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Kidnapped Indian soldiers in Sierra Leone safe

The 35 kidnapped Indian soldiers in Sierra Leone, including seven officers, are still in captivity but safe and sound. The soldiers, who are part of an international peace-keeping mission, were kidnapped by the RUF, which is fighting UN mission troops.

General Ved Prakash Malik stated this to the media at Army Headquarters today where he flagged off the Shakti Jal Thal Vayu Abhiyan, an adventure course to be undertaken by the Army Ordnance Corp.

"The kidnapped soldiers are safe and no harm has befallen them. But they remain in captivity," the general said.

Malik added that the army was in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs, which in turn was in touch with the United Nations. "The UN headquarters in New York is in touch with the UN Special Mission in Sierra Leone to have the soldiers released," the general said.

"We are waiting and monitoring the situation closely," he stated.

Asked if the Indian government was planning to send more soldiers to Sierra Leone, General Malik refused to comment.

Sources in the army said that the families of the detained soldiers have been informed about the situation. The army is, however, not releasing the names of the detained soldiers.

Yesterday, an Indian army MI8 helicopter that had flown to supply ration to an Indian company of soldiers which suffered damage in small arms fire by the RUF. The copter was forced to land 10 kilometres south of Makeni and the crew was picked up by another helicopter. The Indian helicopter, it is learnt, is in the custody of the RUF cadres.

The 35 Indian soldiers are among 500 personnel detained by the RUF, and as yet there is no sign of their release. The UNAMSIL (special mission in Sierra Leone) is headed by an Indian officer, Major General V K Jetley.

The defence ministry, in a statement, said that the situation in Sierra Leone continues to be grim with an increase in UN and regional activity to restore normalcy.

The ministry statement said that an agreement has been reached between the warring parties in Sierra Leone to dispatch a joint mission of RUF and UNAMSIL (the special mission) to the areas where the UN peacekeepers have been detained.

However, the statement dismissed reports that the RUF cadres were marching on to Freetown (the capital of Sierra Leone).

The UN is considering deploying additional troops in Sierra Leone this month, rather than the earlier planned deployment in the month of June or July. British forces too have reached Sierra Leone to beef up the UN Force.

A British team comprising six officers arrived on May 6, while a British naval ship with paratroopers too has reached Sierra Leone.

The Indian defence ministry statement added that all out efforts are being made to exert international politico-military pressure on the RUF leader, Fadoh Sankoh, to get the detained personnel released.

A meeting between Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Mali, Guinea, Liberia and Togo was held in May to resolve the ongoing conflict in Sierra Leone.

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