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US Ambassador visits RUF stronghold

    ABIDJAN

    The US Ambassador in Sierra Leone, Peter Russell Chaveas, held discussions on Tuesday with leaders of the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Makeni, an RUF stronghold in the north of the country.

    An official from the US embassy in Sierra Leone told IRIN the talks were "free and frank" but gave no details. Chaveas "had gone to Makeni to visit the US-funded Operations Focus Relief (OFR) programme and decided to take the opportunity to meet with the RUF officials," the official said. The OFR is a programme that provides training in peacekeeping.

    The chairman of the RUF's Political and Peace Council, Omrie Golley, said on Tuesday that the discussions covered a wide range of issues, Sierra Leone Web reported. These issues included Sierra Leone's peace process and a proposed Special Court that would try people suspected of committing war crimes during the country's civil war, the online news service added. Golley said they also discussed the transformation of RUF into a political party.

    Sierra Leone's war lasted from 1991 to mid-1999, when a peace agreement was signed in Lome, Togo, between the RUF and the government. Despite the agreement, the country has continued to be plagued by insecurity.

    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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