VZCZCXRO8923
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHFN #0288/01 1651540
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 131152Z JUN 08 ZUI RUCNDT 0551 1651443 H/W ZDK ALL STATIONS
FM AMEMBASSY FREETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1976
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 FREETOWN 000288 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W and S/WCI Ambassador Williamson and Jason Gorey 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958 N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM OTRA SL
SUBJECT:  SCENE SETTER FOR AMBASSADOR WILLIAMSON TRAVEL TO SIERRA 
LEONE 
 
FREETOWN 00000288  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. With the Special Court for Sierra Leone slowly bringing its work 
to a close, your visit comes at a crucial time to encourage Court 
officials to remain committed to the completion strategy, as well as 
to inform the process of determining the Court's legacy to Sierra 
Leone. 
 
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POLITICAL/ECONOMIC OVERVIEW 
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¶2. After a decades-long civil war, Sierra Leone has maintained a 
fragile peace since 2002. However, the conditions that lead to the 
war still prevail: high unemployment, lack of infrastructure and the 
population's perceptions of corruption. The venal and inept 
leadership of the previous government also stymied progress. During 
the 2007 national elections, Sierra Leoneans overwhelmingly voted 
for change. The opposition All People's Congress (APC) won a 
parliamentary majority in August, and the opposition party's 
presidential candidate, Ernest Bai Koroma, won a presidential run 
off held in September. All observers lauded Sierra Leone on the 
conduct of the elections and hailed the transparent, relatively 
violence free process as a model for sub-Saharan Africa. Local 
elections are scheduled to take place July 5, and your visit will 
coincide with the campaign period. Though not expected to be as 
dramatic as the national elections, the local elections hold 
considerable interest for Sierra Leoneans. These elections will be 
an important step in strengthening democracy in Sierra Leone. 
 
¶3. The new government is attempting to manage the unrealistic 
expectations of the citizens. Some campaign pledges have been met, 
satisfying a few immediate wants and interests which helps prolong 
the people's patience as they wait for change. The revitalization of 
the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and restoration of electricity 
to Freetown are two examples of the government taking action on key 
issues. However, both are also examples of risks that the government 
is facing if their actions backfire. The ACC is starting to build 
credibility with the public, but will need to start bringing major 
cases before the judiciary before it will be considered a true 
instrument of transparency. The government has gained considerable 
goodwill due to the provision of electricity, but that provision has 
grown increasingly sporadic and unreliable over time due to 
infrastructure constraints. If these initiatives are viewed as 
failures in the long-run, the government will likely experience 
considerable backlash. 
 
¶4. Some observers suggest that the new government has a one year 
window before the "honeymoon" period ends and the public loses its 
willingness to be patient as it waits for wide-sweeping reforms that 
will bring development and prosperity back to the country. This 
honeymoon period, coupled with the actions cited above, are likely 
the reasons why the public has not responded to the rising 
commodities prices and soaring inflation as violently or 
disruptively as other affected countries. The state of the economy, 
as evidenced at least in part by the rising prices, is dire. Sixty 
percent of the national budget is donor funded, mostly through the 
EU and the UK. Sierra Leone received Heavily Indebted Poor Country 
(HIPC) relief status in late 2006 and we signed our debt 
cancellation agreement in June 2007. The government needs to focus 
on developing infrastructure and policy frameworks that will 
encourage investment and production, increase revenue-generation and 
collection, and support long-term growth. 
 
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UNIOSIL 
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¶5. The UN peacekeeping follow-on mission, UNIOSIL (United National 
Integrated Office in Sierra Leone), has been very effective and, 
through strong leadership, has been extremely active in continuing 
the UN mandate to sustain peace and security. UNIOSIL is slated to 
close by the end of September 2008, and the UN is currently 
identifying options for what sort of smaller presence is needed 
following the end of the UNIOSIL mandate. 
 
¶6. Sierra Leone garners a fair amount of international attention, 
and the UN has put the spotlight on the country by naming it as one 
of two (with Burundi) countries for Peace Building Commission (PBC) 
attention. Sierra Leone also benefits from the new Peace Building 
Fund (PBF) for rapid intervention "peace sustaining" activities. 
Funding from the $35 million pot of available funds has so far has 
been directed at youth employment initiatives, security sector 
assistance, electoral funding, and support for the newly formed 
Human Rights Commission. The U.S. is currently the only major donor 
that has not contributed to the PBF, although evaluation of the PBC 
continues in order to determine potential needs the USG may fill in 
future. 
 
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BILATERAL RELATIONS AND ASSISTANCE 
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FREETOWN 00000288  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶7. Our relationship with Sierra Leone has been generally positive. 
We enjoy good access and respect for our views most of the time. We 
are considered a major bilateral donor, but the U.K. far outstrips 
others in terms of its support to the country. Under the previous 
government, corruption was endemic and impeded good governance and 
private sector reform. Our partnership with Sierra Leone seeks to 
bolster democratic growth through support for national and local 
election, with a particular focus on women and disadvantaged groups, 
and assistance to local governance at the district level. We also 
support opportunities for economic growth, particularly through the 
agricultural sector. Our efforts are in line with the GoSL's 
three-year Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS), which expired in 
December 2007 and is under review for renewal. 
 
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SECURITY 
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¶8. The overall security situation in Sierra Leone is calm, though 
there have been reports of sporadic politically motivated incidents 
which have occurred in Freetown and several locations up-country. 
Violence emanating from ethnic and cross-cultural issues such as 
rights to chieftancy and boundary disputes, especially in the rural 
regions, has also been the root cause of numerous incidents 
up-country. While people are remarkably resilient given the 
appalling infrastructure and lack of economic opportunity, various 
groups here have shown a willingness to lash out at any perceived 
injustices in the form of demonstrations, rioting, clashes with 
police and even attacks on police stations. The immediate threat to 
safety and security continues to be crime and the likelihood of 
traffic accidents due to the abysmal road conditions. Criminal 
activity against westerners is rare, but remains a concern. The 
advent of the rainy season, coupled with the heightened tensions due 
to the local elections, increases the possibility of a spike in the 
number of robberies. 
 
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SPECIAL COURT 
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¶9. While the work of the Court is slowly coming to an end, 
budgetary, residual, and legacy issues continue to be looming 
questions. Despite stated commitments to the completion strategy, 
there is fear that the trials and appeals chambers will slip on 
targeted scheduling goals, with corollary budgetary implications. 
Legacy and residual issues are both pressing matters occupying Court 
time, with committees formed to generate ideas and/or solutions. 
Your visit will reinforce the need for the Court to stay the course 
on the completion strategy, and also address the central questions 
remaining for the Court's long-term impact on Sierra Leone. 
 
¶10. During your visit, you will meet with various stakeholders in 
the Court, including government officials. The GoSL has made clear 
that they are interested in moving beyond the active work of the 
Court, to put the international donor focus solely on development 
issues. However, the GoSL has great interest in legacy issues, both 
in regards to the physical infrastructure and the potential for 
capacity-building programs that will support justice sector reform 
in the country. You can expect that questions of funding for legacy 
initiatives will be raised by government interlocutors and others. 
 
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PRESS 
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¶11. Post recommends conducting one interview with Cotton Tree News, 
a local radio organization which distributes material to stations 
nationwide, including community radio.  In addition, we also 
recommend an interview with UN Radio, which has a wide audience. 
Radio is the primary means by which Sierra Leoneans obtain 
information, and the Cotton Tree News and UN Radio will both provide 
broad, diverse coverage. Per your request, post is also convening a 
press conference for Friday, June 20, to include a question and 
answer session. You can expect questions related to: USG involvement 
in the Court; the impact of the Court relative to its cost; U.S. 
perception of the Court; USG support for larger development issues. 
Ambassador Perry and Embassy key team will accompany to address any 
bilateral or unexpected inquiries. 
 
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SCHEDULE 
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¶12. A schedule will be sent separately for review. 
PERRY