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RUF using terror tactics again

    ABIDJAN

    The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels have reportedly committed atrocities against civilians in the Masiaka area some 70 km east of Freetown, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday.

    “These fresh reports of RUF atrocities underscore the need for the international community to make protection of civilians its first priority in Sierra Leone,” Peter Takirambudde, executive director of the Africa division of the New York-based HRW, said. “UN forces must aim to expand the circle of protection beyond Freetown as soon as possible.”

    Not long after the detention of some 500 UN peacekeepers in early May the RUF launched an offensive into the Masiaka area, the statement said. During its week-long occupation, the RUF committed murder, mutilation, rape, looting, abduction and other abuses against civilians, before being repelled by a coalition of pro-government forces, HRW 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

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