31 May: RUF rebels recaptured the town of Lunsar from pro-government force after a five-hour battle on Tuesday night, military sources said on Wednesday. Government forces, who had taken the town on Monday, said they had run out of ammunition and had been forced to retreat. The BBC reported that government forces were regrouping in the town of Mamusa, while the Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted a defence official as saying reinforcements were being rushed to the area.

British troops assigned to train the Sierra Leone Army may also provide security at Lungi International Airport and around UNAMSIL's headquarters in Aberdeen after the current contingent of Royal Marines pulls out next month, a British military spokesman said on Wednesday. "Their central role is advice and training but it could also include a force on the ground for an actual patrol-type task," the spokesman said. He said the remaining troops would number in "three figures" and could be drawn from the 42 Marine Commando currently on the ground, the Parachute Regiment, or the Royal Anglians. Meanwhile, Britain has dismantled its rear logistics headquarters at Lungi and some support staff have departed. "The manpower is dropping but the number of soldiers on the ground is not. There is no change to the mission," the spokesman said. Meanwhile, British troops handed out leaflets in Freetown Wednesday saying they would soon leave Sierra Leone. "The U.K. military force has achieved its mission of stabilising the security situation in Sierra Leone while (U.N.) reinforcements arrive," the leaflets read. "As UNAMSIL reinforces and assumes the role of defending Lungi there will be a withdrawal of British troops...A strong British military team will remain to assist the government defence forces and UNAMSIL. The essential technical and other advice given to both will remain firmly in place."

A high-level U.N. team headed by former Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Manfred Eisele was set to leave New York for Freetown on Wednesday to assess problems faced by UNAMSIL in response to the crisis which began on May 1, according to Fred Eckhard, the the spokesman for the U.N. Secretary-General. The team will make recommendations to improve the U.N.'s ability to discharge its mandate. UNAMSIL said Wednesday that the military situation in the country was relatively quiet, with no fighting between U.N. troops and RUF fighters in the past ten days. As of Wednesday morning, the reported strength of UNAMSIL stood at 11,280 troops, with reinforcements continuing to arrive.

The RUF is forcing children to join its ranks and engage in combat, including demobilised child soldiers, Human Rights Watch charged on Wednesday. In a statement, the group said it had documented abductions of children as recently as early May. "Since taking United Nations peacekeepers hostage in early May, the RUF has forced many children, included demobilised RUF child soldiers who had laid down their arms, to join its ranks," the Human Rights Watch statement said. "Many other children have been abducted by the RUF in recent weeks to carry military equipment and looted goods, and female abductees are regularly raped."

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has resumed distribution of seed rice and tools to some 40,000 destitute farmers in Sierra Leone, many of whom have been displaced by fighting in recent years, the ICRC said in a statement issued on Wednesday. The seed is urgently needed before mid-June, the end of the planting season for upland rice. If the programme goes according to plan, the ICRC said, more than 200,000 people in Pujehun, Kenema, Kailahun  and Tonkolili Districts should be able to feed themselves by the next harvest. Distributions had been interrupted recently by fighting along the Freetown - Kenema highway and by general insecurity in the country. Starting at the beginning of the week, however, the ICRC began distributions to 2,000 families in Kenema District from existing stocks in its warehouses. The ICRC said reaching tens of thousands more people depended on work to repair the Mabang Bridge, which would provide a safer alternate route, bypassing to the south fighting between pro-government forces and the RUF. "The bridge has been impassable for trucks for several years, but the ICRC hopes to have it rebuilt by the end of the week, thus opening up a new supply route for the ICRC and for civilian and commercial traffic between Freetown and the southern provinces," the statement said.

Four ex-SLA officers arrested last week in connection with attacks on the home of President Kabbah's chief security officer and on Wilberforce Barracks have been freed, according to Oliver Somasa, the head of Sierra Leone's Criminal Investigations Department. "We are continuing our investigations but have released the men we were holding," Somasa said. Those released included former AFRC Secretary of State for Marine Resources George Adams, Santigie "Brigadier 55" Kanu, and former AFRC commander Lieutenant-Colonel Augustine Kenny. According to Somasa, an ex-SLA soldier with ties to the RUF, Hassan Sesay, had alleged that the four were involved in a coup attempt, but later said the claims were false. "Sesay was under the heavy influence of drugs at the time he made the claims," Somasa said.

The Sierra Leone government is still contemplating what to do with detained RUF leader Foday Sankoh, Information Minister Dr. Julius Spencer said on Wednesday. "The question is, 'Try him for what? Where to try him?' and other questions which the government would have to find answers to before embarking on any charge," Spencer said. "People think this is an easy matter but it is not. It is a complex issue to decide exactly what Sankoh should be tried for. A decision would have to be taken on whether to try Sankoh locally or internationally." He said any decision would have to be taken in consultation with the international community. We depend on the international community for the assistance we are currently receiving. We don’t want to spoil the present good relationship so we have to ensure we do not end up at loggerheads with them," he said.

South Africa's Department of Home Affairs said Wednesday that Fatou (Mbaye) Sankoh, the wife of detained RUF leader Foday Sankoh, refused to accept papers served on her on Tuesday evening declaring her persona non grata. The South African government alleged that Fatou Sankoh had engaged in activities intended to promote the aims and objectives of the RUF, which it said were contrary to promoting a climate of peace and stability in Sierra Leone. She was given 24 hours to leave the country. Mabitsela Malefane, chief executive officer of the International Festival of African Arts and Culture (Festac), Sankoh's host in South Africa, said Sankoh had "seen" but "not received" the documents when they were presented to her at her Sandton Hotel room. "She felt strongly that she was not guilty of any wrong doing and therefore did not have to accept the document," he said. Home Affairs Department spokesman Manase Makwela said officials read the document to Sankoh after she refused to sign it. But Sankoh insisted Wednesday that she had received no official notification of her expulsion from either the Department of Home Affairs or the Department of Foreign Affairs, and said she had only learned of the government's decision from journalists. But she added she was willing to leave the country. "I had no intention of staying," she said. "I was brought here to talk about the festival and discuss the situation in Sierra Leone, and I have done that." But despite being ordered to leave, Fatou Sankoh continued to speak out on behalf of her husband's movement. "The informed world understands that all Sierra Leone's war centers around its vast diamond fields," she told SABC radio. "The same community understands that armies of foreign governments, along with private mercenary armies, financed by Great Britain, Nigeria, and various rebel groups, including Chairman Sankoh's, have fought for control of these valuable diamond mines...At no time was my husband ever given a chance to speak publicly, or to give statement to the press, presenting the fact from his side." She accused pro-government forces of kidnapping Foday Sankoh, along with RUFP ministers and bodyguards.

30 May: The U.N. has called on the RUF rebels to allow free movement for 258 peacekeepers surrounded since early this month in eastern Sierra Leone.  "This restriction on the movement of our people in Kuiva and Kailahun must be lifted," UNAMSIL spokesman David Wimhurst said on Tuesday. "We believe the RUF is now trying to find a peaceful solution to this crisis so that is why it is a priority that they must allow free movement." He noted that the RUF seemed to be "withdrawing into the interior of the country." Most of the peacekeepers cut off in Kailahun District are members of the Indian contingent. With them are 11 military observers who were initially held captive, but later handed over. Wimhurst said the RUF had asked Monday that the 11 be handed over so they could be evacuated via Liberia, but the U.N. refused. "If they were allowed to move we could bring them back to Freetown very easily ourselves," Wimhurst said.

Pro-government forces, who reportedly captured Lunsar on Monday, are planning to continue their advance against the RUF, Operations Director Colonel Alfred Nelson-Williams told reporters on Tuesday. "We are operating under the constitution of Sierra Leone and we will continue our advancement,"  Nelson-Williams said in Freetown. "As far as we are concerned we are heading toward Makeni. We expect to meet resistance from the RUF as we are liberating the diamondiferous fields of Kono." Government forces claimed they killed 30 RUF rebels and captured two on Monday during the operation to retake Lunsar. There has been no independent confirmation of the report. The Sierra Leone government has previously denied it is mounting an offensive against the RUF, insisting that it is defending by taking over the positions of attacking rebel forces. "Going to Lunsar was not an offensive strategy, the rebels attacked us from there," presidential spokesman Septimus Kaikai said on Tuesday. Nelson-Williams said the army's new working principles required soldiers to respect international conventions on the treatment of civilians, prisoners and child soldiers. "It's not the type of army that we used to know," he said.

ECOWAS Executive-Secretary Lansana Kouyate (pictured left) acknowledged Tuesday that he erred when he said ECOWAS heads of state and government and decided to remove RUF leader Foday Sankoh from Sierra Leone. His announcement on Monday brought denials from the Sierra Leone government and protests on the streets of Freetown. "Probably, because it was very late and we were debating many controversial positions, but finally this is because we had another round of contacts this morning with different heads of state, and I think the consensus is that the government of Sierra Leone has to ensure the safety of Foday Sankoh," Kouyate said in explaining the error to the BBC Focus on Africa programme. Sierra Leone's Information Minister, Dr. Julius Spencer (right), said President Kabbah had not signed the communiqué issued following Sunday's ECOWAS summit in Abuja "nor has at least Guinea as far as I know." He told the BBC that the question of whether Sankoh should be taken out of Sierra Leone had not been discussed. "It was discussed at the Security and Mediation Committee meeting, but it was not discussed at the full summit meeting. And there was no decision taken about that," Spencer said. Earlier, Kouyate denied that Sankoh's fate had been linked to the release of over 500 U.N. personnel held by the RUF. "We never engaged in any sorts of negotiations," Kouyate told Radio France International. "The release of the hostages was unconditional. As regards the decision to guarantee the security of Foday Sankoh, this follows a close consideration of the issue which does not, by any means, imply that Sankoh will not face trial. The heads of state have also decided to send a fact-finding mission to look into the renewed hostilities and find those responsible." Kouyate said ECOWAS considered the Lomé Peace Accord, signed between the Sierra Leone government and the RUF in July 1999, as still valid. "The accord was negotiated and now it has been violated but we need to see whether the accord should be amended and improved," he said. "For the heads of state, the accord is still holding." He argued that the RUF had been transformed into a political party with the full cooperation of the Sierra Leone government, and that the actions of one person — "even though he is the leader of the RUF" — should not alter this fact. "I believe that the RUF remains a political party," he said. "After the fact-finding mission, those responsible will be identified and the sub-region will, in collaboration with the Sierra Leonean Government, come to some sort of decision. We should not condemn the RUF."  ECOWAS spokeswoman Dr. Adrienne Diop said Tuesday that the option that Sankoh might remain in custody in Sierra Leone had been inadvertently left out of the final communiqué. "The issue of his being taken out Sierra Leone is only one option. He may stay in Sierra Leone or be kept outside Sierra Leone," Diop said. "The two options are open." She said what was important was Sankoh's safety. On Monday, Diop hinted that Sankoh might still have a role to play in Sierra Leone. "It was decided that the safety of Sankoh was important to the future of Sierra Leone," she told the Washington Post. "He will be leaving Sierra Leone fairly soon. Foday Sankoh has violated the peace agreement, and that will be taken into account, but he has a role to play."

Presidential spokesman Septimus Kaikai said Tuesday the Sierra Leone government was considering whether RUF leader Foday Sankoh should be tried at home or abroad. "There are a lot of issues to consider," Kaikai said. "We have to consider if he could have adequate protection here. Is there the possibility of an impartial jury? Is it possible within our legal system? Or do we have the logistics?" Sankoh has not been formally charged, but the government is investigating his role in crimes committed since the signing of the Lomé Peace Accord — in particular the shooting of demonstrators by RUF supporters outside his residence on May 8. The government has also alleged Sankoh was involved in the illicit sale of diamonds while chairman of the government's Commission for the Management of Strategic Resources, National Reconstruction and Development, and that he had been plotting a coup. Kaikai said trying Sankoh would cost millions — more than Sierra Leone could afford. "We also have to consider the question of co-conspirators. Should he be the only one on trial?," Kaikai asked. He said a decision would be made "shortly."

Liberian President Charles Taylor said Tuesday that the release of over 500 U.N. peacekeepers held hostage by the RUF had been unconditional. "I thank God that I was able to convince them (RUF) to do the right thing, to release all the hostages unconditionally," Taylor told a news conference in Abuja, Nigeria following the ECOWAS summit. Earlier this month, ECOWAS leaders had designated Taylor to negotiate for the release of almost 500 U.N. peacekeepers and military observers detained by the RUF based on his perceived close relationship with the rebel group. "We have always said we know Foday Sankoh. I think our knowledge of him should be used to the advantage of ECOWAS," Taylor said. "We are not going to take credit for this. I think ECOWAS should take the credit for being able to bring that crisis to an end. It was a shameful thing to hold other African soldiers hostage."

467 U.N. personnel who had been abducted by the RUF were released via the Liberian border town of Foya, UNAMSIL said on Tuesday. The number included 427 Zambians, 32 Kenyans, three Indians and five military observers. Four Zambians remain unaccounted for, a U.N. spokesman said, and it is increasingly likely the bodies found a Rogberi Junction last week belonged to the missing peacekeepers. Six U.N. personnel remain in hospital in Freetown, and some of them have injuries which will require specialised treatment outside the country. 258 U.N. personnel — 224 Indians and 11 military observers at Kailahun and 23 Indians at Kuiva — remain surrounded by RUF troops. As of Tuesday morning the UNAMSIL force strength stood at 11,060, the spokesman said.

Former RUF field commander Sam "Mosquito" Bockarie has suggested he is considering a return to Sierra Leone. Bockarie and a number of his supporters were forced into exile in Liberia last December after he publicly broke from RUF leader Foday Sankoh and accused Sankoh of trying to have him killed. In an interview with the Washington Post last week, Bockarie said he was working as an unofficial security advisor to Liberian President Charles Taylor while retaining control over 2,000 RUF members, some of whom have been integrated into Anti-Terrorist Unit. He said other RUF fighters were training for a return to Sierra Leone. "I am confused and getting angry...You cannot keep a man like me in an indefinite situation," Bockarie said. In an effort to clarify his own role, he told the Washington Post, "I am preparing a document for [Taylor's] attention."

South Africa's Department of Foreign Affairs has ordered Fatou (Mbawe) Sankoh, the wife of detained RUF leader Foday Sankoh, to leave the country within 24 hours. A department spokesman, Ronnie Mamoepa, said Fatou Sankoh had been declared persona non grata because she had been promoting the RUF, which was hindering a peaceful resolution of the Sierra Leone conflict. "These activities are contrary to the letter and spirit of efforts aimed at creating a climate for peace and stability in Sierra Leone," said Foreign Affairs Director-General Sipho Pityana. "The department of foreign affairs, in conjunction with the department of home affairs, hereby declares Mrs. Fatou Mbaye Sankoh persona non grata in South Africa with immediate effect. Accordingly she must leave South Africa within 24 hours." In October 1997 the United Nations Security Council imposed an international travel ban on members of the former AFRC junta and adult members of their families. Foday Sankoh, although imprisoned in Nigeria throughout the period, was named AFRC deputy chairman and consequently was included under the travel ban.

Several ex-SLA soldiers arrested in connection with a May 22 attack on the home of President Kabbah's chief of security, Major Mohamed Aliyu, and on Wilberforce Barracks, have been released, a source close to the AFRC told the Sierra Leone Web on Tuesday. Those arrested were named by the Freetown press last week as Brigadier Ibrahim Bazzy Kamara, Santigie Kanu (Brigadier 55), Sammy, Papa, Tamba Brima (Gullit), George Adams and LTC Kenny. At least four persons, including two Nigerian peacekeepers, were reported killed in the attacks, which were said to have been carried out by ex-SLA soldiers loyal to AFRC leader Johnny Paul Koroma, who were trying to free a comrade from detention. Koroma condemned the attack, and in a May 24 statement said the perpetrators "were not soldiers loyal to the head of state, the leadership of the AFRC and to the people of this country." Earlier Tuesday, a diplomatic source in Freetown suggested to the Sierra Leone Web that most of the blame for the attack should go to a man named Hassan Sesay, who had allegedly mounted the attack in an effort to free a friend from detention. The diplomat quoted a government source as saying there was no hard evidence that those arrested were involved and that "the bulk of the story" may have been fabricated to implicate others. Meanwhile, the Times of London suggested Tuesday that the attack had in fact been a "mini-coup" attempt. In the Times version, the soldiers were attempting detained RUF leader Foday Sankoh who, the newspaper alleged, had "offered a huge sum of money to be sprung from prison." According to this scenario, the gunmen intended to kidnap Aliyu, force him to order the president's guards to open the gates, seize a vehicle, drive to the presidential lodge and capture President Kabbah. They would have then gone to Pademba Road Prison to demand the release of Sankoh and six other RUF officials. The government has maintained that Sankoh is being held at a secret location in Freetown.

29 May: West African heads of state and government meeting at an ECOWAS summit in Abuja have endorsed a proposal made by ECOWAS nation defence ministers and and chiefs of staff which would send an additional 3,000 troops to Sierra Leone. In a communiqué issued after the meeting, the regional leaders called for UNAMSIL's mandate to be changed from "peacekeeping to peace enforcement" and for the force, currently headed by Indian Major-General Vijay Kumar Jetley, to be headed by a West African. The West African leaders also "decided to ensure the safety of (detained RUF leader) Corporal Foday Sankoh by keeping him out of Sierra Leone," the communiqué said. A committee of six ECOWAS members — Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria and Togo — will be sent to Sierra Leone immediately to determine a date for a cease-fire and to end renewed fighting in the country. The committee has been mandated "to make contact with all the parties concerned and prevail on them to redeploy to the positions held as at 1 July, 1999, the date of signature of the Lomé Peace Accord." The summit resolved to conduct an inquiry into the renewed hostilities and to study the illegal trade in diamonds in the region. The leaders also called on the RUF to disarm and demobilise voluntarily. Malian President Alpha Oumar Konare, the current ECOWAS chairman, was directed "to prevail on member states who had pledged to contribute contingents to honor their commitments." Seven countries have reportedly offered troops for the mission, which is expected to be heavily dominated by Nigerian soldiers. Several countries which made similar pledges to provide troops to the ECOMOG force failed to follow through on their commitments. Earlier, ECOWAS spokeswoman Dr. Adrienne Diop told reporters it had been agreed that the West African troops would work under the United Nations rather than as a separate parallel force. She said Sankoh "would be taken out of Sierra Leone to be kept in a safer place" while efforts to revive the peace process continued. 

ECOWAS Executive Secretary Lansana Kouyate told journalists that ECOWAS would take charge of the rebel leader. "We have decided to give security to Foday Sankoh, probably outside Sierra Leone...but that does not mean that we accept massacres and mutilation of the population," he said. "That does not mean either that he cannot be tried later...this is a decision taken unanimously, with Sierra Leone's President Ahmad Kabbah." But the BBC's Robin White quoted Sierra Leonean Foreign Minister Dr. Sama Banya as saying Sierra Leone had not agreed to hand Sankoh over. "Well this is part of a communiqué and I think it has been discussed with the government of Sierra Leone, and this is what the heads of state have agreed on," Kouyate said in a BBC Focus on Africa interview. "I can assure you this was an agreement reached between the heads of state." He declined to disclose when the rebel leader would be handed over, or where he might be held. Kouyate stressed that assuring Sankoh's safety did not mean he would not be tried. "It is premature to say anything on (where he might face trial) because I don’t know what the heads of state will decide later," he said. "But again I repeat it, assuring his safety does not mean he will be out of trial." In New York, Sierra Leone's Ambassador to the United Nations, Ibrahim Kamara, told the Washington Post on Sunday that Sankoh would face trial in Sierra Leone. "He's with us now, and we're not going to let him go," Kamara said.

Pro-government forces said Monday they had captured the RUF-held town of Lunsar. "Lunsar has been liberated. It happened today, early today," said Army spokesman Major John Milton. Earlier in the day, Reuters said heavy fighting had been reported around Rogberi Junction. The news agency quoted military sources as saying pro-government troops had made a push toward Lunsar, but had pulled back after a heavy exchange of fire. Fighting was also reported Monday in various parts of the north or west, causing civilians in Kambia District to flee over the Guinea border. "We are advancing towards Kambia," Major told reporters. He acknowledged, however, that government forces had not yet captured the town of Mange, which lies about halfway between Port Loko and Kambia. Milton said government forces were concentrating their strength in the north because the RUF in the east had shown no sign of attempting to advance, and appeared ready to respect the Lomé Peace Accord. "Since we want peace, perhaps we can cajole those ones and they will lay down their arms," he said.

Despite problems experienced by United Nations peacekeepers since they began to deploy in Sierra Leone late last year, UNAMSIL force commander Major-General Vijay Kumar Jetley said the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) process was "still very much on" as far as the U.N. was concerned. "We are going to move forward in a planned and systematic way to deploy to all the places where we were deployed earlier," Jetley told a news conference in Freetown. Since arriving in Sierra Leone at least 11 peacekeepers have been killed and 25-30 wounded. U.N. troops sent to disarm the rebels have been disarmed themselves, including an entire Guinean battalion on its way to join UNAMSIL earlier this year. This month over 500 U.N. peacekeeping troops and military advisors were abducted and disarmed by the RUF. The last group of abductees was released on Sunday. Jetley said his troops were using "force when necessary" and had inflicted major casualties on the rebels when attacked. "The rebels are still licking their wounds," Jetley said. "The RUF is in a total state of demoralization at the moment," he asserted.

A battalion of 1,014 Jordanian peacekeeping troops left for Sierra Leone on Monday, according to the state-owned Petra news agency. The contingent includes a field hospital. There are currently some 980 Jordanians serving with the UNAMSIL force.

Fatou Sankoh, the wife of detained RUF leader Foday Sankoh, arrived in Johannesburg on on Saturday despite South Africa's Department of Foreign Affairs having told her host — entrepreneur MK Malefane — that she would not be welcome. Fatou (Mbawe) Sankoh reportedly married the rebel leader in February and accompanied him on his controversial trip to Johannesburg. Born in Senegal, she is a naturalised U.S. citizen, and reportedly entered South Africa on an American passport. In a press release she sent the Sierra Leone Web earlier this month,  described herself as "a lawyer by profession and also president of an NGO by avocation." While she declined to discuss her reasons for the current trip, MK Malefane informed the Department of Foreign Affairs Friday that he had invited her to South Africa to discuss her participation in a music and arts festival. Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said the Department of Foreign Affairs was seeking clarification from the United Nations as to whether Fatou Sankoh was affected by the U.N. travel ban on her husband. "We are obviously investigating this matter. We will be getting in touch with the United Nations to see whether she is affected by the sanctions," Pahad said. A spokesman for the Department, Dumisani Rasheleng, said Department of Foreign Affairs was liaising with the Department of Home Affairs in trying to expedite her departure from South Africa. Fatou Sankoh "is travelling on a U.S. private passport that exempts her from a visa," Rasheleng said. "She is also apparently travelling on a different name." In an interview with South Africa's Sunday Independent newspaper, Fatou Sankoh denied reports of RUF brutality or of forcing young children to fight as soldiers. "Foday loves children. He's not the monster the British want people to believe he is," she said. She claimed pictures of people with amputated limbs were "British propaganda" and claimed that pro-government forces, not the RUF, were responsible for mutilations and killings in Sierra Leone. Fatou Sankoh told the Independent that she was Sankoh's only wife. "I am his first wife. There has been no other," she said. But Foday Sankoh himself has acknowledged that he has been married more than once. "In 1977...I went to the eastern part of the country where I married my first wife," Sankoh told the New African in November 1999. In the same interview he spoke of having 11 children. 

28 May: 85 freed U.N. peacekeepers arrived in Freetown Sunday night, the last of over 500 U.N. personnel seized by RUF rebels in northern and eastern Sierra Leone at the beginning of the month. "We are optimistic that the release of the hostages signals a positive change of direction by the Revolutionary United Front in coming back to seek a peaceful settlement," said UNAMSIL spokesman David Wimhurst. Four soldiers were unaccounted for, but Wimhurst told reporters earlier they were likely to have been among the bodies discovered last week at Rogberi Junction. All of those freed Sunday were Zambians, with the exception of one Gambian military observer with a broken leg. Wimhurst discounted reports by Liberian President Charles Taylor that 30-40 of the peacekeepers had been wounded. A contingent of 23 Indian peacekeepers along with 11 unarmed military observers still remains surrounded in the eastern town of Kuiva, but Wimhurst expressed hope earlier Sunday that the situation would soon be resolved. In New York, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's spokesman said Annan was "delighted" with the releases, and said he hoped "that the freeing of the remaining peacekeepers will help create conditions in which the long and agonizing search for peace and stability in Sierra Leone can at last be brought to a successful conclusion."

RUF forces failed to retake the town of Rogberi Junction Saturday in a battle in which, according to military sources, 12 pro-government troops and 29 rebels were killed. Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service said 14 other RUF fighters were wounded. According to British military spokesman Lieutenant-Commander Tony Cramp, the RUF mounted a "large attack" on government forces holding the town. "The attack was repelled very successfully by the government forces, with large numbers of casualties inflicted on the RUF," Cramp told the BBC. "And what’s significant about that is it’s a very clear indication in fact that the government forces are now uniting together to be a lot more effective and a lot more robust force...The fact that they’ve repelled what was a very large attack will give them a lot of confidence and they will also be looking at moving even further forward into the east of the country." Cramp indicated that pro-government forces, which consist of a coalition of SLA and ex-SLA soldiers and CDF militiamen under a recently-unified command, were moving toward the RUF strongholds in eastern Sierra Leone. He added that at least some factions of the RUF appeared interested in negotiating an end to the fighting. "We’re getting a lot of mixed messages," he said. "There have been a number of RUF personnel coming over in the last couple of days giving themselves up. They do have a problem. There are signs of splits and clearly at the moment with the RUF on the back foot and pro-government forces pushing ahead there should be a lot of worried people there." Meanwhile, Reuters said heavy fighting had been reported on the Kambia road, where government forces said Saturday they were advancing toward the Mange Bridge.

West African leaders gathered in Abuja, Nigeria on Sunday for a summit marking the 25th anniversary of ECOWAS. The heads of state and government will consider recommendations made by the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council, which worked into the early hours of Sunday morning on a proposal which would send up to 3,000 additional troops to Sierra Leone. "The meeting has ended, but the conclusions will be passed on to the full summit," ECOWAS Executive Secretary Lansana Kouyate said at the conclusion of the mini-summit. He told reporters an announcement would be made following the full summit. An original draft proposal, which was submitted ten days ago by ECOWAS defence ministers and chiefs of staff, left open the question of whether the new force would work within the framework of UNAMSIL or whether it would constitute a parallel force with a more robust mandate and its own command. In his address to the summit, President Kabbah indicated that the new troops should be separate from, and work alongside, U.N. peacekeepers. "ECOMOG still has a job to do in Sierra Leone," he said, adding that it should work in a "partnership for peace and security" with the U.N. "What we need is a joint effort — national, regional and international — to achieve peace and security in Sierra Leone," he said. On Saturday, however, Nigerian Foreign Minister Sule Lamido said the West African troops would be part of UNAMSIL — a prediction echoed Sunday by BBC correspondent Barnaby Philips. "I think since then the West Africans and specifically the Nigerians — because they’re really the driving force here — have had to face the reality that it’s going to be the the international community — the governments in the West and the Americans are going to supply the logistics and the money for West African soldiers to go to Sierra Leone, and to that extent its inevitable, I think, that the West Africans will be within UNAMSIL," Philips told the BBC Focus on Africa programme. He added that the West Africans continued to have misgivings about placing their troops under UNAMSIL control. "They don’t have entire faith in UNAMSIL’s ability or indeed UNAMSIL’s methods in enforcing peace in Sierra Leone," he said.

27 May: West African leaders met in Abuja, Nigeria Saturday afternoon for an ECOWAS mini-summit to consider the crisis in Sierra Leone. The ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council meeting — attended by the leaders of Nigeria, Mali, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Senegal, Guinea, Liberia and Gambia — took recommendations made last week by defence ministers and chiefs of staff, who presented several scenarios under which ECOWAS nations would send up to 3,000 additional troops to Sierra Leone. Nigerian Foreign Minister Sule Lamido told reporters Saturday that any troops sent to the country would be part of UNAMSIL, and would not constitute a separate parallel force. "The line of action we have adopted is that ECOWAS member countries will be contributing troops to beef up the U.N. peacekeeping force already in Sierra Leone," Lamido said. "The troops will work under the framework of the U.N." According to a draft agenda, the heads of state and government planned to consider "practical involvement of the sub-regional ECOMOG forces and manpower and material requirements." They were to also review the current status of detained RUF leader Foday Sankoh, and seek to bring implementation of the Lomé Peace Accord back on course.

Sierra Leone government forces clashed overnight with RUF rebels near the town of Rogberi Junction, UNAMSIL spokesman David Wimhurst told reporters in Freetown on Saturday. "When we overflew that area this morning it seemed to be calm," he said. SLA Lieutenant-Colonel Sam Mboma told a a press conference "the forward position at this moment is that we are heading for Lunsar." He added there were reports that the rebels were regrouping in the town. Mboma said pro-government forces were massing at Port Loko in preparation for a strike on Kambia, and were advancing toward the Mange Bridge. He noted that all of the disparate pro-government forces, including the Sierra Leone Army, the former Sierra Leone Army and the Civil Defence Forces, were now under one unified command. "Sierra Leone now has a single defence force and defence headquarters that is responsible for the day to day control of government defence forces," he said. "The Defence Operational Group now acts as the executive committee in running the government forces' day to day campaign, under the direction of the chief of the defence staff."

143 freed U.N. peacekeepers arrived in Freetown from Liberia on Saturday, leaving only about 112 unaccounted for or in the hands of the RUF. "We are hopeful that there will be more releases very soon, particularly with the meeting in Abuja," said UNAMSIL spokesman David Wimhurst. "Our efforts are concentrated on getting all of them released." Most of the freed peacekeepers were Zambians, but at least two Kenyan soldiers were among those arriving in the Sierra Leonean capital. Earlier, the Liberian government announced that the RUF had released 180 peacekeepers on Friday. 

British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said Saturday that Britain was on track to withdraw its troops from Sierra Leone by mid-June, despite a plea from President Kabbah Friday that they remain until stability had been restored to the country. "We have made it absolutely clear all along that the reason why British forces are in Sierra Leone was in the first place to allow the evacuation of British nationals and secondly to allow the reinforcement by the United Nations of their contingent in the country," Hoon told the BBC. Meanwhile, about 800 British paratroopers of the First and Second Battalions of the Parachute Regiment have arrived back at their barracks in Aldershot and Colchester, Essex in the past two days after having evacuated British and other foreign nationals from Sierra Leone and securing Lungi International Airport. The paratroopers were replaced on the ground by about 800 Royal Marines from 42 Commando.

A first contingent of 150 Bangladeshi troops left Dhaka for Sierra Leone on Saturday aboard a U.N.-chartered aircraft. The rest of the Bangladeshi battalion, consisting of 780 soldiers including four staff officers, are due to leave in the next few days.

Liberian President Charles Taylor has questioned the timing of an announcement by the Sierra Leone government that RUF leader Foday Sankoh would be put on trial, since the RUF was still holding some 70 U.N. personnel hostage. "It does not make any sense at this time to deal with the question of Foday Sankoh before disarmament and demobilisation and before elections are held," Taylor said. "The issue of Foday Sankoh must be dealt with after we have succeeded in bringing peace to that country. It will be foolish to do so before then, and I hope the Sierra Leone government will not make the mistake of trying to push or force the situation beyond expectation." Taylor spoke to reporters at Robertsfield Airport in Monrovia before departing for the ECOWAS mini-summit in Abuja. The Liberian president called on all sides to adhere to the Lomé Peace Accord. "It is true that the Revolutionary United Front has committed some horrors, but the government of Sierra Leone must be tactful in how to deal with this matter because two wrongs do not make one right," he said. The RUF reportedly released 180 U.N. peacekeepers on Friday, and Taylor said he hoped the rest would be released soon — possibly as early as Saturday.

RUF rebels have released about 300 former child combatants ranging in age from 7 to 18, who were being cared for by the Catholic charity Caritas at Makeni, UNAMSIL spokesman David Wimhurst said on Saturday. He said Caritas was transporting the children to Lungi. Makeni Bishop George Biguzzi said, however, that just 85 of the former child combatants being rehabilitated at the Caritas Centre in Makeni had arrived in Freetown. "This was possible thanks to the courage of two humanitarian workers of our diocesan Caritas, Edmond Koroma and Mark Gbla," Biguzzi told the Missionary Services News Agency (MISNA) on Saturday. "Last Sunday they walked all the way to Makeni, still controlled by the rebels of the Revolutionary United Front, and discovered that there were still 86 children in our rehabilitation centre. Miraculously they were able to escape last Wednesday and after various difficulties finally reached Mile 91, where they found means of transportation to take them to the capital, Freetown. Along the way they were unfortunately intercepted various times by rebel patrols and on one of the these occasions a child was taken by the RUF combatants." He said 91 children at the Makeni centre had been abducted over the past few days by the rebels. Recent fighting has caused Caritas of Makeni to temporarily close its rehabilitation centres at Makeni and Lunsar, but a new centre has been opened at Lungi to received the 85 children who escaped from Makeni. The two aid workers were quoted as saying that, contrary to earlier reports, no homes or buildings had been burned down in Makeni, but that the rebels had done some looting in the area.

The Sierra Leone Bar Association urged the government Friday to ratify the Rome Statute establishing an International Criminal Court (ICC). "Recent atrocities committed in Sierra Leone have again illustrated the urgent need for an effective and independent international court, in order to bring to justice and hold accountable those responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law," the Association said in a statement. It noted that when the ICC becomes operational it would have jurisdiction over serious crimes "committed in the context of armed conflicts not of an international character," such as the conflict in Sierra Leone. To date, the Rome Statute is still far short of the 60 ratifications by U.N. member states required for its adoption.

Amnesty International has demanded that Britain investigate allegations of torture against former NPRC military leader Captain Valentine Strasser, currently living in London. "Strasser's people were responsible for, among other things, torture of political opponents," said Amnesty International spokesman Brendan Paddy. "The government has a responsibility to investigate because torture committed anywhere is a crime under U.K. law...(Strasser) was the leader of a military coup and his government was involved in committing serious human rights abuses against anyone suspected of supporting rebel forces. We have signed an international convention against torture and we have brought the provisions into our law. If that's to mean anything we have to bring alleged perpetrators to justice, otherwise...the cycle of torture and killing with impunity will go on." Strasser was among a group of young military officers which overthrew the APC government of President Joseph Saidu Momoh in 1992. He headed the NPRC until 1996, when he was ousted by Brigadier Julius Maada Bio in a "palace coup" just prior to the 1996 elections. Strasser received a scholarship from the United Nations Development Project to study law at Warwick University in 1997, but dropped out after just a year. Last month the man who at age 27 became head of state in Sierra Leone was arrested in Kilburn and accused of damaging his former girlfriend's car. A British Home Office spokesman confirmed reports that Strasser had withdrawn his asylum request after leaving the university, but said he could not discuss individual asylum requests or Strasser's current status. "We always deal with cases individually, and of course his case is pretty peculiar," he said.

About 170 persons demonstrated Saturday at Hatton Garden, the heart of London's diamond district, to highlight the direct link between the sale of "conflict diamonds" and the protraction of the conflict in Sierra Leone. In a statement issued on Friday, the National Association of Sierra Leonean Organisations, which initiated Saturday's protest, noted that the RUF had controlled Sierra Leone's diamond mining areas throughout most of the country's nine year civil conflict. "Uninterrupted access to diamonds and the proceeds of their sale on the international market, has provided the RUF with the funds it requires to secure an endless supply of arms, ammunition and illegal drugs," the group said. A participant in the protest told the Sierra Leone Web that diamond mining giant De Beers had contacted the group this week requesting a meeting, which went ahead on Thursday. "They were worried that we were advocating a total boycott of diamonds," the source said. "They said they would be prepared to work with us and that they supported regulating the trade."

26 May: The RUF freed a reported 180 more U.N. personnel on Friday leaving about 75 left in rebel hands. UNAMSIL spokesman David Wimhurst confirmed the arrival in Monrovia of 46 former hostages. "They are staying overnight in Monrovia and we're hopeful there will be more arriving there soon," he said. The rest were assumed to be waiting to be evacuated from the Liberian border town of Foya. A U.N. spokesman in New York said the 46 "are all in good shape," although the Agence France-Presse (AFP) said they had been taken to hospital in Monrovia upon their arrival in the Liberian capital.

President Kabbah said Friday that detained RUF leader Foday Sankoh would be put on trial "petty soon." "We are in the process of putting together the evidence, and we hope to accelerate that process," he told BBC correspondent Mike Donkin. "We do not want to deny justice, or delay it." Kabbah said his government was still committed to the Lomé Peace Accord signed last July between the Sierra Leone government and the RUF. "Because of one man’s conduct you cannot say that the agreement is no longer valid," Kabbah insisted. "What I am saying is that the agreement is one thing which we regard as valid, and Sankoh’s done something wrong, he is going to be tried, and if he is found wanting in any way, or in violation of our laws, then I don’t see that he can claim any rights under that agreement...Sankoh is just one member of the RUF, and he may have one or two of his henchmen with him, but the vast majority of them — we are getting signals that they’re interested in really putting this thing behind us, and we want to be able to pursue that." Kabbah sidestepped a question as to whether pro-government forces were winning the war against the rebels. "Let’s put it this way: We are not fighting, we are just defending ourselves, and in the process we are containing them." He said the government's aim was to get the RUF to obey the peace accord. "The peace agreement clearly provided that people should have access to all parts of the country, and the government should have its law enforcement officers in every corner of the country, and humanitarian workers should also be able to provide food and medicine to people in every part of the country," he said. Kabbah said that "in terms of numbers" the government was impressed with the U.N. peacekeeping force, but added: "It is now left with them to acquit themselves in a way that they will inspire confidence." Regarding the British military presence in Freetown, the president was less circumspect. "Britain’s role in this is one thing that I can be most categoric about," he said. "They came in at the right time, and the security vacuum that existed and the confidence level on the part of the people which was way down, was dramatically improved upon the arrival of the British. And this has really contributed considerably to the improvement of the security situation in the country." He said he would appeal to British Prime Minister Tony Blair not to withdraw British forces from Sierra Leone until stability had been restored.

Minister of Finance Dr. James O.C. Jonah said Friday that the government would prefer to see RUF leader Foday Sankoh tried by an international tribunal, as his safety could not be guaranteed by a local court. Jonah ruled out using Sankoh as leverage in negotiating with the rebels. "If this government tolerates Sankoh as a bargaining chip, it would be out," he said. "The people are angry. They cannot trust Foday Sankoh. We have made [word indistinct] with him before, and I just cannot see any circumstances in which government will make Sankoh a bargaining chip." Presidential spokesman Septimus Kaikai said that Sankoh would be brought to trial in due course, but could give no date. "Justice delayed is justice denied. We don't want to hold onto Mr. Sankoh for ever, but on the other hand justice hastened is also justice denied," he said.

Human Rights Watch charged Friday that the RUF had imposed a "reign of terror" during its week-long occupation of the Masiaka area. Human Rights Watch has documented cases of murder, mutilation, rape, looting and abduction against the civilian population, the group said in a press release.

Both RUF rebels and pro-government forces have been responsible for human rights abuses since the start of the latest round of fighting, a U.N. human rights spokesman said in Freetown Friday. "Civilians have been subjected to forced labor, their property has been looted and destroyed and food and money stolen by the RUF...There are reports of abduction, rape and physical harassment," Richard Bennett said. He added that there was evidence of abuses by pro-government troops as well. "We have received information according to which the pro-government forces were responsible for extra-judicial executions, beatings and arbitrary detentions. "After armed confrontations on May 10 at Masiaka, representatives from our department observed 11 bodies, apparently RUF fighters killed during the fighting...At least two of them had head wounds which seemed have been inflicted at point blank range." Bennett said the U.N. was also concerned about the use of child soldiers by both pro-government and rebel forces.

Bodies discovered in the bush Monday near Rogberi Junction were probably those of U.N. peacekeepers, UNAMSIL spokesman David Wimhurst said on Friday. "We're not absolutely sure, but the evidence points to them being men of the U.N. contingent — four Zambians and one Nigerian," he told reporters. The bodies were clad in military uniforms, some with U.N. insignia. A U.N. team which visited the scene this week was unable to make a positive identification of the bodies, as they were in an advanced state of decomposition. But Wimhurst said the U.N.'s Zambian contingent reported four soldiers missing following fighting between UNAMSIL troops and RUF rebels in the area on May 6. Two Nigerian soldiers were also unaccounted for. Wimhurst denied earlier reports that the bodies had been mutilated, but said the "remains were scattered" by wild animals.

Pro-government forces are continuing to advance from Rogberi Junction towards the RUF-held town of Lunsar, British military spokesman Lieutenant Commander Tony Cramp said early Friday. "There are no great signs of activity. Obviously there have been isolated outbreaks," he told Reuters. "The indications are the government forces are continuing their advance from Rogberi Junction to Lunsar." Cramp said hundreds of Royal Marines formally took over defence of Lungi International Airport from British paratroopers at a ceremony on Friday morning. "They are fully deployed in Lungi and around Aberdeen Peninsula," he said.

A new group of about 10,000 persons fleeing the fighting have been found on Tasso Island, in the estuary between Freetown and Lungi, a U.N. spokesman said on Friday. The group was found in "deplorable condition" without adequate water, sanitation, medicine or shelter, according to Fred Eckhard, spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Amnesty International Secretary-General Pierre Sane has condemned a provision of the Lomé Peace Accord granting a blanket amnesty for war crimes, and has called for all those guilty of war crimes and human rights abuses to be put on trial. He also called for the creation of an international commission of inquiry. "Deliberate and arbitrary killings, mutilations, rape and abductions have continued since the signing of the peace agreement," Sane said in a statement released in Freetown Friday. "Human rights abuses in Sierra Leone will not end until there is an end to impunity...This (peace) agreement provides no justice, accountability." He said those accused of gross human rights abuses could be tried in another state if fair trials could not be guaranteed in Sierra Leone. Sane and Amnesty International's researcher on Sierra Leone, Tessa Kordeczka, met in Freetown this week with President Kabbah and other government officials, including Justice Minister and Attorney-General Solomon Berewa. They were also to meet with the commander of British troops and the British and Nigerian High Commissioners, U.N. officials and local human rights groups.

Members of Parliament and Sierra Leone's Civil Society Movement announced the formation Friday of a Parliament and Civil Society Task Force and a Parliament and Civil Society Movement Task Force to "sustain and co-ordinate the current collaborative efforts between Parliament and the Civil Society Movement - Sierra Leone." 

Zainab Bangura, the National Coordinator of the civil society group Campaign for Good Governance, called Friday for an international tribunal to be set up on Sierra Leone. "I think it is important that we know who are the external players behind the RUF, who has been involved with our diamonds," Bangura said in an interview with Radio France International. "So if you have an external tribunal...we can also bring in the external players. The war in Sierra Leone was fought both internally and externally. The external forces were very, very strong." Bangura said the external tribunal should be responsible for trying detained RUF leader Foday Sankoh. "Foday Sankoh has become an obstacle to our lives for too long," she said. "We have to deal with him once and for all, so by getting him out of our lives, it can give us an opportunity to move ahead. But if he’s tried within Sierra Leone he will be a security risk, because (the rebels) will always want to come for him, and then the trial must consume us —  psychologically as well as financially. I don’t think we actually (will) be able to go through that. Bangura said the civil society should take a leading role in addressing Sierra Leone's problems. "I think the only people who can take the initiative will have to be the civil society who have been part and parcel of this problem, and also because the civil society has been involved throughout this crisis and has played an active role," she said. "At the same time they also have a problem because they think that there has to be a political leadership in the [words indistinct] crisis, because there is a democratically-elected government, and the civil society within the last three or four years has come to play a role that is not normally played in other countries." She said civil society groups were planning to consult with their constituencies in the Western Area and in southern and eastern Sierra Leone beginning next week. "It is only after we have done that you can be able to come with a consensus," she said.

Zambian President Chiluba has sent the Commander of the Zambian Army, Lieutenant-General Geojago Musengule, to Sierra Leone to deliver a message of solidarity to Zambian peacekeeping troops and to thank West African leaders for helping to ensure the release of Zambian soldiers held hostage by the RUF.  "Our soldiers have not gone to Sierra Leone for war. They should therefore, be considered as agents of peace and not conflict," Chiluba said in a statement to mark Africa Freedom Day. He said Musengule was being sent to talk "to our forces and tell them that we are together and praying for those still held (and)...to speak to Heads of State and commend them for the efforts they were making to ensure the release of our soldiers." Declared Chiluba: "The unfortunate incidents of Sierra Leone will therefore, not discourage Zambia from continuing with the noble cause of peacekeeping in that country, nor will it affect Zambia's participation in other peacekeeping missions in Africa."

Liberian Information Minister Joe Mulbah denied Friday that Liberia was involved in illegal arms and diamond dealing with Sierra Leone's rebels. In an interview in Accra, reported by Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Mulbah said Liberia shared a porous border with Sierra Leone which could be easily penetrated by illicit diamond traders and gunrunners. Liberia has often been accused of backing Sierra Leone's RUF rebels. Figures published by Partnership Africa Canada earlier this year documented that over the past decade Liberia diamond sales to Antwerp alone have, on the average, exceeded its estimated production by over thirty times. The inference is that most of these diamonds actually originated in Sierra Leone.

The U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) said Friday it was continuing to provide food assistance to new and previously-displaced persons in Sierra Leone through "food-for-work," "food-for-training," and "food-for-agriculture" projects. WFP said in its latest report it had begun registering an estimated 14,000 newly-displaced people in Kafu Bullom Chiefdom ahead of a planned food distribution there. The WFP will deliver over 100 tons of food by road, while assessing the needs in nearby Loko Masama Chiefdom. In Freetown, the WFP distributed 746 tons of food to 56,106 beneficiaries during the reporting period. The number included 26,326 displaced persons. In Bo, the WFP distributed 177 tons of food to 13,102 persons and in Kenema 192 tons of food were distributed to 19,482 people. The WFP's office in Bo has resumed normal programming at levels reached before the current crisis, but the WFP said security concerns at Kenema were hindering its operations outside of the town. 

25 May: 29 Zambian peacekeepers freed by the RUF on Monday were flown back to Freetown on Wednesday night. Their departure from Monrovia had been delayed by the hope that additional U.N. personnel would be freed to join them, according to BBC Monrovia correspondent Jonathan Paye-Layleh. Reginald Goodridge, who is spokesman for Liberian President Charles Taylor, acknowledged logistical difficulties Thursday, but said "we expect a sizeable number of the hostages to be released between now and tomorrow." Taylor was designated by ECOWAS to negotiate for the release of the detained U.N. peacekeeping troops. The RUF has so far released 233 U.N. peacekeepers and military observers, but are still holding about 260, most of them from Zambia, according to UNAMSIL spokesman David Wimhurst.

President Kabbah has promised British High Commissioner Alan Jones that all combatants under age 18 serving in pro-government forces will be demobilised and removed from the front line. The pledge came after an outcry in Britain following publication in London's Evening Standard newspaper of 14-year old Abu Kamara, holding what appeared to be a British rifle. Britain is expected to supply about 10,000 self-loading rifles and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition to help the government fight RUF rebels. The Evening Standard alleged that government checkpoints were being manned by children as young as 12 armed with British weapons supplied over a year ago.

UNAMSIL spokesman David Wimhurst said Thursday that the United Nations no longer considered detained RUF leader Foday Sankoh a "credible" negotiating partner with whom to resume dialogue over the peace process. The RUF "will have to find a credible interlocutor" for continued application of the Lomé Peace Accord, he said. Wimhurst said UNAMSIL already had "direct contacts with (RUF) commanders in the field," but gave no details.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan criticised U.S. Senator Judd Gregg Thursday for blocking payment of $368 million owed by the United States for U.N. peacekeeping operations in Sierra Leone, Kosovo, East Timor and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Gregg, who is chairman of an Appropriations Committee subcommittee, has criticized U.S. support for the Lomé Peace Accord and has said he will block the funding as long as the agreement is in effect. "Let me say it is not helpful," Annan said of Gregg's actions, and challenged him to come up with his own peace plans if he disagreed with U.N. efforts. He said the U.N. is "not in good financial shape," owing hundreds of millions of dollars to member nations who have provided peacekeeping troops. Gregg's freezing of the U.S. funds, already appropriated by Congress, "is only going to make matters worse," he said. "Where a peace agreement is signed but one or more of the parties are tempted to violate it, the U.N. needs a credible and robust presence in order to deter and discourage potential violators," Annan told reporters, adding that U.N. peacekeepers cannot be expected to only "keep peace between angels."  Warring parties are often "warlords and militia leaders whose only aim is power and personal enrichment," Annan said. He pointed out that the threat of international isolation might have no meaning for people like RUF leader Foday Sankoh. 

UNAMSIL has sent a team to the area where two journalists and four SLA soldiers were killed Wednesday in an RUF ambush. Two other journalists were were injured. The team was led by Deputy Force Commander Brigadier-General Mohammed Garba, according to Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the U.N. Secretary-General.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), together with the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society have distributed non-food relief this week to 11,640 displaced persons (1,354 families), mostly women and children, gathered at Lungi. The people were newly arrived at the town, most of them having fled from Port Loko, Masiaka and Makeni in the face of renewed fighting in the country. In a statement Thursday, the ICRC expressed "acute concern" about the fate of demobilised child combatants and other children faced with imminent recruitment by Sierra Leone's warring factions.

Reaction to the deaths of two journalists, Kurt Schork of Reuters and Miguel Gil Moreno of Associated Press Television News, who were killed in a rebel ambush Wednesday near Rogberi Junction. U.S. PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON: "I knew (Kurt Schork) over 30 years ago; we were in Oxford together. And I'm very sad today. He was a good man, and if you look at all the many posts that he occupied, he was a brave man. He went to a lot of places, a lot of the troubled and dangerous places of the world to bring the news to people. And I am very sad about it." MARIA DE PATROCINIO MACIAN BLAYA (mother of Miguel Gil Moreno): "I am filled with overwhelming sadness and grief, but in the end I find solace in the fact that Miguel was doing the job he loved and died doing the work he felt ordained for. He felt his mission was to give voice to those who did not have one." U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN: "They were doing what other journalists are doing around the world — taking risks so that the rest of us can keep informed. The message that they uncovered in Sierra Leone is that the killing has not stopped."  LOUIS D. BOCCARDI (President and CEO of AP): "Miguel's death leaves us with an indescribable sense of loss. Our pain is not eased by the certainty that he was doing work he loved when tragedy struck. Professional accolades fade to the background at tragic moments like this but at least he lived to accept the honor, just last month, of being hailed as the Royal Television Society's cameraman of the year." GEERT LINNEBANK (Reuters Editor-in-Chief): "Kurt Schork was a courageous reporter, a courageous man who perhaps more than any other journalist highlighted the plight of the Kurds during the Gulf War and later those victims of the Balkans conflicts." RICHARD HOLBROOKE (U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.): "What the public that watches these pictures and doesn't really realize is the compulsion to tell the story, which differentiates people like Kurt and Miguel from the rest of us — the risks they take to make sure the world knows what's happening in what otherwise would be the dark recesses of people behaving at their absolute worst...(Kurt Schork) was almost always right. He showed no bias. He was cheerful no matter how awful the situation. He believed journalists could be a force for good in the world while reporting the truth as he saw it. It is an enormous loss to journalism." MARK LAITY (spokesman for NATO Secretary-General George Robertson): "Overall I would say that we have lost two superb journalists doing one of the most difficult jobs in the world, and they are people we can ill afford to lose because there are not many that can do it with their sense of courage and commitment and fairness." RAMON LOBO (journalist for El País): "Death always waits for those who look it in the eye....My only consolation is to think that they died doing a job they loved and which is so misunderstood, telling the truth which few people want to hear." UNAMSIL SPOKESMAN DAVID WIMHURST: "The deaths have shocked and saddened us all. These two men were both very fine journalists and experienced war correspondents and their loss is being felt far beyond this place." U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT: "They were colleagues and friends for many of you. They went into dangerous areas to tell us all what was really going on and their contribution was invaluable and my admiration for their work and their courage is also unbounded."

24 May: Two Western journalists, one identified as 53-year old veteran Reuters reporter Kurt Schork (left), an American, and the other as 32-year old Associated Press Television News producer and cameraman Miguel Gil Moreno (right) of Barcelona, Spain were killed Wednesday when the two vehicles in which they were riding were ambushed by RUF rebels just east of Rogberi Junction. Four Sierra Leone Army soldiers were also reported killed in the attack. Two Reuters reporters were injured in the incident, South African television cameraman Mark Chisholm and Greek photographer Yannis Behrakis. British military spokesman Captain Fergus Smith said the two wounded reporters had been treated by Jordanian peacekeepers and evacuated to the Indian Field Hospital in Freetown. BBC correspondent Mike Donkin said they had been treated at a UNAMSIL field hospital at the front and later transferred to "one of Freetown's main hospitals." Their injuries were not considered to be life threatening. Last year ten journalists died in Sierra Leone, making it the most dangerous country in the world for members of the press. 

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has expressed outrage over what it called "the latest murderous attack on journalists" in Sierra Leone which claimed the lives of two journalists and left two more injured. "These journalists are victims of a group of murderous thugs, who for years have deliberately targeted local reporters and foreign correspondents covering the Sierra Leone conflict," CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper said in a statement. "It's time the RUF and its leader, Foday Sankoh, were held accountable for these deadly assaults, whose aim is to eliminate independent reporting on one of the world's worst civil conflicts."

Police in Freetown have arrested seven ex-SLA soldiers who attacked Wilberforce Barracks overnight Sunday, killing two Nigerian peacekeeping troops. Police said the former soldiers, loyal to Johnny Paul Koroma, first tried to kidnap President Kabbah's Chief of Security, Major Mohamed Aliyu, before heading to the barracks where they attempted to free a detained colleague. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Koroma condemned the shootings, saying they were calculated "to willfully derail the peace process in Sierra Leone." According to Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service, Koroma said the perpetrators were not loyal to the head of state, the leadership of the AFRC, or the people of Sierra Leone. Koroma said he had assured Kabbah that a task force would be set up to investigate the matter and that those guilty would be brought to justice.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Commission for the Consolidation of Peace (CCP), chaired by AFRC leader Johnny Paul Koroma, called for the government "to institute judicial action against, and punish without delay, all those who are found guilty of criminal acts," including signatories to the Lomé Peace Agreement. "The rule of law is the cornerstone of democracy and must therefore be upheld," the statement said. The CCP called on the government to restore the territorial integrity of Sierra Leone by bringing all areas "previously dominated by conflict parties" under the constitutional authority of the president, and to nullify all mining leases, contracts and agreements entered into by RUF leader Foday Sankoh and his Commission for the Management of Strategic Resources, National Reconstruction and Development (CMRRD). The CCP statement urged RUF combatants to give up their guns, and promised the Commission would work with government and all agencies concerned to ensure the protection of former combatants. "The CCP reiterates its determination to pursue its mandate by encouraging combatants wherever they may be to stop fighting and join the peace process," the statement said. The CCP also called for the unconditional release of U.N. personnel and the return of their weapons as a pre-condition for the resumption of the peace process, voiced opposition to the recruitment of child soldiers "whether by pro or anti-government forces," and warned against "breeding hatred and division in our society through witch hunts against so-called collaborators, especially at this time when national unity should be our priority."

The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) has condemned the continued detention without charge of journalist Abdul Kuyateh, the acting editor of the Freetown bi-weekly newspaper Wisdom. Kuyateh was arrested on May 11 by officers of the Criminal Investigation Division. Police have so far refused to comment on his arrest. The Agence France-Presse cited sources Wednesday indicating the journalist's name was found on documents found in the ransacked home of RUF leader Foday Sankoh. The journalists' advocacy group Reporters sans Frontières claimed last week Kuyateh had been detained in connection with a December 1999 story alleging the hiring of mercenaries by the government and the RUF. "We are at pains to understand why no proper explanation has been given on Kuyateh's arrest," the SLAJ statement said. "We are yet to understand how a government drawing its legitimacy from a democratic process can suddenly metamorphose into a repressive regime as is now the case of the detained editor." SLAJ called on the government "to renew its commitment to freedom of expression and the rule of law by either charging Kuyateh in court now or releasing him immediately."

President Charles Taylor of Liberia told a group of Libyan journalists in Monrovia late Tuesday that RUF leader Foday Sankoh was part of a solution to the crisis in Sierra Leone. "Foday Sankoh, regardless of what he may be, is a factor in this process. He is not a piece of paper that will go away," Taylor said. "When you have a conflict like this, all sides must be brought together. Anyone, no matter who, has the right to what he believes." Taylor, who has acknowledged a personal relationship with Sankoh, compared the rebel leader to PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat. "Years ago, the struggle of the PLO was considered a terrorist struggle and our brother Yassar Arafat was supposed to be the number one terrorist of the world," he said. "Now he is eating at the White House, he is eating at Number 10 Downing Street, which means that people's minds have to change." Taylor said should release the U.N. peacekeepers without precondition. "You know the western world is saying that Africans do not know how to control themselves, then when Africans come to help you take them hostage, that's not very good." The Liberian leader repeated his call for a ceasefire in Sierra Leone as a prerequisite to peace. "The Sierra Leone Army and the Kamajors must be disarmed, and then there must be room for all sides to negotiate for whatever process they want," Taylor said.

British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said Wednesday his government favoured an African peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone, with the West playing a supporting role. "European troops in the front line are not necessarily helpful in achieving (a) reduction in tension," Cook told the BBC. "It is better if the front line is provided by African troops facing African situations." He said Britain could provide logistics and leadership to the force. "We do not envisage any circumstances in which our fighting units will become a combat force within the U.N.," Cook said.

RUF leader Foday Sankoh appeared "physically fit, he looked mentally fit" except for a superficial bullet wound on his left leg when a Kenyan delegation met with the rebel leader in Freetown on Tuesday, according to Lieutenant-General Daniel Opande, Kenya's Vice Chief of Staff. Opande would only say the meeting took place at a government building in Freetown. "When we talked about the taking of the U.N. observers and the U.N. peacekeepers, he looked very regretful for the action, and he actually apologised that it should not have happened and he was personally very sorry for what happened," Opande told the BBC's Network Africa programme. "I have no reason not to believe that he meant what he said. But of course history will tell what he wanted to pass on to us and the rest of the world." Opande said Sankoh was "in the safe custody of the government of Sierra Leone," adding: "No U.N. are around where we met him."

The United Nations Security Council was briefed on the situation in Sierra Leone Wednesday by Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hedi Annabi. In a statement read out out following the meeting, Security Council President Ambassador Wang Yingfan of China said Council members were deeply concerned at reports of the discovery of bodies, possibly those of U.N. peacekeepers, near Rogberi Junction. Members of the Council emphasised that the RUF was responsible for the fate of the victims. Council members also expressed their deep concern over the humanitarian situation in Sierra Leone and reminded all U.N. member states of their obligation to observe the arms embargo against the RUF. Security Council members again demanded the immediate release of all U.N. personnel detained in Sierra Leone and urged all those with influence with the rebel group — including Liberian President Charles Taylor — to work toward that end. In his Fourth Report on the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, released on Monday, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he would be sending a multi-disciplinary high-level team to Sierra Leone to draw lessons from UNAMSIL's experience in the country. The team will be led by former Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Manfred Eisele, and will assess problems and make recommendations to improve UNAMSIL's ability to discharge its mandate. Council members were informed of the mission, which is tentatively expected to begin work next week.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Wednesday he hoped most of the remaining approximately 250 U.N. peacekeepers still being held by the RUF would be freed by the weekend. He said he had spoken to Liberian President Charles Taylor, who was designated by ECOWAS earlier this month to negotiate for the hostages' release. "He expects to be able to see some more of the detainees released before the end of the week," Annan said. He noted that ECOWAS heads of state were due to meet Saturday in Abuja. "Of course, I would hope that by the time they meet, most of the peacekeepers would be in freedom," he said.

U.S. Senator Judd Gregg said he is remaining firm in blocking funds for U.N. peacekeeping operations because of his anger over U.S. support for the Lomé Peace Accord signed last year between the Sierra Leone government and RUF rebels. The agreement gave the RUF a say in government as part of a power-sharing arrangement which was to have led to disarmament by the country's warring factions. "American taxpayers have to ask themselves why are we spending money; why would we want to spend money to support, encourage and endorse people who are essentially criminals," Gregg said on the floor of the Senate. "The policy being pursued in Sierra Leone was misdirected from the start. We shouldn’t have been making peace, we should not have been bringing into the government people who acted in such a barbaric way toward their own people. We should have been taking a much harder line."

The commander of British forces in Sierra Leone, Brigadier David Richards, said he would not want to Britain to withdraw in a situation where chaos would likely ensue, but he maintained that a mid-June pullout was realistic. "That decision was based to a large extent on the advice we were able to provide to policymakers in Whitehall," he said. "We have been working since our arrival to ensure that we have created the conditions to allow us to come out in mid-June. The U.N. is becoming increasingly capable and the government forces are taking the battle forward towards the key RUF heartland and doing it very successfully." President Kabbah's spokesman, Septimus Kaikai, was more cautious: "I'm sure that they will not leave us in a situation that will make us vulnerable," he said. "They know what is taking place on the ground." Richards argued that a new unity among disparate pro-government militias was making them into a more effective fighting force than had previously been the case. "They are very keen to remain locked together, so the disparate factions that have spoilt Sierra Leone in the past, I think, are now a thing of the past. They are determined to do the right thing and remain loyal to the president," he said. "A key part of the training we are giving is to instill in the new army the right sort of codes of behaviour and I am confident that our faith is well-placed." 

An eight-member team sent to Rogberi Junction has been unable to determine whether bodies discovered on Monday clad in military uniforms with U.N. insignia were were those of U.N. soldiers. Further investigation will need to be conducted, according to the Spokesman for the U.N. Secretary-General, Fred Eckhard. He said the U.N. is actively seeking forensic experts for this purpose.

29 Zambian peacekeeping troops freed by the RUF on Monday are believed to be in the process of being handed over to the United Nations, a U.N. spokesman said in New York on Wednesday. A helicopter sent to the Liberian border town of Foya on Tuesday failed to find any new released detainees. 

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade said Wednesday he would like to see a Sierra Leone peacekeeping force under a single unified command rather than a U.N. force and a parallel Nigerian-led West African force. Wade said in Paris that conflicts on the continent "are a matter of concern for the whole world, not only for Africans."  "'Africa for Africans' is an obsolete concept and bad alibi for dictators," he said. "For the United Nations and some major powers, it is a pretext to avoid intervening and to renounce their responsibilities."

23 May: Sierra Leone Army (SLA) troops and RUF rebel forces clashed overnight at Rogberi Junction, according to the SLA Lieutenant-Colonel Edmund Bangura. "We had an initial contact about two kilometres east of the junction at midnight and one of our men was killed in the firefight," Bangura told Reuters. "An hour later they attacked our forces around the junction. There was heavy fighting for about 40 minutes." There was no independent confirmation as to the extent of the fighting. Later in the day the Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that pro-government forces had captured Lunsar and were advancing towards the RUF stronghold of Makeni. At the same time, AFRC leader Johnny Paul Koroma told BBC correspondent Lansana Fofana that government forces had captured Lunsar and were doing mopping-up operations to consolidate their hold on the town, but he denied they were moving toward Makeni. But Bangura indicated that about 300 pro-government troops were consolidating their position at Rogberi Junction, which he described as the army's front line. "This is our forward position. We do not hold Lunsar. I assume that it is in rebel hands," he said. "We will be in Lunsar soon enough, but not before I receive the necessary orders and logistical support." Bangura said, however, that the Fifth Sierra Leone Battalion had travelled the road to Port Loko on Monday without difficulty. "There are rebel forces in the area. One has to assume they may attack any time, any place, but I think we have the forces to deal with them," he told reporters. Reuters' Kurt Schork reported hearing the sound of heavy artillery fire from the direction of Port Loko early Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, the Missionary Services News Agency (MISNA) reported an RUF attack on the northern town of Bumbuna, but said a 600-man Sierra Leone Army contingent stationed in the town had repelled the attack. The report gave no details.

British troops from the First Battalion the Paratroop Regiment on the ground in Sierra Leone will be replaced by Four Two Commando Royal Marines this week in preparation for a pullout of British forces next month from the country, British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon told Parliament on Tuesday. "It is a sensible military step which preserves our capability on the ground for the remainder of this mission, while allowing the Parachute Regiment to return to the U.K.," Hoon said. "Our assumptions on timing remain the same. The build-up of U.N. forces between now and mid-June is on schedule." In his Commons statement, Hoon said "advance elements" of a Military Assistance Training Team would arrive in Freetown shortly. "The team will provide advice and training to help the Government of Sierra Leone rebuild a new, effective, democratically accountable Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence in line with the Lomé Peace Agreement," he said. The offer of the British-led team was announced in March by Prime Minister Tony Blair as part of an effort to help Sierra Leone build its restructured army. Hoon said Monday that Britain would make light weapons and ammunition available to the Sierra Leone Army under the supervision of British officers. "The precise distribution of arms and ammunition will be carefully considered in the context of the local political situation and the wider regional issues," he said. "Our commitment to promoting stability and security in Sierra Leone remains the same; our decision to enhance the capability of the Sierra Leone army is an essential element of that."

UNAMSIL has sent a team of U.N. military observers, civilian police and a human rights officer to investigate six to eight bodies found near Rogberi Junction, a U.N. spokesman said in New York on Tuesday. Their task has been made more difficult because, according to the Associated Press, SLA troops buried the bodies late Monday in two separate graves. The spokesman said that the U.N. had so far been unable to find a forensic expert to help identify the remains. The mutilated bodies were discovered Monday by SLA troops and a British freelance photographer, Paul Barnett. UNAMSIL spokesman David Wimhurst said the bodies were clad in Zambian military uniforms, some of them bearing U.N. insignia. Barnett told reporters some of the uniforms carried Nigerian identification. One uniform had a U.N. insignia "Nibatt 2, UNAMSIL" on its sleeve, referring to a Nigerian battalion, Barnett said. "They had their army ID cards in their pockets and one had a Zambian passport," he added. Barnett said two of the bodies had blue U.N. helmets and one had a bullet hole in his head. The victims had been "dead for quite a long time," possibly five or six days. Wimhurst pointed out Monday that the RUF had been using uniforms seized from captured U.N. peacekeepers, and said more investigation would be necessary to determine whether the dead were Zambians peacekeepers. The soldiers believed they buried eight bodies, but were not sure because the corpses had been hacked to pieces and, according to the Agence France-Presse, had been partly devoured by animals. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued a statement late Monday expressing shock at the discovery of the bodies "appalled by the culture of violence and cruelty which pervades the conflict in Sierra Leone." Annan called for all parties to respect international humanitarian law and recognised standards of human rights.

Liberian President Charles Taylor said Tuesday that attacks on RUF positions by pro-government forces were complicating his efforts to negotiate the release of some 233 remaining U.N. personnel held hostage by the rebels. "The longer these attacks are carried out the more difficult it will become in mediating a successful release of the remaining hostages," according to a statement issued by the Executive Mansion in Monrovia. Taylor expressed "dissatisfaction over the slow pace of the release of U.N. hostages owing to the continued attacks against the RUF by government forces," the statement said, adding "He has called for all parties to cease fire immediately in order to allow his mediation at freeing the remaining hostages to proceed without difficulty."

The Sierra Leone government disputed Tuesday an assertion by the Liberian government that Sierra Leone government forces were attacking RUF positions. In a statement issued by the Office of the President in Freetown, the government asserted that it "has only been defending its positions, and that in defending the positions of its forces, they have used the defensive strategy of taking over any position from which attacks have been launched on the position of its forces in order to neutralise the capacity of the enemy to continue attacking from that position." In a statement issued by Charles Taylor's government earlier Monday, Liberia asserted that the attacks on rebel positions were complicating efforts to negotiate the release of the remaining U.N. hostages. "Government does not therefore see the connection between defending the positions of its forces and the release of the U.N. peacekeepers who were illegally abducted," the Sierra Leonean statement said. "It should be recalled that the ECOWAS Heads of State, and indeed the entire international community at large, had indicated that there should be no precondition for the release of U.N. peacekeepers who are to be released without delay. This global position was indeed endorsed by President Charles Taylor at a recent ECOWAS Summit in Abuja."

A delegation of Kenyan political and military officials working to support efforts to negotiate the release of U.N. personnel held captive by RUF rebels in Sierra Leone have met with detained RUF leader Foday Sankoh in Freetown. "When I saw Foday Sankoh, I got the impression that he was sorry for having captured our soldiers. He did say that he had no grudge with the people of Kenya, and he had no grudge with UNAMSIL," Kenyan Minister of State for Defence Julius L. Sunkuli told the BBC in Monrovia on Tuesday. "He said that he did not want to fight the war any more, and he said to me that he wanted to meet president Kabbah to tell him that...He did not put up a face of a very brave man. He gave an impression of a man who is unable to do much now, especially in the kind of situation he is, namely he being in the hands of the government of Sierra Leone." Sunkuli indicated he was not sure whether Sankoh was sincere about wanting an end to hostilities. "It is very difficult to judge the intentions of a man who is, who has been captured," he said. "You cannot know if he’s applying remorse as a strategy." Asked by BBC Monrovia correspondent Jonathan Paye-Layleh whether Kenya would be willing to forgive Sankoh "in the interests of continental peace," Sunkuli replied: "Well we have nothing much to forgive him. We lost our lives, the lives of many Kenyans. And we have recovered many of our men back, many of UNAMSIL’s people are still away. We did inform Foday Sankoh that it is not useful to discharge hostages in bits, and we just want all our people out and we want our equipment back, and that we did tell him, because we are a poor country. To lose that amount of equipment is not good at all." The minister said Kenya had no plans to pull out of the UNAMSIL force in Sierra Leone. "I don’t think we should ever entertain this question, both in Sierra Leone and whatever we go on, because we cannot let your fellow human beings suffer just because of our own little fears," he said.

Humanitarian organisations have expressed concern that former child soldiers are being re-recruited by Sierra Leone's warring factions, while other children may be being abducted. According to the BBC, the agencies say some 40 children at a care centre in Makeni have been taken back by their RUF commanders. The agencies also say children ranging from 7 to 14 years old have been seen foraging for food with pro-government forces at Masiaka. Caritas International has said it is trying to evacuate children from areas where fighting is taking place, the BBC said.

40 Sierra Leone Army officers ranging in rank from lieutenant to major Monday, where they will undergo an eight-week British-sponsored training course at the Ghana Military Academy, according to Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service. The officers will be trained by military instructors from Ghana and Britain. 

Some of the 29 Zambian peacekeepers freed by the RUF on Monday have related stories of mistreatment while in rebel captivity. "It was my first time to be captured so far. You could be dragged here and there just like that, being beaten [words indistinct], being hanged like animals," one of the Zambian solders told BBC Monrovia correspondent Jonathan Paye-Layleh. Another described his experience as "very difficult." "Of course when we are captured we are stripped naked. Everything was taken from us," he said. "We were beaten with [butts] and we were packed in a small mini-bus which carries about 15 passengers but we were almost 50." A third soldier told Paye-Layleh that he had been badly tortured. He said the peacekeepers had been tied up and had been given only four mangoes to eat per day. He said he had not been beaten. "No, no beating," he said. "Just fires the weapon in the air then points at you, you know."

Libya will provide two Ukrainian-chartered helicopters to assist in the evacuation of U.N. personnel from Sierra Leone, Liberian President Charles Taylor announced Monday on his private radio station. He said the helicopters were due to arrive in Sierra Leone on Tuesday. Last Friday Taylor complained two helicopters sent by Libya earlier had been too small to be of use. "They sent two toy helicopters," he said.

Kamajor militiamen in Bo say they are preparing for an attack against the RUF in Kono District, BBC correspondent Lansana Fofana said on Tuesday after visiting the city. Fofana quoted one commander as saying they were only waiting for adequate logistics to mount an offensive. "He says he’s very impatient, his fighters are very impatient," Fofana said. "I saw a number of Kamajors (at the Kamajor headquarters), some carrying rocket-propelled grenades, AK-47 and [word indistinct] rifles. They were battle-ready and they were saying they would move on Kono and capture it if they are encouraged by the authorities to do so." In Kenema, however, Fofana said Kamajor militiamen and RUF rebels were mining side-by-side, creating an "uneasy calm" in the town. "It is no secret in Kenema," he said. Obviously people go back and forth to Tongo and other mining towns around Kenema District, the Kenema town itself...In Tongo, for instance, RUF people are there — that’s well known. There are Kamajors as well. What I learned from it all —  and it is very interesting — is the fact that the Kamajors have warned the RUF not to attempt to play any mischief. That 'we are here side by side, if you attempt to do anything that’s a bit out of the way we will take you on.' And basically they are getting along. Everybody’s finding diamonds and making money for themselves." Fofana said on his way from Bo to Kenema is observed Kamajor militiamen mining for diamonds.  "They will not say who they are mining for, but they were all around the diamond field," he said.

22 May: Two Nigerian U.N. peacekeeping troops and three ex-SLA soldiers loyal to AFRC leader Johnny Paul Koroma were killed in a shootout at Wilberforce Barracks overnight Sunday. The clash was apparently triggered by an attempt by a group of former soldiers to free a colleague who was in detention. According to BBC correspondent Mike Donkin, the ex-SLA soldiers first descended on the home of President Kabbah's chief of security, Major Mohamed Aliyu. "In a gun battle, two militiamen died," Donkin said. "The rest of the group then attacked the Nigerian peacekeeping battalion’s barracks in an apparent effort to free one of their number detained there. In the firing which followed, two of the U.N.’s peacekeepers were killed and another was injured."

29 more Zambian peacekeeping troops were freed through Liberia on Monday, with a message that detained RUF leader Foday Sankoh should be freed within 13 days. "You are given 13 days in which Sankoh should be released. When you go, tell the U.N. to keep off. This is an internal issue," one of the freed peacekeepers quoted RUF field commander Colonel Issa Sesay as saying. He did not specify what would happen if the government failed to turn Sankoh over. The freed U.N. soldiers spoke of maltreatment by the RUF rebels. Zambian Sergeant Sanyangwe Davies said their group of hostages was beaten and tied to a tree. "We were given mangoes to share," he said. A similar account was given by Warrant Officer Phiri Shadreck: "We just ate virtually nothing. We stayed hungry almost the whole day. It wasn't easy to go through," he said. "These guys are very dangerous people. They could have killed us any time."

Prior to this latest announcement, UNAMSIL spokesman David Wimhurst told the BBC that "slightly below 300" U.N. personnel remained in RUF captivity. "We don’t have a good idea of where they are, and we haven’t had for some time," he said. "All we know is they’re held by the RUF somewhere in Sierra Leone." Wimhurst said the primary contact with the RUF was being made by Liberian President Charles Taylor. "(Taylor) has instigated contacts with the RUF and it’s through his efforts that we’ve been able to secured the release through Liberia of 204 so far," he said. "He’s assured us that the goal is to have all the detainees released as soon as possible."

Pro-government forces have advanced along the Freetown - Makeni highway toward the RUF-held town of Lunsar, local journalists reported on Monday. The Agence-France Presse (AFP) quoted an independent radio reporter as saying the troops had reached the town of Mamusa, just outside Lunsar. There has been no independent confirmation of the report. In Kambia, the AFP cited an unconfirmed report that the RUF conscripted civilians over the weekend in the towns of Rokupr, Bamoi, and Kawula, and that the rebels had regrouped at the towns of Madina, Mambolo and Moribaya in Samu Chiefdom. The AFP quoted "at least six witnesses" as saying RUF rebels were digging trenches around Kambia Bridge to prevent an advance by pro-government forces.

The departure of 776 Bangladeshi peacekeepers was delayed Monday as they waited for cargo aircraft to transport them and their equipment to Sierra Leone. "We are ready, but we need proper aircraft so that men and equipment can go together," a defence source was quoted as saying. He said they had been offered an Airbus but instead opted for cargo aircraft. "We are on a 24-hour alert and will fly to Freetown as soon as the aircraft arrive," the source said.

British Foreign and Commonwealth Office Secretary of State for Africa, Peter Hain, told Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee Monday that Britain would agree to Sierra Leone's request to supply arms and ammunition to pro-government forces fighting an offensive against RUF rebels. "Clearly we don't want a situation where the United Nations is being deployed behind a Sierra Leone force which is taking on the rebels, and that force does not have ammunition," Hain said. The minister also told the Committee that Britain had turned down a request by President Kabbah in April to have a British officer effectively take over as Sierra Leone's Chief of Defence Staff, to replace the late Major-General Maxwell Khobe. Hain called Kabbah's proposal a "crazy idea" which would have put a British officer in charge of an army "which did not in effect exist." Asked whether the request, which was turned down by the foreign office before it reached the minister, should have been taken more seriously, Hain replied: "When you get a request, even from an embattled president, you don't always stand to attention." Asked whether British troops on the ground in Sierra Leone might intervene to rescue a missing British aid worker or a British military observer trapped by the RUF in Kailahun, Hain said: "You would not expect us, with a very effective British deployment, to turn our backs on British citizens...caught in the crossfire."

Britain's opposition Conservatives are urging that British soldiers be sent to strike at RUF forces in the bush if there is a realistic chance of success, the Telegraph newspaper reported on Monday. In a speech to the Royal Commonwealth Society, shadow foreign secretary Francis Maude called on ministers to state openly that their aim is the military defeat of the RUF. "If the government's advice is that by extending the British mission for a few weeks and extending it in terms of what the mission is, there is a serious prospect the British contingent could actually defeat the RUF, we would support that," he said. "The only condition is that they should be open and clear about what they are doing." 

Sierra Leonean soldiers and a British freelance photographer reported Monday the discovery of at least six bodies clad in Zambian military uniforms, some with U.N. peacekeeping insignia, raising fears that the dead may be Zambian U.N. troops abducted by the RUF earlier this month. The bodies, which had been hacked to pieces, were found in the bush about half a mile north of Rogberi Junction. "These bodies were wearing uniforms that bear the United Nations symbol, and some of the uniforms had a clearly-identifiable Zambian country name patch on them," UNAMSIL Spokesman David Wimhurst told the BBC Focus on Africa programme. "The bodies themselves are not identifiable; they’ve seriously decomposed. They’re essentially skeletal. They appear to have been shot. There are some skulls with bullet holes in them." He noted that it could not yet be determined whether the bodies were actually those of Zambian peacekeepers, because RUF fighters had stripped the captured U.N. personnel of their uniforms and were using them. "So the fact that we have bodies wearing Zambian uniforms doesn’t necessarily — at this stage anyway — indicate that they are definitely Zambians," he said. "We are therefore launching a thorough investigation to try and identify these remains." The Associated Press reported that Zambian passports and military identification cards, many of them containing bullet holes, were found in the pile of corpses and uniforms. Pro-government troops estimated the total number of bodies, including other bodies scattered in the area, as numbering between nine and eleven.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in his Fourth Report on the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, has recommended that the U.N. Security Council increase the authorised strength of the U.N. peacekeeping force to 16,500 troops, but said UNAMSIL should continue to operate under its current mandate. On Friday the Security Council raised the ceiling on troop strength from 11,100 to 13,000 to accommodate new peacekeeping contingents expected to arrive over the weekend. Annan suggested the force may need strengthening again when the new peacekeepers arrive in order to "establish the security conditions throughout the country required for the successful implementation of aspects of the peace process, including disarmament and the holding of democratic elections." Among his immediate concerns, Annan said, were the release of U.N. personnel held hostage by the RUF, an end to "hostile acts" by rebel fighters, and their full cooperation in retrieving the dead, wounded and missing. He also recommended the Council strengthen sanctions to "prevent RUF commanders from reaping the benefits of their illegal exploitation of mineral resources, in particular diamonds." Annan said detained RUF leader Foday Sankoh should be held responsible for the recent crisis in Sierra Leone, and that as leader of the rebel group he should be held "accountable for his actions and those of RUF, and for the safety and well-being of all those who have been detained." The U.N. would have to draw lessons from its experiences in Sierra Leone, the secretary-general said. "The force, which had been designed, equipped and deployed as a peacekeeping force, was quickly forced into actual combat with one of the parties that had pledged to cooperate with it," Annan noted. He added that the turn of events had caused many problems within UNAMSIL, including the areas of command and control, cohesiveness of the force, the flow of information, equipment and preparedness of the troops, and overall coordination.

Sierra Leone has welcomed Friday's action by the United Nations Security Council to increase the authorised strength of the UNAMSIL force from 11,100 to 13,000 troops. In an address Monday to the General Assembly's Special Political Committee, Deputy Permanent Representative (Political Affairs) Dr. Sylvester E. Rowe said his delegation "was encouraged by the assurances given by members and non-members of the Council" that the U.N. would not abandon Sierra Leone, and pleased that there was a consensus that the U.N. should continue to fulfill its commitment to the country. "In our view, the Council sent a clear message to the RUF and others, that it would not be deterred by any acts of terrorism and intimidation, nor by attempts to disparage the entire mission of the United Nations in Sierra Leone," he said. Referring to the abduction of U.N. personnel this month by RUF rebels, Rowe insisted that the U.N. had not failed in Sierra Leone, and that Sierra Leoneans still had confidence in the organisation to help them to restore peace and security throughout the country. The ambassador argued that the success or failure of U.N. peacekeeping efforts should be judged "on the basis of the readiness and sincerity of combatants...to abide by the commitment they made in signing a peace agreement" and by the ability of the U.N. "to adapt its concepts of peacekeeping, its basic perceptions about armed conflicts involving non-governmental actors, as well as its previous mandates and rules of engagement" based on lessons learned. "We welcome last Friday’s decision of the Security Council to respond to the prevailing circumstances in Sierra Leone," Rowe said. "We trust that the Council would not hesitate to respond speedily and effectively, in the event of any further breach of the peace by the RUF and its internal and external allies."

Rev. Jesse Jackson said Monday that RUF rebels should disarm voluntarily or be disarmed by force, because violence in Sierra Leone threatens stability in the sub-region.  Jackson, who is President Clinton's Special Envoy for the Promotion of Democracy in Africa, returned to the United States after holding talks with government officials in Nigeria, Liberia and Mali. In a telephone interview with reporters, Jackson condemned the reported killing of more U.N. peacekeepers by the RUF, saying it showed "the contempt they have for democracy. They must be held accountable." He