More Kenyan peacekeepers arrive

Another 350 Kenyan troops arrived at Freetown's Lungi International Airport on Wednesday to join the new UN force there, an official of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) told IRIN.

The troops, who had been expected on Sunday, were delayed repeatedly because a UN charter flight failed to arrive, senior Kenyan officials told Reuters. Just under 500 Kenyans are now in Sierra Leone. The remainder of this battalion is expected in the next week.

The Kenyans are expected to deploy to the northern towns of Makeni and Magburaka, UNAMSIL said. In October, Revolutionary United Front (RUF) troops drove elements of their former ally, the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), out of Makeni.

Also, more Indian troops are expected by the end of the week, the UNAMSIL official said, and will probably be deployed to the diamond areas and Kailahun District in eastern Sierra Leone. These areas are particularly sensitive as RUF field commander Sam Bockarie, who has his base in Buedu, Kailahun District, recently told the BBC that he would neither disarm to
soldiers from the West African peacekeeping force, ECOMOG, nor to Nigerian soldiers serving in the UN force. Three of the six battalions of the UN force will be Nigerian, to which Guinea will provide a company. Ghana, and India will each provide a battalion.

The newly-arrived UN Force Commander, Major General Vijay Jetley, is inspecting different deployment sites to determine when and where the UN troops should go, UNAMSIL said.

Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General's new Special Representative, Oluyemi Adeniji, is due to arrive in Freetown on Sunday, according to a UN source. He will replace Francis Okelo who has been in Sierra Leone since 1997.