UN mission in Sierra Leone expires

(Vatican Radio) After 15 years of engagement in Sierra Leone, the United Nations has announced it is leaving the formerly embattled West African nation, once home to the largest peacekeeping force in UN history.
Monday marked the official end of the mission in Sierra Leone, which was established to help the government to combat illicit diamond mining that fuelled the conflict and to establish a tribunal to address the most serious international crimes.
At the height of the civil war, more than 17,000 peacekeepers were deployed to disarm rebel militias and to return the nation to stability.
The Head of the UN Integrated Peace-building Office, Jens Anders Toyberg-Frandzen, said the time was ripe for the UN’s retreat from the country.
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