The UN special envoy for Liberia said Monday that significant progress has been made in the Western African country in recent months.
Ellen Margrethe Loj, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative for Liberia, briefed the Security Council in an open meeting this morning on the work of the UN Mission in Liberia(UNMIL).
Loj said that challenges related to security, rule of law and economic development must be addressed if Liberia is to solidify the progress made so far and the United Nations is to successfully draw down its presence there.
"The hope and tranquillity we see today is tempered by a tenuous and fragile peace," Loj said.
She pointed out that while the overall situation in Liberia was stable, recent months have witnessed several incidents of violence on rubber plantations and in diamond mining areas, as well as mob violence.
Such incidents highlight the need for security sector reform in the country, which is rebuilding after a devastating civil war, she said.
On the basis of the progress achieved, she said, benchmarks for the drawdown phase of the UN Mission in Liberia have been developed in close consultation with the Liberian government and international partners.
In a report issued last August, the UN chief outlined a drawdown plan for both the military and police component of UNMIL to be carried out in several stages, resulting in 9,750 peacekeeping troops and UN police on the ground in Liberia at the end of 2010.
Source:Xinhua
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