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Ex AFRC soldiers demobilised

    ABIDJAN

    Sierra Leone demobilised 254 former members of its former army on Thursday at the start of an internationally-backed disarmament plan in the war-torn country.

    “You now have the right to live with your people and contribute to nation-building,” Vice President Albert Demby, quoted by Reuters, said.

    A humanitarian source told IRIN that the soldiers had been billeted in a former four-star hotel in the west of the city, called the Mamy Yoko. The veterans - former loyalists of a military junta which ruled in alliance with rebels for nine months after a coup in May 1997 - were each given an undisclosed amount of money and discharged.

    The government is negotiating with the RUF rebels for a comprehensive accord that would lead to the disarmament of other armed groups in Sierra Leone.

    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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