Hundreds of people are starving to death as thousands are fleeing a civil war in the south, officials and refugees said today. Many refugees come from Bo and Kenema, where ambushes by the Revolutionary United Front have cut off food supplies. "Life in Bo is very difficult," said Sam Morie, a refugee. "Three months ago there were eight of us in the family. Two of our daughters died of starvation a month ago and my brother died of cholera two weeks ago."
The rebels, who took up arms in 1991, brought their campaign near Freetown, the capital, in May. The army has taken the initiative in the fighting in the past two months and the rebels have responded by increasing ambushes. The war has devastated the economy as the rebels have closed diamond and bauxite mines. The military Government offered a truce and elections early next year but the rebels rejected the offer.
Source: New York Times
