Freetown - The rebel commander in Sierra Leone, Maj Sam Bockarie, said yesterday the rebels of his Revolutionary United Front (RUF) would start an unconditional seven-day ceasefire from 6 p.m. next Monday.
"After that one week, if [the rebel leader, Mr Foday] Sankoh is not released, we are going to resume our offensive," he said.
Earlier, the Rome-based Catholic missionary news agency MISNA reported that rebels had kidnapped the Catholic Archbishop of the capital, Freetown, Mgr Joseph Henry Ganda (66). The agency said the circumstances and date of Mgr Ganda's kidnapping were not yet clear but he was probably taken from his residence on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Rebels were also reported to have killed two government ministers and a senior officer of the Nigerian-led intervention force, Ecomog, diplomatic sources in Abidjan said yesterday.