8 December 2003 – Together with peacekeepers from 28 other countries, Philippine peacekeepers have been hard at work securing the peace and stability in Liberia.

“Over the weekend, in a major step towards ending 14 years of bloodshed and one of West Africa's most vicious conflicts, UN peacekeepers began a U.N.-supervised campaign to disarm 40,000 rebel and government forces nationwide.  We have reached the point where we can now begin disarming the combatants.  We have reached this point because of the hard work and dedication of our peacekeepers and those of other countries,” Secretary Ople said.

The Secretary said that the disarmament program was made more poignant when child soldiers, some as young as 12, lined up to give up their AK-47s.  The start of disarmament comes after an Aug. 18 peace deal, reached one week after warlord-president Charles Taylor fled into exile as rebels laid siege to his mortar- blasted capital.

“I would like to call on all those who are interested in peace to surrender their arms to the UN,” the Secretary said.  Reports state that leaders of Liberia's main rebel group refused to allow disarmament camps in their stronghold, Tubmanburg.

U.N. troops here are due to grow to 15,000 strong, the world body's largest deployment are to oversee building of a new army for Liberia, after all sides disarm.  In an earlier press release, the Secretary has said that even though peace and stability have not reached satisfactory levels, humanitarian efforts to assist the people in need throughout Liberia have continued with some dramatic results.

On 1 November 2003, 145 Filipino soldiers left to join other UN peacekeepers in Liberia, in what Secretary Ople said was “a symbol of our commitment to international peace and security, to our obligations as a UN member, to humanitarian causes, and to Africa.” END.