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RUF commanders surrender

Local newspapers reported that 15 RUF commanders surrendered on Tuesday to the army in Mile 91, a town about 110 km east of Freetown. Police said at a Freetown news conference that the group - two colonels, eight majors and five captains - had been assigned to defend RUF artillery in the eastern districts of Kono and Kailahun. "The commanders say they were tired of fighting and noted they did not want to lead troops to fight in Guinea as they had been ordered by their bosses," 'Concord Times', another Freetown newspaper, reported. 'Standard Times' reported the fighters as saying they surrendered after learning that their former colleagues were with the government. "Colonel Fayia Kennedy (one of the 15) said he was impressed when they heard their colleagues over the local radio, urging them to surrender and join the DDR camp," the newspaper 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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