Lungi Lol confrontation

Last updated
Lungi Lol confrontation
Part of the Sierra Leone Civil War
Date17 May 2000
Location
Sierra Leone
Result British victory
Belligerents

Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom

Flag of the United Nations.svg UNAMSIL

Sl RUF.png RUF
Strength

~30 British Pathfinders

20 Nigerian Peacekeepers [1] 		30-40
Casualties and losses
none 14 killed
1 civilian wounded

The Lungi Lol confrontation was a confrontation between British forces and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Sierra Leone on 17 May 2000.

Contents

Background

Sierra Leone is a former British colony in West Africa, close to the equator, with an area of 71,740 square kilometres (27,700 square miles)—similar in size to South Carolina or Scotland. [2] By 2000, the country had been engaged in a civil war between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). The RUF was a rebel group formed in the late 1980s and fought against successive governments until the Lomé Peace Accord in 1997, in which it was given the status of a legitimate political party and its leader, Foday Sankoh, was appointed vice president. Despite this, in April 2000, the RUF attacked a disarmament camp into which four of its members had been admitted. [3] [4]

The RUF's subsequent march on the capital, Freetown, prompted a large-scale military intervention by the United Kingdom, which began on 8 May 2000 with an evacuation of foreign citizens (Operation Palliser). [5]

Confrontation

Upon their arrival in Sierra Leone, British soldiers immediately began securing areas that would be vital for a non-combatant evacuation operation, including the country's main airport, Lungi, and the surrounding area. To that end, the Pathfinder Platoon—a forward reconnaissance unit of the Parachute Regiment and part of 16 Air Assault Brigade [6] —established itself in the village of Lungi Lol, close to the airport and 12 miles (19 km) north of Freetown on the opposite side of the Sierra Leone River. Despite the arrival of British soldiers, the RUF continued to advance, resulting in sporadic engagements with United Nations forces and the remnants of the Sierra Leone Army, but it was not until the 17 May that they came into contact with British forces. [7] Refugees fleeing in the wake of the rebel advance alerted the Pathfinder Platoon to the RUF advance [7] and the Paras adopted defensive positions. [8]

The engagement began at around 04:45, when 30 to 40 rebel soldiers approached the village and engaged the British. The ensuing firefight lasted about ten minutes but was followed by a series of four or five engagements. The RUF attacked with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades; the British returned fire and used mortars to illuminate the area. After several hours of fighting, the RUF withdrew. The bodies of four rebel soldiers were later discovered and the RUF later reported a further ten men killed in the incident. No casualties were suffered by the British and one Sierra Leonean civilian was wounded in the crossfire. [7] [8] [9]

Impact

The arrival of British forces provided a morale boost in Sierra Leone— an effect which moved many foreign nationals to remain in the country and which was enhanced by the British success in what became their only direct confrontation with the RUF. [8] According to Brigadier David Richards, commander of British forces in Sierra Leone, the victory provided an "immense" effect in "deterring the RUF and further enhancing our status [that of the British forces] in the eyes of the UN and Sierra Leoneans". [8]

The British victory added to the confusion that was already affecting the RUF at the time of the engagement, and served to dampen the already low morale of the RUF. Later the same day, the RUF's leader, Foday Sankoh, was captured and handed over to the Sierra Leone Police. The combined effect of the two events led to chaos and in-fighting within the RUF to the extent that it was not judged to pose an immediate threat. British fears of a retaliatory attack by the RUF proved unfounded and the Ministry of Defence was able to order the first rotation of forces in Sierra Leone, which saw the Paras replaced by Royal Marines. [8] [10]

Sergeant Stephen Heaney, who commanded the Pathfinder Platoon during the engagement, was awarded the Military Cross for his role. [9]

Related Research Articles

Sierra Leone first became inhabited by indigenous African peoples at least 2,500 years ago. The Limba were the first tribe known to inhabit Sierra Leone. The dense tropical rainforest partially isolated the region from other West African cultures, and it became a refuge for peoples escaping violence and jihads. Sierra Leone was named by Portuguese explorer Pedro de Sintra, who mapped the region in 1462. The Freetown estuary provided a good natural harbour for ships to shelter and replenish drinking water, and gained more international attention as coastal and trans-Atlantic trade supplanted trans-Saharan trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foday Sankoh</span> Sierra Leonean warlord (1937–2003)

Foday Saybana Sankoh was the founder of the Sierra Leone rebel group Revolutionary United Front (RUF), which was supported by Charles Taylor-led NPFL in the 11-year-long Sierra Leone Civil War, starting in 1991 and ending in 2002. An estimated 50,000 people were killed during the war, and over 500,000 people were displaced in neighboring countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Revolutionary United Front</span> Rebel army and political party in Sierra Leone

The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was a rebel group that fought a failed eleven-year war in Sierra Leone, beginning in 1991 and ending in 2002. It later transformed into a political party, which still exists today. The three most senior surviving leaders, Issa Sesay, Morris Kallon and Augustine Gbao, were convicted in February 2009 of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmad Tejan Kabbah</span> 3rd President of Sierra Leone (1996–97, 1998–2007)

Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah was a Sierra Leonean politician who served twice as the 3rd President of Sierra Leone, from 1996 to 1997 and again from 1998 to 2007. An economist and attorney by profession, Kabbah spent many years working for the United Nations Development Programme. He retired from the United Nations and returned to Sierra Leone in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Paul Koroma</span> Military dictator of Sierra Leone from May 1997 to February 1998

Major Johnny Paul Koroma was a Sierra Leonean military officer who was the head of state of Sierra Leone from May 1997 to February 1998.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Saidu Momoh</span> President of Sierra Leone from 1985-92

Major General Joseph Saidu Momoh, OOR, OBE was a Sierra Leonean politician and military officer who served as the second President of Sierra Leone from November 1985 to 29 April 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone</span> United Nations peacekeeping operation in Sierra Leone from 1999 to 2006

The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) was a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Sierra Leone from 1999 to 2006. It was created by the United Nations Security Council in October 1999 to help with the implementation of the Lomé Peace Accord, an agreement intended to end the Sierra Leonean civil war. UNAMSIL expanded in size several times in 2000 and 2001. It concluded its mandate at the end of 2005, the Security Council having declared that its mission was complete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Barras</span> 2000 military operation in Sierra Leone led by the United Kingdom

Operation Barras was a British Army operation that took place in Sierra Leone on 10 September 2000, during the late stages of the nation's civil war. The operation aimed to release five British soldiers of the Royal Irish Regiment and their Sierra Leone Army (SLA) liaison officer, who were being held by a militia group known as the "West Side Boys". The soldiers were part of a patrol that was returning from a visit to Jordanian peacekeepers attached to the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) at Masiaka on 25 August 2000 when they turned off the main road and down a track towards the village of Magbeni. There the patrol of twelve men was overwhelmed by a large number of heavily armed rebels, taken prisoner, and transported to Gberi Bana on the opposite side of Rokel Creek.

The Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) was a group of Sierra Leone soldiers that allied itself with the rebel Revolutionary United Front in the late 1990s. While the AFRC briefly controlled the country in 1998, it was driven from the capital by an international military intervention of the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG). It was no longer a coherent and effective organization by the elections of 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pathfinder Platoon</span> Military unit

The Pathfinder Platoon is a pathfinder unit of the British Army, and an integral part of 16 Air Assault Brigade. The Pathfinder Platoon acts as the brigade's advance force and reconnaissance force. Its role includes locating and marking drop zones and helicopter landing zones for air landing operations. Once the main force has landed, the platoon provides tactical intelligence and offensive action roles for the brigade.

The Sierra Leone Civil War (1991–2002), or the Sierra Leonean Civil War, was a civil war in Sierra Leone that began on 23 March 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), with support from the special forces of Liberian dictator Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), intervened in Sierra Leone in an attempt to overthrow the Joseph Momoh government. The resulting civil war lasted 11 years, enveloping the country. It left over 50,000 dead.

Samuel Hinga Norman was a Sierra Leonean politician from the Mende tribe. He was the founder and leader of the Civil Defence Forces, commonly known as the Kamajors. The Kamajors supported the government of Ahmed Tejan Kabbah against the Revolutionary United Front(RUF), which was led by Foday Sankoh. On 7 March 2003 Hinga Norman was indicted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He died on 22 February 2007 in Dakar, Senegal while undergoing medical treatment.

The Kamajors were a group of traditional hunters from the Mende ethnic group in the south and east of Sierra Leone. The word "Kamajor" derived from Mende "kama soh", meaning traditional hunter with mystical powers, who were originally employed by local chiefs.

The Lomé Peace Agreement was a peace agreement signed on 7 July 1999 between the warring parties in the civil war that gripped Sierra Leone for almost a decade. President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah signed with the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) leader, Foday Sankoh and granted Sankoh a position in the transitional government as well as amnesty for him and all combatants. The accord is named for Lomé, the capital of Togo, where the negotiations took place and the agreement was signed.

Samuel Sam Bockarie, widely known as Mosquito, was a Sierra Leonean politician and army commander who served as a leader of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). Bockarie was infamous during the Sierra Leone Civil War for his brutal tactics, which included amputation, mutilation, and rape. He earned the nickname "Mosquito" for his ability to attack when his enemies were off-guard, mainly during the night. During his service in the RUF, he befriended future Liberian president Charles Taylor, and RUF commander Foday Sankoh. When Sankoh was imprisoned from March 1997 until April 1999, Bockarie served as commander of the RUF in his place.

Alimamy Pallo Bangura is a politician in Sierra Leone. Over the past 12 years, Bangura has played a major role in Sierra Leonean politics and was a member of the Revolutionary United Front Party, where he replaced rebel leader Foday Sankoh following Sankoh's May 2000 arrest and 2002 electoral disqualification. His posts have included: Ambassador to the United Nations from Sierra Leone (1994–1996); Foreign Minister (1997–1998); Minister of Energy and Power (1999–2001); and Secretary General of the Revolutionary United Front Party (2002–2007). He also ran for president in 2002 alongside former cabinet minister Peter Vandy, but the pair only received 1.7% of the presidential vote, while the RUF received only 2.2% of the parliamentary vote.

The United Kingdom began a military intervention in Sierra Leone on 7 May 2000 under the codename Operation Palliser. Although small numbers of British personnel had been deployed previously, Palliser was the first large-scale intervention by British forces in the Sierra Leone Civil War. In early May 2000, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF)—one of the main parties to the civil war—advanced on the country's capital, Freetown, prompting the British government to dispatch an "Operational Reconnaissance and Liaison Team" (ORLT) to prepare to evacuate foreign citizens. On 6 May, the RUF blocked the road connecting Freetown to the country's main airport, Lungi. The next day, British soldiers began to secure the airport and other areas essential to an evacuation. The majority of those who wished to leave were evacuated within the first two days of the operation, but many chose to stay following the arrival of British forces.

David Alan Jones is a retired British diplomat who was High Commissioner to Sierra Leone during the British military intervention in the Sierra Leone Civil War.

References

General
Specific
  1. ↑ SULLIVAN, TIM (18 May 2000). "Brits Protect Sierra Leone Villagers". Associated Press.
  2. ↑ "Sierra Leone". The World Factbook . Central Intelligence Agency . Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  3. ↑ Fowler, 2004, p. 35.
  4. ↑ Dorman, pp. 36–37.
  5. ↑ Dorman, p. 80.
  6. ↑ "Fact file: 16 Air Assault Brigade". BBC News . BBC. 26 February 2003. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 Dorman, p. 94.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Richards, p. 13.
  9. 1 2 Fowler, pp. 88–89.
  10. ↑ Dorman, pp. 94–95.

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