Dissidents arrested in plot to invade Liberia

At least 20 people have been arrested near the Liberian border on suspicion of planning to attack Liberia, a military source in Freetown, the Sierra Leonean capital, told IRIN on Friday. The suspects, believed to be Liberian dissidents, were arrested on 22 March and are being interrogated, the source said. AFP, citing a presidential statement, said they were arrested as the result of a "lengthy and painstaking exercise by ECOMOG and the government security agencies". ECOMOG is the Nigerian-led West African force partly responsible for maintaining security in Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone said it respected the non-aggression pact signed by the members of the Mano River Union - Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone - which requires governments to prevent their territories from being used to destabilise other states.