Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels blocked a group of UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) peacekeepers on patrol in the eastern part of the country on Thursday.
Two companies from Ghana and India were stopped by about 300 RUF at Bendu, located between Kenema and Daru, on the way to the diamond-rich town of Koidu, a UNAMSIL spokesman in Freetown told IRIN.
The rebels were "tactically deployed" on high ground above the UN troops and were heavily armed, UNAMSIL said. "This means that the RUF were in fighting positions," the source said. "They had about 6 to 7 rocket-propelled grenade launchers."
After several hours of fruitless negotiations, assisted by Mike Lamine, a former RUF officer who is now a member of the government, the peacekeepers decided to withdraw.
"They decided that there was no point in an armed confrontation," the UNAMSIL source told IRIN.
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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