Violence worsened in Sierra Leone yesterday when 5,000 angry demonstrators marched on the home of rebel leader Foday Sankoh and were fired on by his forces.
At least four people were killed and dozens wounded in the violence in Freetown, the West African nation’s capital.
The incident followed weeks of clashes between Sankoh’s Revolutionary United Front and U.N. peacekeepers.
In the past month, the rebels have attacked and kidnapped hundreds of peacekeepers, prompting Britain to deploy 700 to 800 troops to Sierra Leone to help evacuate its citizens from the former British colony.
Yesterday’s violence began when the demonstrators, including members of a rival militia and former Sierra Leone soldiers, began a march demanding a cease-fire.
“We want peace,” they chanted before turning toward Sankoh’s two-story home, which they pelted with large rocks and bricks.
The mob quickly overwhelmed the dozens of U.N. peacekeepers guarding the house.
Sankoh’s men fired through the U.N. ranks, spraying the crowd with automatic weapons and at least one rocket-propelled grenade, witnesses said.
In addition to those wounded in the gunfire, several people were hurt in the ensuing stampede.