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Combatants required to disarm in groups of at least 10

    ABIDJAN

    Under new rules of disarmament, Sierra Leonean combatants will be required to disarm in groups of 10 or more, and no longer individually, Sierra Leone Web reported.

    Under the regulations, published by the National Committee for Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration, at least two-thirds of the fighters in each group must turn in weapons, Sierra Leone Web added.

    Groups that attempt to hand over ammunition alone will not be accepted.
    After disarmament has been declared completed in a district, persons still holding weapons or ammunition will have one week to hand them in or be subject to prosecution, it reported, citing the NCDDR statement.

    Disarmament is now taking place in Koinadugu District, in the north of the country, and in Moyamba in the southwest. The UN Mission in Sierra Leone, which is overseeing the process at reception centres, said 17,242 combatants had disarmed between January, when the exercise started, and 4 September.

    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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