Ex-child combatants involved in security incident

A camp some 15 km west of Freetown that houses former child soldiers was attacked with machetes and stones by some 10-15 area residents on Tuesday evening, a humanitarian source told IRIN.

“A minor trigger escalated into quite a serious security incident but now the situation is calm,” UNICEF’s representative in Sierra Leone, Joanna van Gerpen, said on Thursday.

Three residents of Lakka Camp were injured during the incident, one was burned after falling into a fire, and two suffered lacerations, UNICEF said, adding that they had not received any reports of casualties among locals. Forces from the UN Mission in Sierra Leone and ECOMOG intervened during the night and by Wednesday morning the situation was under control but still tense.

The clash was triggered by a minor car accident involving a camp member and a car driven by local people who blamed the former child soldier for the crash and attacked him. Following a retaliatory attack by friends of the victim on two members of the local community, the camp was attacked.

International workers and NGOs who operate in the camp have been meeting with community leaders to try to resolve the underlying tension which led to the confrontation. One possible explanation, van Gerpen said, was that the former combatants are viewed with resentment by some members of the community as they lead a relatively privileged existence within the camp, having shelter and regular meals.