Rebel Assault in Sierra Leone Leaves 107 Dead

Sierra Leone was awash in blood again as rebels launched major attacks, shocking a country that in recent days had begun to build up hopes for an end to its civil war.

Military sources contacted in the war zone said Monday that rebel assaults on three southern towns in the West African state had killed at least 100 civilians and seven soldiers.

Rebels from the Revolutionary United Front had asked for talks with intermediaries two weeks ago, a request that prompted euphoria in Freetown, the capital, especially as the group had rejected earlier peace proposals from the government.

But the concerted attacks on the weekend appeared to be a message to the military government that the rebels were far from being a spent force.

The sources, speaking by telephone from the southern provincial capital of Bo, said troops were still battling rebels in Yengema, one of three small towns nearby that were attacked.