyptian politician and diplomat who was the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) from January 1992 to December 1996. An academic and former Vice Foreign Minister of Egypt, Boutros-Ghali oversaw the UN over a period coinciding with several world crises, including the breakup of Yugoslavia and the Rwandan genocide. He was then the first Secretary-General of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie from 16 November 1997 to 31 December 2002.
Peacekeeping comprises activities intended to create conditions that favour lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths and reduces the risk of renewed warfare.
All parties to the conflict were urged to respect and implement the ceasefire and ensure the safety of all United Nations and other peacekeeping and humanitarian personnel in the country. It also called for the conclusion of a Status of Forces Agreement. Finally, the efforts of the Organisation of African Unity and the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group in Liberia were praised.
The Organisation of African Unity was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's establishment was Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana. It was disbanded on 9 July 2002 by its last chairperson, South African President Thabo Mbeki, and replaced by the African Union (AU). Some of the key aims of the OAU were to encourage political and economic integration among member states, and to eradicate colonialism and neo-colonialism from the African continent. Although it achieved some success, there were also differences of opinion as to how that was going to be achieved.
The Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) was a West African multilateral armed force established by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). ECOMOG was a formal arrangement for separate armies to work together. It was largely supported by personnel and resources of the Nigerian Armed Forces, with sub-battalion strength units contributed by other ECOWAS members — Ghana, Guinea, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and others.
