UN peacekeepers fly to safety

Happy arrivals at Lungi airport

Ninety-three exhausted but relieved UN peacekeepers flew into Freetown early on Wednesday at the end of their kidnap ordeal at the hands of Sierra Leonean rebels.

The 79 Zambians and 14 Kenyans looked in reasonable shape although a few were limping and one was on crutches.

They had been captured two weeks ago and held in the jungle, but were handed over to the Liberian authorities on Sunday.

The UN remains concerned about more than 300 hostages still in the hands of rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF).

The released soldiers landed at Freetown's Lungi airport aboard a Russian transport plane after the short flight from neighbouring Liberia.

They will be debriefed and given medical checks before being sent on to their separate national missions.

Another 46 peacekeepers and military observers are still in Liberia, waiting to return.

Liberia's Charles Taylor has called for an end to all fighting in Sierra Leone

The partial breakthrough in the hostage crisis came after negotiations involving the President of Liberia, Charles Taylor.

Between 30 and 40 of these peacekeepers are suffering from illnesses and injuries, including gunshot wounds, the Liberian president said earlier.

Earlier a UN spokesman voiced fears that staff still held by the rebels were suffering from malnutrition and dehydration.

"As time goes by and we have no reliable information and we are not able to see them, we're becoming increasingly concerned about their wellbeing," the UN's David Wimhurst said.

The Liberian connection

The rebels handed over 139 UN hostages to Liberian custody on Sunday at the remote town of Foya, just across the border from Sierra Leone.

BBC West Africa correspondent Mark Doyle says the negotiations to free hostages are always sensitive - but these are particularly complex because of the role of Liberia.

In the past, the UN has condemned Liberia for supporting the rebels.

Now it is obliged to deal with the Liberian president to try to obtain the release of the peacekeepers.

Nigeria's growing role

Defence chiefs from nine West African states are meeting in Nigeria on Wednesday to decide whether to send in more troops to boost the UN peacekeeping mission.

Nigeria has undertaken to send more troops to Sierra Leone, as long as the UN meets the costs involved.

Nigeria already has four battalions as part of the UN peacekeeping force.

A further two are committed, and if the UN Security Council resolves to increase the overall size of the force beyond its current maximum of 11,000, Nigeria might be prepared to send more still, Nigerian Vice-President Atiku Abubakar said.

Nigeria also wants to take a more aggressive line with the rebels, who it believes have taken advantage of the existing rules of engagement.

The mandate of the UN peacekeepers allows the use of force only to defend civilians and UN personnel.

The Nigerian army also wants to take command of the force. William Wallis, reporting for the BBC from Lagos, says its growing role in the UN force could reduce incentives for the rebels to come back to the negotiating table.