Focusing its attention on one of the world's most politically troubled continents, the United Nations has decided to downsize its peacekeeping operations in Sierra Leone, upgrade its mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and push for the creation of a new UN intervention force in Liberia.

All three developments are taking place simultaneously, underlying the heavy emphasis on a continent, which is experiencing ten different inter-state and intra-state conflicts, including those in Burundi, Liberia, DRC, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Zimbabwe.

After a visit to the White House yesterday, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told reporters that he expects about 1 000 to 1 500 troops from the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), including contingents from Nigeria and Ghana, to form a regional peacekeeping force to end the civil war in Liberia.

The US, which has sent in a military team to assess the situation in Liberia, has demanded that President Charles Taylor leave the country before the arrival of any troops in the capital of Monrovia.

"I assured (the Secretary-General) that our government's position (on Liberia) is a strong position," US President George W Bush told reporters after meeting with Annan.

"We want to enable Ecowas to get in and help create the conditions necessary for the ceasefire to hold, that Taylor must leave, and that we'll participate with the troops," he added.

Although the US has refused to make any firm troop commitments for a peacekeeping force in Liberia, Bush said his administration is still debating how Washington can logistically help create the new mission.

"I told the Secretary-General that we want to help, and there must be a UN presence, quickly, in Liberia," he said.

Bush also said that he discussed how long it would take for UN "blue-helmeted" troops to arrive in Liberia.

"We would not be blue-helmeted. We would be there to facilitate - and then to leave," he said.

The Secretary-General has described the situation in Liberia as "deplorable", with a million people trapped in Monrovia, and with 80% of the country inaccessible.

Liberia's humanitarian needs were "very serious", Annan said, adding that the country was also facing serious human rights abuses.

"I think whatever we can do to help the Liberian situation will be appreciated by millions, not just in Liberia, but also around the continent," he added.

Annan said that with the arrival of a vanguard Ecowas force, Taylor has promised to leave Liberia.

"And then the force will be strengthened, hopefully, with US participation, and additional troops from the West African region," he added.

Eventually, UN blue helmets will be sent to stabilise the situation, along the lines of the UN peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone.

"Once the situation is calmer and stabilised, the US would leave and UN peacekeepers would carry on," Annan said.

After a closed-door meeting yesterday, Ambassador Inocencio Arias of Spain, president of the 15-member Security Council, told reporters that the Council had agreed to "respond quickly" to Annan's proposal last week for a reduction of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (Unamsil).

The 13 000-strong Unamsil, currently the largest single UN peacekeeping force, is to be gradually phased out, with a view to a complete shutdown by December next year.

Annan has said that if the security situation continues to improve in Sierra Leone, Unamsil will close shop as early as June next year.

The peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone has cost the United Nations over $500-million each year.

After a five-year civil war that killed more than 10 000 people and displaced several hundred thousand, a democratically elected government under President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah signed a peace treaty with the rebel group Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in November 1996.

In May 1997, however, Kabbah was ousted in a military coup, but was restored to power in March 1998 with the help of a regional African peacekeeping force, the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (Ecmog), led by neighbouring Nigeria.

Although Kabbah regained office after a 10-month-long exile, the remnants of the RUF continued their fight despite the peace treaty.

The United Nations decided to send a peacekeeping force in October 1999 to stabilise the Kabbah government.

Meanwhile, the UN Mission in DRC (Momuc) has been trying to monitor a ceasefire since November 1999.

But the situation has taken a turn for the worse with ethnic clashes of genocidal proportions breaking out in the town of Bunia.

Annan has proposed that the 4 500-strong Monuc be upgraded to a 10 800-strong force: more than doubling the present military strength.

"I think we are making progress on the Congo peacekeeping force," he told reporters yesterday.

"We have asked for an increase in the ceiling (to 10 800 troops), and I think that is going to be done," he said.

Last month the Security Council approved a 1 400-strong rapid deployment force specifically to contain the ethnic conflict in DRC.

The force, led by a 1 000 French troops, is mandated to complete its peacekeeping mission by September this year.

In a 10-page briefing paper titled "The Regional Crisis and Human Rights Abuses in West Africa," the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that the Security Council should hold governments in West Africa accountable for their support of abusive regimes and rebel groups.

"Just a month ago, Cote d'Ivoire was the big concern. Today, it's Liberia," HRW's Peter Takirambudde said.

"This downward spiral in the region must be stopped, which means addressing the main human rights abusers throughout the region, and improving protection of civilians". – Sapa.