UN Security Council extends UN presence in Liberia for another year

The UN's Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) through to September 2009, and authorized Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to proceed with the planned reduction of the operation’s personnel. In his recent report, Mr Ban stated that, despite its economy showing significant improvement, the struggle with the rule of law and competition over natural resources threatens Liberia’s fragile stability. He recommended repatriating almost 1,500 personnel – including troops, officers, observers, and engineering and administrative units – leaving a troop strength of just over 10,000 by September 2009. In a unanimously adopted resolution, the Council endorsed that recommendation, as well as the proposal to increase the number of UNMIL police officers from 605 to 845 “to provide strategic advice and expertise in specialized fields, provide operational support to regular policing activities and react to urgent security incidents”. For full article click here.