Sierra Leone rebels capture diamond area

A militia opposed to the military government in Sierra Leone has taken control of the key diamond-mining area of Tongo in the east of the country.

The Kamajor militia say they won control of the Tongo area last week after heavy fighting.

The Kamajor are fighting to oust the military government which seized power in May last year.

A government spokesman in the capital, Freetown, confirmed that Tongo had fallen but said the army was regrouping.

The BBC West Africa correspondent says the smuggling of diamonds from Sierra Leone to Europe generates hundreds of millions of dollars, which has been used to finance both government and rebel military activity.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service