157 Freed by Sierra Leone Rebels, U.N. Confirms

U.N. officials confirmed Monday that 157 U.N. peacekeepers taken hostage in this battle-scarred nation had been freed, in a much-needed boost both to the international mission here and to hopes that a logjam preventing a peace deal could soon end.

Sunday’s release of the captives--soldiers from a U.N. peacekeeping mission known as UNAMSIL--was secured by Liberian President Charles Taylor, previously known to be a sponsor of the rebel Revolutionary United Front. The rebels are still holding an estimated 347 UNAMSIL troops who were deployed to oversee a peace accord signed last year between the RUF and the Sierra Leonean government.

At U.N. headquarters in New York, Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued a statement saying he was “gratified by the progress made thus far” and encouraging Taylor to “press on” until all remaining detainees are freed and their weapons and equipment have been recovered.

Taylor, who has been chosen by leaders of the 16-nation Economic Community of West African States to negotiate an end to the hostage crisis, also called for the cessation of hostilities, which have almost thrust this country back into civil war.

The peace deal that was signed in July in Lome, Togo’s capital, ended eight years of brutal conflict.

But local political and military observers warned that a new cease-fire might dampen the confidence of Sierra Leone’s army and undercut the significant gains it has made against the rebels in recent days.

Whereas UNAMSIL has an obligation to abide by any truce, and would be reluctant to risk the safety of the remaining detainees, the army--supported by pro-government militias--has demonstrated a resolve to eliminate the rebels and end the conflict once and for all.

A recent advance by government soldiers deeper into rebel territory has been applauded by ordinary Sierra Leoneans, who feel confident that their own army--given the right support--could defeat the ragtag rebel force. They argue that, unlike the U.N. troops, the army is familiar with the rebels’ hide-outs, speaks their language, knows the country’s terrain and is not afraid to fight back.

“If only [the U.N.] could give all logistics and equipment to the Sierra Leonean army, they would be ready to finish the war in the twinkling of an eye,” said Francis Koroma, 40, whose left hand was amputated by the rebels.

Other civilians said they felt that the world body has been too soft in dealing with the rebels and thus emboldened the renegades to continue their mayhem, including snatching U.N. peacekeepers.

“The U.N. is a dog without teeth,” said Edward Conteh, 52, who also lost his left hand to the rebels. “[It] can’t bite.”

The capture of the 500-plus UNAMSIL troops earlier this month cast serious doubt on the credibility of the force. Most of those seized were from a Zambian contingent. They were stripped of their uniforms, and their weapons and armored vehicles were confiscated.

David Wimhurst, the UNAMSIL spokesman here in the capital, said 15 of the liberated soldiers were in the Liberian capital, Monrovia, while 124 others had reached the Liberian border town of Foya. The remaining 18 were released to a U.N. contingent that was surrounded by rebels.

U.N. officials defended the performance of their peacekeeping force, explaining that one of the major weaknesses of such a mission is the lack of a preparatory mechanism that would bring together troops of various countries on training exercises before a crisis erupted.

Wimhurst said the force was equipped only with light weaponry and was not configured as a combat unit. It also had to depend on the willingness of the warring parties to abide by the peace accord.

“We are at the mercy of the resources that are made available to us by the member states,” Wimhurst said.

According to British military officials, the Sierra Leonean army has managed to penetrate rebel territory with logistical and intelligence support from British paratroops and crack army units.

The chief of the British defense staff, Gen. Charles Guthrie, leaving Freetown on Monday after a brief visit, reiterated that the soldiers his nation has dispatched to Sierra Leone--about 700 are on the ground--will not be leaving any time soon.

“This was never going to be a quick fix,” Guthrie said.

In New York, Annan said a key remaining task is to bring the whole of Sierra Leone, including its diamond mines, under the control of the government.

“You cannot have a state where a group of rebels arrogate to themselves the right to exploit the riches of the country either for themselves or for a war,” he told reporters.

The U.N. also was beefing up its military presence, with the airlift of half a battalion of Indian troops expected to be completed by Monday evening.

Guthrie confirmed reports that a split might be developing in the RUF ranks between high-ranking rebels, who have condemned the violations of the peace accord, and their leader, Foday Sankoh.

Sankoh disappeared a week ago after a shootout at his Freetown residence left 19 people dead. Without his leadership, local observers believe, the RUF would soon be defunct.

Many Sierra Leoneans expressed hope that Sankoh’s absence might encourage his onetime followers to finally embrace peace.

“You can only hope that God will touch their hearts,” said Father Theophilus Momoh, a Roman Catholic priest who participated in brokering the Lome peace deal. “I believe that, as human beings, they are capable of changing. They are part and parcel of the community. There must be a method of reconciling.”

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Times staff writer John J. Goldman in New York contributed to this report.