Washington, D.C. — Cecil Blake, Sierra Leone's information minister describes his country's situation as "changing rapidly based on the speed at which the diarmament process is taking place."
Speaking at a Washington, DC lunch co-sponsored by the Freedom Forum and the African Correspondents Association, Blake, who once wrote for the Sierra Leone Daily Mail newspaper, also said he was encouraged by the swift development of media pluralism.
More training of journalists is needed, Blake said. "The press has to be free and, of course, conduct itself within professional expectations." But he added that newspapers must be "responsible," as well as free, and "must operate within the confines of the laws of the country."
More than 40 newpapers have appeared in the war-torn country over the past two years, according to Blake. Concentrated in Freetown, the capital, it is an unrestrained press for the most part, sometimes carrying "sensational or undocumented stories," according to Freedom House. The New York-based organization asseses media freedom annually, and while ranking Sierra Leone's press as "not free," the group also reports that the country's media "openly criticize the government and armed factions."
The free flow of information "is as fundamental as food and shelter," Cecil Blake insisted. "You cannot talk of muzzling the press in such a climate."
Civil warfare has plagued Sierra Leone regularly since the early 1990s, but Blake, who was appointed minister of information and broadcasting just last month after years of living in the United States, says he is convinced that "the drive for peace is a real one." Citing a recent trip to Kono, Sierra Leone's diamond area once dominated by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), Blake said he "shared the stage" with the rebels.
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"We already need to create places where ex-combatants can go for demobilization and reintegration," he says, "because disarmament is taking place so fast." In Kono, RUF and Civil Defense Forces (CDF) - local militia loyal to the government - begin disarming at the end of this month.
But Blake ducked direct answers to questions on whether jailed RUF leader Foday Sankoh would face trial. Speculation has persisted since peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria that part of a deal for rebel disarmament would be the release from prison of top RUF leaders, including Sankoh.
In 1999, RUF forces led by Sankoh occupied parts of Freetown, comitting bloody executions and mutilation. Sankoh's RUF was especially feared for amuputating the limbs of its enemies. Asked if Sankoh would be brought to trial, Blake replied, "It would be preemptive to state the kinds of charges that would be brought against him. I cannot preempt the conclusion of that process [of investigation]."
Not only was the investigation into the RUF still not finished, said Blake. At this point the government has no money to set up a special court to hear charges against the RUF. "We are still looking for funds for this to take place."
