Adult ex-fighters make Kabala “insecure”

Adult ex-fighters in Kabala have continued to harass residents thereby creating a “very insecure” climate in the northern town, HACU said in its report. These former combatants are drawn from the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and the former Sierra Leone Army (SLA). HACU said some 500 RUF combatants were waiting to be demobilised near Kabala. Moreover, HACU said, in addition to 700 disarmed Sierra Leone Army (SLA) inside Kabala town, an equal number of armed SLA were in the outskirts of the area. “It is critical that the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) process be extended to Kabala as soon as possible,” HACU said. UNAMSIL Force Commander Major General Jetley told IRIN on Wednesday that the force was stepping up the drive to open more demobilisation camps. “We hope that the demobilisation camps at Makeni and Magburaka, will be established within a month,” he said. This area, some 100 km to the south, is closer to Kabala than the overcrowded camps in Port Loko, the next closest, which are farther to the south.