Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, remained calm but tense today (Thursday) following this week’s rebel attack on the village of Waterloo, 30 km to the south, diplomatic sources and aid agencies told IRIN.
One ranking Western diplomat said Freetown residents were going about their business as usual, shops were full and public transport was running between the provinces and the capital. The diplomat said Waterloo, the village south of Freetown that was attacked on Tuesday, was firmly under the control of the West African intervention force, ECOMOG. He said the force took just two hours to reassert its control.
ECOMOG has been checking civilians for rebels who might be trying to slip into the city by posing as IDPs, a UN official told IRIN yesterday (Wednesday). Reuters yesterday quoted an ECOMOG officer as saying the force had foiled a plan by rebels to attack the city on three fronts around 19 December.
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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