U.S., Canada Contribute to Startup Sierra Leone Court

The Perspective

August 4, 2001

With the UN Security Council's endorsement of the establishment of a war crimes tribunal for Sierra Leone, several countries have begun to contribute funds needed for the operation of the court. The U.S. is reported to have contributed $5 million but have pledged an additional $15 million over a three-year period. The government of Canada has also contributed $2.25 million towards the court's establishment.

The U.S. and Canada joined a list of donor countries that include: Norway, Sweden, Demark, Germany, Mauritius, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and Czech Republic.

The U.N. Secretariat originally called for $114 million for the three years of operation of the court, but budget requirements have been scaled back since the U.N. Security Council voted for the measure. The U.N. member states had pledged $35.4 million for the court's operations as of July 6, according to a July 24 press release from Human Rights Watch, a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to protecting human rights such as political freedom.

The court will prosecute people accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the 9-year conflict in Sierra Leone, which has cost thousands of lives. The imprisoned leader of the rebel RUF, Foday Sankoh, will be one of the principals to appear before this war crimes court. The court will be jointly operated by the U.N. and the Sierra Leone government.

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