SIERRA LEONE: 2006 COUNTRY REPORTS ON TERRORISM

UNCLAS FREETOWN 000042 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR S/CT - RHONDA SHORE, NCTC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC EFIN KCRM KPAO PTER KHLS SL SUBJECT: SIERRA LEONE: 2006 COUNTRY REPORTS ON TERRORISM REF: A) STATE 175925 -------------- GENERAL ASSESSMENT -------------- ¶1. Sierra Leone is not a state sponsor of terrorism. During the reporting year, there were no judicial cases involving terror suspects. There were no developments that would impact U.S. counterterrorism efforts. ¶2. There was no significant support for international terrorism or for specific terrorist umbrella groups. There were allegations that members of the Lebanese business community in Sierra Leone, many of whom are diamond traders, were sympathetic to and made financial contributions to Hizballah. ¶3. Sierra Leone maintained relations with countries listed as state sponsors of terror and hosts an Iranian diplomatic mission. -------------- SAFE HAVEN ASSESSMENT -------------- ¶4. Sierra Leone is not a haven for terror organizations. There was no known government support for terrorism or terror groups. Sierra Leone's armed forces focused on border control, as potential unrest in neighboring countries remained a threat. The government did not detect any radical Islamic activities. ¶5. Sierra Leone did not provide weapons of mass destruction and established a National Authority for the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The National Authority was functional but with certain limitations due to logistical constraints. The Authority has submitted a project proposal to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to boost capacity. The Authority also submitted its initial declarations and is currently working on the draft of its national legislation. -------------- INFORMATION ON TERRORIST GROUPS -------------- ¶6. There were no identified terrorist groups or organizations in Sierra Leone, however, there were alleged sympathizers of well-known terror groups. Post provided the government and the Bank of Sierra Leone with information on terror financing. The Bank of Sierra Leone has established a financial investigations unit, but it lacked the capacity to effectively monitor financial transactions. -------------- INFORMATION ON FOREIGN GOVERNMENT COOPERATION -------------- ¶7. Financial constraints, corruption, and insufficient capacity continue to hinder Sierra Leone's CT and law enforcement capabilities. Sierra Leone supports USG CT efforts and has signed six of 12 UN Conventions on Terrorism. --- POC --- ¶8. Embassy POCs are RSO Bryan Scruggs (scruggsB@state.gov; Cellular 232 76 616 619) and PolEconOff Marty Dale (daleMA@state.gov; Cellular 232 76 616 609). Embassy phone is: 232 22 515 000. HULL