Doubt over Sierra Leone election date

The national election commissioner in Sierra Leone, Walter Nicol, says elections planned for December may have to be postponed until next year.

Speaking on a private radio station Mr Nicol said too many people still carried weapons, despite the disarmament programme in Sierra Leone.

He said a fact-finding mission to rural areas had shown that many voters would not feel free to cast their ballots if all combatants had not been disarmed.

He said it would be difficult in the circumstances to achieve voter registration in all areas by next month, in time for voting in December.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service