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Government hopes hostages will be freed soon

    ABIDJAN

    The government of Sierra Leone hopes the remaining hostages held by former Sierra Leonean Army (ex-SLA) rebels will soon be freed, although there have been no new developments since Sunday, Information Minister, Julius Spencer told IRIN on Monday.

    "We are hoping that they will be released soon," Spencer said, adding that the hostages freed so far, about half of those taken, were all in good health.

    According to Spencer, rebels released seven UN Observer Mission in Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL) military observers, two soldiers from the ECOWAS Peace Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), four civilians and six drivers on Sunday.

    Negotiations involving the government, UNOMSIL and others are still ongoing to try and secure the release of the remaining hostages.

    According to Spencer, 14 ECOMOG soldiers, two Sierra Leonean soldiers, four UNOMSIL observers and one civilian are still in captivity.

    However, one of the hostages released on Sunday, radio journalist Pasco Temple, said some 20 ECOMOG soldiers and officers were still being held, while a British Foreign Office spokesman said three British UNOMSIL officers and one other UNOMSIL observer were still in captivity, sources in Freetown told IRIN.

    See separate item titled 'Government hopes hostages will be freed soon'

    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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