(Rapaport…August 2) More than 1,000 combatants laid down their arms on July 31 in Sierra Leone’s Kono District, representing the largest day of disarmament since the UN ceasefire commenced almost three months ago.
The mass disarming came a day after rebel commander General Issa Sesay visited the diamond-rich district and ordered his soldiers to give up fighting.
In all, 625 rebels handed over weapons on July 31 along with almost 450 pro-government militia fighters, bringing the total to 8,000 disarmed combatants since mid-May.