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President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah promised Sierra Leone’s army on Wednesday he would redouble efforts to improve their welfare as the country emerges from 10 years of civil war, the state news agency reported.
The Sierra Leone News Agency (SLENA) reported that Kabbah made the announcement at the passing-out parade of the eighth intake of recruits to a rebuilt Sierra Leonean army being trained by Britain. SLENA reported that 1,190 officers and men cheered as Kabbah, their commander-in-chief, announced his plans at the Benguema Training Centre.
“Every effort will be made to provide proper housing facilities and working environment for all ranks,” he said.
He opened three rehabilitated mess halls at the country’s premier army base, Wilberforce Barracks. The next phase of rehabilitation, he said, would be at the military banquet hall and games room to “create an atmosphere of recreation and relaxation for all ranks”.
Government, he added, would also care for military families and engage the military in rebuilding the war-shattered nation. Before the war, army bases used to have many more facilities, including cinemas and facilities for boxing, football and athletics, military spokesman Major John Milton told IRIN on Thursday.
“We have very few facilities at the moment,” he said. Soldiers, he added, have now been encouraged to go on leave, something they have not done for the past eight to nine years.
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
