Disarmament picks up pace in Sierra Leone
7 August -- In a development welcomed by United Nations officials, over 300 people have presented themselves to a disarmament centre in Lungi, Sierra Leone, over the past 10 days.
A spokesperson for the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) reported today that among the ex-combatants and their dependents reporting to the centre were two child soldiers. In addition, there were 260 former combatants, including 53 former members of the Sierra Leone Army (SLA) and 82 members of the so-called "West Side Boys" -- a group formed by elements of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council and former SLA.
"We are very happy with the fact that more and more of the West Side Boys and the RUF [Revolutionary United Front] are coming in to the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process," UNAMSIL spokesperson Hirut Befecadu told the UN News Service from Freetown. She said the head of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process, Francis Kaikai, was on hand in Lungi to welcome those who had come forward and urge others to do the same.
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