Roads in the north unsafe

Most of the main roads in Sierra Leone’s northern provinces are unsafe because rebels dominate in the area which has become difficult for the state administration to access, a spokesman for UNOMSIL told IRIN today (Thursday). “In all probability Lunsar is in rebel hands since rebels are attacking Port Loko,” the official said from Freetown. Port Loko, which lies about 30 km west of Lunsar, became a rebel target after they left Makeni. The rebels have vowed to attack Freetown but the UNOMSIL spokesman said ECOMOG had driven the rebels out of Hastings, 19 km southeast of Freetown. He also said that hundreds of fleeing civilians were arriving in Freetown. Although the city’s international airport at Lungi is still open Ghana Airways has cancelled flight into the city, an airline official told IRIN. Despite the presence of rebels closer to the capital, UNSOMSIL described Freetown as safe, saying it was being defended by ECOMOG and the nation’s Civil Defence Force (CDF).