Sierra Leone Troops Brace for Attack

Thousands of refugees poured into Freetown on Wednesday as pro-government troops rushed to key towns near Sierra Leone’s steamy seaside capital to prepare for a possible rebel attack.

U.N. peacekeepers, the Sierra Leone army and pro-government militia fighters were consolidating their forces along the road into the capital from Waterloo, 15 miles away, where fleeing residents said they heard the sound of gunfire Wednesday morning.

“Waterloo is now the front line,” said Joseph Jalloh, an army commander.

He said the government expected an attack there by forces of the rebel Revolutionary United Front, or RUF.

The rebels--who killed thousands during a civil war that ended in July--have thrown the nation’s peace process into jeopardy in recent days, taking U.N. peacekeepers hostage, clashing with pro-government forces and shooting civilian protesters.

The massing of pro-government forces came after a night of sporadic gunfire in three locations within 50 miles of the capital, a U.N. official said.

Fueling the apprehension was the mystery of rebel leader Foday Sankoh’s whereabouts. He disappeared Monday after his bodyguards shot and killed at least four demonstrators outside his home.

In New York, U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard said peacekeepers were taking up defensive positions in preparation for possible fighting.

As government forces departed Freetown, thousands of Sierra Leoneans were arriving on foot and by car and truck in the capital, fearful of a spread of the fighting.

The situation in Sierra Leone has become increasingly chaotic since a Nigerian-led regional intervention force--which had been in the country along with U.N. peacekeepers to enforce July’s peace agreement--pulled out last week. Since then, clashes have broken out intermittently between peacekeepers and rebels. About 500 peacekeepers are being held hostage by the RUF.