Rebels reportedly willing to hold talks, lay down arms

Rebels in Sierra Leone have expressed willingness to hold peace talks with the government and take part in a UN-monitored ceasefire, Reuters reported. It cited a joint statement by the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and UN Special Representative for Sierra Leone Francis Okelo following weekend talks in Abdijan, Cote d’Ivoire. The RUF said a meeting should first be held between its jailed leader Foday Sankoh and his commanders, as suggested by President Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, and proposed either Ouagadougou, Abidjan or Lome as a venue. The statement added that the RUF wanted Sankoh to be freed after these talks. “The RUF delegation expressed the readiness of the RUF to consider a ceasefire with the government of Sierra Leone and ECOMOG at the beginning of the internal RUF consultations, provided UN military observers were immediately deployed to monitor and verify strict compliance,” the statement said. It added that the RUF condemned all human rights violations, and any members found guilty of such abuses would be punished.