United Nations chief Kofi Annan has vowed that the international community will do everything in its power to ensure the success of presidential elections due in Sierra Leone next year. Sierra Leone holds its first post-civil war elections early next year, although no date has been fixed yet.

Burundi and Sierra Leone will be the first countries to get special attention by the United Nations' new Peacebuilding Commission, the body announced at its first meeting. Approved in December, the commission aims to help post-conflict countries get on track toward a functioning, stable society; both Burundi and Sierra Leone have emerged from civil war.

The Security Council's relocation of Charles Taylor's trial to the Netherlands has elicited conflicting responses from Sierra Leoneans. Supporters of the decision contend that the transfer, "a welcome relief," will help to prevent the hard-won regional peace from collapsing. But critics complain that conducting the trial in The Hague will rob war victims of the opportunity to see their "number one tormentor" brought to justice

The government of Sudan is to provide scholarships for Sierra Leoneans to study in Sudan in various fields of study. The scholarships will cover traveling to and fro, lodging, feeding, allowance, tuition and other expense for students pursuing courses in engineering, computer, medicine and Islamic Studies.