21 Indian soldiers taken hostage in Sierra Leone

NEW DELHI, JUNE 9: Belying hopes raised by the United Nations in the past few days, the Indian soldiers detained by rebel forces in Sierra...

NEW DELHI, JUNE 9: Belying hopes raised by the United Nations in the past few days, the Indian soldiers detained by rebel forces in Sierra Leone have been forcibly disarmed and taken hostage. Two soldiers succeeded in “escaping” from the custody of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), leaving 21 behind. The soldiers have remained surrounded by the rebels for almost three weeks. Their captors have now sent a list of political demands.

Criticising the “deceit” by the rebels who had earlier “promised” to release the soldiers, a senior Army officer said the Gorkha Rifles soldiers had been disarmed and taken as hostage in a blatant “act of terrorism”. A team led by Lt Gen N C Vij, Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), is in Freetown and is taking stock of the situation, an official said.

“The UN troops are there to de-escalate the tension and ensure peace. Had they opened fire in self-defence or to push back the rebel forces surrounding them, the situation would have deteriorated further. Also they were heavily outnumbered,” he said.

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The Army has sought the intervention of United Nations Secretary General in securing the release of the soldiers. “The Government of India has conveyed its serious concern at the highest level and through the UN Secretary General who has assured that the release of the Indians will remain the top priority for the UN and all steps are being taken in this direction,” a Government spokesman said.

The RUF, whose leader Foday Sankoh is in custody, has put forward a series of political demands for the first time through the Commander of the Indian contingent for passing them on to the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNASIL), he added.

The two soldiers who escaped had used their “ingenuity”, said an official at the Army headquarters. “The RUF rebels demanded a vehicle from the MT (mechanical transport) section. These two soldiers drove the vehicle towards the rebels and instead of stopping, continued driving and escaped,” he said. They are being asked about the conditions in which the 21 soldiers are being held, the place where they are being detained and the weapons that the rebels have, sources said.

“Projection of political demands and using the Indian peacekeepers as leverage for negotiations amounts to an act of terrorism and needs to be condemned at the highest level by the entire international community,” the spokesman added.

UN FORCES COMPOSITION

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Nigeria 3,231
Kenya 0,871
Ghana 0,739
India 2,711
Guinea 0,778
Jordan 1,974
Zambia 08,00
Bangladesh 153
Military observers: 260
Indian military observers: 14
Total: 11,531