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Sierra Leonean army troops backed by armed British advisers have begun deploying near Sierra Leone's sensitive borders with Liberia and Guinea, ahead of Sierra Leone's elections in May, the BBC reported on Wednesday.
The troops were deploying in areas formally controlled by the Revolutionary United Front, an armed group that had tried to overthrow successive governments in Sierra Leone. Quoting unnamed British and Sierra Leonean officers, the BBC reported that despite the disarmament of the rebels, there was still a threat from remnants of the RUF.
The BBC reported that one senior Sierra Leonean army commander in the east said "he was concerned by the breakaway RUF group he named as the Independent RUF". This group is allegedly under the command of Sam Bokarie, a former rebel leader who was supposedly expelled from neighbouring Liberia under international pressure.
Sierra Leonean troops were also deployed near the village of Kainkordu, near the border of Guinea and north of the diamond trading town of Kenema, the BBC reported.
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
