VI. RECOMMENDATIONS

To the Liberian Government

· Immediately cease all violations of international human rights and humanitarian law against civilians and civilian objects, including summary executions, rape, the burning of hospitals, and forced labor.

· Investigate all allegations of abuse by combatants, and put in place properly constituted disciplinary procedures and criminal sanctions, respecting the requirements of due process, to respond to allegations of abuse and to bring perpetrators to justice.

· Provide clear instructions to combatants ordering them to respect international human rights and humanitarian law, to ensure that combatants respect the rights of civilians.

· Guarantee the freedom of movement of all civilians, including those seeking to flee areas under attack.

· The Liberian security forces, including the ATU and SSS, and the police force should be made subject to clear and public directives governing the duties of its officers and should be subject to oversight by properly constituted civilian authorities. Human rights components should be integrated into all levels of training for state security officers, and effective disciplinary and other enforcement mechanisms should be put in place to respond to allegations of human rights abuse. All appropriate U.N. guidelines should be incorporated into security and police regulations, including the U.N. Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, the U.N. Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials, and the U.N. Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under any Form of Detention or Imprisonment.

To the LURD

· Immediately cease all violations of international humanitarian law against civilians and civilian objects, including summary executions, rape, the burning of hospitals, and forced labor. Investigate all allegations of abuse by LURD combatants, and put in place properly constituted disciplinary procedures, respecting the requirements of due process, to respond to allegations of abuse, including killings, rape and other abuses cited in this report. Those found to have committed abuses should be removed from positions of responsibility and not permitted any contact with the civilian population.

· Provide clear instructions to combatants regarding international human rights and humanitarian law, to ensure that combatants respect the rights of civilians.

· Allow for freedom of movement of all civilians seeking to flee areas under attack.

To the Guinean Government

· Cease all military, logistical or other support to the LURD.

To the United Nations

To the Secretary-General

· Work with all relevant parties in the international community to bring sustained pressure to bear on the Mano River Union countries to prevent and punish war crimes and other abuses, to respect the rule of law and human rights, to end cross-border attacks, and to cease support for armed rebel activity. In particular, call on the Liberian government to take steps to restructure its security forces to ensure greater accountability, and on the Guinean government to end its support for the LURD.

· Recommend the replacement of the Guinean forces in the UNAMSIL operation in Sierra Leone with non-West African troops that are not implicated in the sub-regional conflict. At a minimum, the Guinea battalions should be removed from Pujehun District, and not be deployed near the Sierra Leone/Liberia border where the likelihood of their involvement in Liberian rebel support and/or refugee intimidation is higher. Work to secure and get commitments for the deployment of an adequate number of troops along the Sierra Leone/Liberia border to prevent cross-border attacks.

To the Security Council

· Maintain the arms embargo against the Liberian government, and extend the embargo to cover both sides to the conflict, thus including the LURD. Renew the mandate of the U.N. Panel of Experts, which has played a useful role in curtailing cross-border support for rebel groups in Sierra Leone. Extend its brief to enable it to continue to monitor illicit weapons flows into the sub-region, and to examine Guinea's role in the Liberian conflict, in order to make recommendations to the U.N. Security Council on measures that should be taken to establish sustainable peace in the sub-region, including possible further extensions of the arms embargo.

· Mandate the placement of international military observers and human rights monitors along the Guinea/Liberia and Sierra Leone/Liberia borders to monitor and investigate cross-border attacks.

To UNHCR

· Place all Liberian refugee camps away from the neighboring borders, and ensure as a priority the civilian nature of the refugee camps. Work closely with neighboring host governments to establish screening mechanisms at the border to separate Liberian combatants from refugees.

To the United States

· All U.S. military assistance to Guinea, scheduled to begin in May 2002, should be conditioned on an end to Guinean support for the LURD rebels.