UN troops 'to stay' in S Leone

Many thousands were maimed during the decade-long war

The United Nations is seeking to extend the term of its peacekeepers in Sierra Leone for another year.

The peacekeeping mission is due to end in December but the UN Security Council has been urged to retain the troops.

Secretary General Kofi Annan has said the peace there was fragile and the government cannot assume responsibility for security.

Some 11,000 peacekeepers are currently deployed in Sierra Leone to monitor the peace and reconciliation process.

Rebels

As many as 200,000 people were killed in Sierra Leone's brutal decade-long civil war, while thousands more were mutilated, raped and tortured.

Mr Annan said the UN troops will also help with the work of the war crimes court that aims to prosecute those responsible for those atrocities - both among government supporters and rebels.

If the proposal is approved by the Security Council, the UN troops will gradually pull out of Sierra Leone by 2005.