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ECOMOG says rebel convoy on the move

    ABIDJAN

    In Sierra Leone itself, a large rebel convoy was on the move from the north-eastern town of Makeni, the West African intervention force (ECOMOG) spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Olukulade, said on the BBC on Wednesday.

    He said that as many as 3,000 rebels with a convoy of petrol tankers were moving from Makeni towards Kambia some 80 km north of Freetown. This movement of troops and tankers, he added, suggested the rebels were closing in on Lungi International Airport and Freetown, adding that the rebel incursion in January followed a similar pattern. "ECOMOG will not take kindly to this violation," Olukulade said.

    In a separate development, an official of the Professional Drivers' Association said that since the signing of the truce, members of the transport union had resumed traffic on the main highway between Freetown and the eastern town of Kenema. A convoy of 15 trucks left Freetown on Wednesday, news organisations said.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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