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afrol.com, 23 November - Reports from Sierra Leone more than indicate that a split is appearing in the Sierra Leonean rebel/terrorist group RUF. Their new leader, General Issa Sesay, has not managed to have his authority recognised by the majority of his fighters. A rebel spokesman told AFP in Monrovia that "there is division in our camp. About 90 percent of the people do not take instructions from the interim leader [Sesay], but rather from battleground commander Brigadier-General Kallon." General Issa Sesay, who took over as leader of the RUF on 21 August this year, after the imprisonment of former RUF leader Foday Sankoh, is said to be "unhappy about a recent peace deal" with the Government. Sesay has been the rebel's top field commander for a long time and had more or less been in charge since Sankoh was captured in May. However analysts already at his inauguration pointed out that the change of leader only was cosmetic and that in practical terms, Sankoh would stay in charge. Commander Brigadier-General Moris Kallon is said to sail up as the new strongman within the RUF. Kallon supposedly supports the new peace agreement along with most of the rebels, wanting peace. Sesay reportedly has "excommunicated" several leading members of the RUF for supporting "the peace line" of Brigadier-General Kallon. A group of high-ranking RUF "officials", including members of the RUF delegation recently negotiating the peace treaty in Abuja, are stranded in Monrovia (Liberia) and not allowed to return to rebel territory in Sierra Leone. They "cannot now return to RUF-controlled areas for fear of being killed and are stranded in Monrovia," RUF ex-spokesman Jibril Massakoi told AFP. On 11 November, the Sierra Leonean Government and the RUF reached a new peace agreement and ceasefire in Abuja, Nigeria. The seven-member RUF delegation was headed by Col. Jonathan Kposowa, also filling the office of the RUF's Chief of Administration and Jibril Massakoi had joined as RUF spokesman. Several of the seven are still in Monrovia. There is a question of whether Col. Kposowa agreed to terms more far-reaching than he was supposed to or if Sesay never had the intention to follow up whatever treaty made. As the treaty was signed, analysts asked whether "the RUF leaderships in reality speak for its own fighters in the bush?" It now seems more likely that the question should have put the other way around - "did the fighters in the bush speak for the RUF leaderships?" Military strong UN troops are let to monitor only small parts of the RUF held territories and have still not been allowed to inspect the diamond mining areas. British troops, until now, have had few encounters with RUF. This week, however, RUF Spokesman, Gibril Massaquoi claimed that the British troops in Sierra Leone have forcefully moved into an RUF held village of Kamasudu (outside Lunsar). There are no confirmations of this, and the UN claims not to have "received any report about the presence of British troops anywhere outside UNAMSIL's deployment area. Kamasudu is outside UNAMSIL's deployment area." British troops are deployed in Sierra Leone as direct allies to the Government, not as part of the UN troops. They can therefore be used in direct military confrontations with RUF, although they also are bound by the present ceasefire. RUF soon history? The rebels seek his divine blessing before most operations are carried out. Now, he has informed them that the game is up and that they should hand over all the areas under their control within three months. Concord Times gathered that Pa Demba sent his predictions in a recorded cassette to the rebels after he feared they could misunderstand the bitter truth. A copy of the cassette is said to have landed on the desk of President Tejan Kabbah. As the RUF fighters have shown great bent towards mysticism and rituals, this "divine news" may have more weight than it would seem at the first glimpse (if it is more than a rumour).
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