Military

DATE= 05/06/03

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE= LIBERIA / SIERRA LEONE (S-ONLY)

NUMBER=2-302945

BYLINE= NICO COLOMBANT

DATELINE= ABIDJAN

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Liberia says a wanted rebel from Sierra Leone, Sam Bockarie, has been killed while resisting arrest. V-O-A's Nico Colombant has more details from our west Africa bureau in Abidjan.

TEXT: Liberia's government says the body of Sam Bockarie is in a morgue in the Liberian capital Monrovia.

Liberian authorities say the rebel leader was killed in a shootout Tuesday while resisting arrest after crossing the border from Ivory Coast into Liberia.

Mr. Bockarie is wanted by a U-N backed court in Sierra Leone for war crimes during that country's brutal civil war. There, he was known as Mosquito for the way he could strike without being seen.

Mr. Bockarie is also believed to have fought in the ongoing Ivory Coast conflict. Rebels and government officials in Ivory Coast said they couldn't immediately confirm the death.

The report comes as the U-N Security Council Tuesday extended sanctions against Liberia's government for supporting rebels operating in neighboring countries.

The prosecutor of the special court for Sierra Leone called on Liberia to provide proof of Mr. Bockarie's death. (Signed)

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