The UN Secretary-General has said that he is very disappointed by the failure of western nations to set up a rapid reaction force to intervene in the civil war in Sierra Leone. Speaking at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Kofi Annan appealed to the international community not to abandon the people of West Africa. His comments come amid reports of a split in the rebel movement. Mr Annan also demanded that rebels release 500 UN peacekeepers they have taken hostage.
The commander of British forces in Sierra Leone said earlier that the battle against the rebels has to be taken forward. Brigadier David Richards said that the job of his troops, who are now deployed in key areas of the capital, Freetown, was to move the battle increasingly into the interior, in conjunction with the Sierra Leonian Army. Britain's Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, has said, however, that there would be no open-ended commitment.
