Sierra Leone seeks more UN troops

The UN Security Council is meeting today to adopt a draft resolution extending the United Nations mission in Sierra Leone, Unamsil, which expires next Monday.

There are currently thirteen-thousand peacekeepers in Sierra Leone to help the government re-assert its authority on the wide areas of the country controlled by the rebel Revolutionary United Front.

The Unamsil commander in Sierra Leone, Major General Vijay Jetley, has asked the Security Council for more troops to strengthen his defences against rebel attacks -- a request endorsed by the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan.

But the United States is opposed to the proposal saying what is needed is a restructuring of the mission to deal better with the hostile situation it is facing.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service