The United Nations peacekeeping operation
in Sierra Leone has been beefed up over the past six weeks, reaching a
total of more than 12,000 troops, a UN spokesman said today in the capital
Freetown.
David Wimhurst, spokesman for the UN
Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), said that more troops and equipment
were on their way, and that the withdrawal of British forces from the country
- due to be completed today - would not adversely affect the security situation. He also told reporters not to be surprised by continued attacks by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), stressing that the security situation was under control.
In one such incident today, UN peacekeepers from Nigeria came under attack by the RUF in Port Loko, northeast of Freetown. "There was an exchange of fire for about 45 minutes before the RUF retreated into the bush," UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said in New York. "No casualties were reported."
Meanwhile, there has been no change in the situation of the 21 Indian peacekeepers being held by the RUF in Pendembu, Mr. Eckhard said.