S ierra Leone has struck yet another blow against U.N. peacekeeping. Even U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan admits that the United Nations can't do the job. His solution is to strengthen U.N. operations. In none of them has the United Nations stopped the killing, let alone resolved the underlying conflicts. Diplomatic pressure, expressions of international outrage, and U. N. missions have all failed.
People die, refugees flee, children starve, societies disintegrate.
The only strategy that has worked is military force. In 1995, Sierra Leone's government was tottering before an offensive of the Revolutionary United Front. U.N. peacekeepers proved to be dismal replacements. In early May, the RUF seized hundreds of Zambians, stealing their equipment, weapons and even their uniforms. The RUF, with its trademark of chopping off the hands and arms of helpless civilians, began marching on Freetown, the nation's capital, sparking panic.