Sankoh in Segbwema to disarm

Rebel leaders and peacekeepers in Sierra Leone travelled to the eastern town of Segbwema on Monday to try and disarm fighters in the RUF controlled diamond region, a UNAMSIL information officer in Freetown told IRIN on Tuesday. "Some 74 RUF (Revolutionary United Front), mainly child soldiers, disarmed during Sankoh's visit," the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) official said. In spite of the low turnout, he added, the UN Secretary-General's Representative, Oluyemi Adeniji, said there was no cause for disappointment as it had been a positive exercise. At a recent meeting of stakeholders in the Lome Peace Accord it was agreed that RUF leader Foday Sankoh would also visit Kailahun and Daru to help speed up disarmament. He is due to speak to his fighters in Kailahun on Wednesday and return to Freetown, the UN said. The Daru leg has been cancelled due to lack of time. Accompanying Sankoh to Segbwema were UN officials including Adeniji, UN Force Commander Major General Vijay Jetley, ECOMOG officials including force commander Major General Gabriel Kpamber and four parliamentarians. The leader of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, Johnny Paul Koroma, also sent a representative. Kpamber told reporters as he left for Segbwema, some 240 km from Freetown, that civilians wanted to return to their homes and farms, and that the government wanted to reestablish administrative control, AFP reported. As of 3 April the total number of personnel disarmed is 21,961, according to the National Committee for Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (NCDDR). There are an estimated 45,000 combatants in Sierra Leone. Meanwhile, United States State Department spokesman James Rubin said on Monday that although the government was "encouraged" by the recent high level donor's meeting to promote peace and reconciliation in Sierra Leone, it is "deeply concerned that there has not been significant progress" on implementing the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programme.