Most serious attacks in Months

Recent killings of civilians in northern and eastern Sierra Leone are “the most serious” in several months, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Tuesday. It said the pro-government Civil Defence Forces (CDF) militia and the anti-government Revolutionary United Front (RUF) had been killing civilians in Kono, in the east, and Koinadugu in the north of the country. “Civilians are being targeted in deadly battles of retaliation,” Peter Takirambudde, executive director for Africa at Human Rights Watch, said. HRW has asked the United Nations to deploy troops to the region as quickly as possible. “We have been deployed since May and are in the process of deploying Pakistani troops,” Margaret Novicki, the UNAMSIL spokeswoman, told IRIN. She said 500 Pakistanis were in the eastern town of Yengema, in the heart of rebel territory, and the rest in Magburaka, 185 km northeast of Freetown. They will deploy to the rebel-held diamond town of Koidu by the beginning of August after receiving their equipment. Roughly one-fourth of the estimated 4,000 Pakistani troops expected are in the theatre of operations. HRW’s findings are drawn from “extensive interviews” with numerous victims and witnesses who described attacks by the CDF militias in June and July against the RUF-controlled towns of Worodu, Yiraia, Sukudu and Mansofinia. HRW said at least 24 people were killed, including nine women and nine children. Another 19 people, 11 of whom were children, were wounded. The most serious recent incident was on 17 June, when CDF militias - commonly known as Kamajors or Donzos - killed at least 21 civilians in the town of Yiraia. These deaths, HRW reported, were in apparent retaliation for RUF raids against surrounding villagers whom they accuse of supporting the CDF militias. The RUF killed at least three civilians, wounded several, and abducted 16. Human Rights Watch reported that it feared for the safety of hundreds of refugees who have been returning to their villages in Kono and Koinadugu districts from camps in Guinea.