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ECOMOG says it intercepted arms smugglers

    ABIDJAN

    The Economic Community of West African States Peace Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) said on Tuesday it was questioning seven ex-Sierra Leone Army/Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (ex-SLA/AFRC) rebels caught last week trying to smuggle arms into Freetown by boat, AFP reported.

    ECOMOG spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Chris Olukolade said the men were "elements" from the Occra Hills, east of Freetown, who had attempted to infiltrate the capital.

    The AFRC was the junta formed by ex-SLA members who overthrew Sierra Leone President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah in May 1997 and ruled the country with the help of the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) until it was ousted by ECOMOG in February 1998.

    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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