Controversy over Foday Sankoh

Foday Sankoh's whereabouts are still unknown

By Mark Doyle in Abidjan

A year after the capture of the Sierra Leonian rebel leader, Foday Sankoh, his legal status remains a key political issue with some of his followers making political demands that he be released.

His precise whereabouts still generate interest. Sierra Leonian prisons are notoriously insecure.

The issue was the subject of an Appeal Court case in London last year when Mr Sankoh's wife, Fatou, argued that Britain had de facto hold of him.

Britain is extremely influential in Sierra Leone. It effectively runs the Sierra Leonian government army so it can face up to rebels responsible for widespread atrocities.

However the British government sucessfully argued in court that the Sierra Leone police were responsible for holding Mr Sankoh, and the Sierra Leone government says the same.

A year ago this month a British military team took the captured rebel leader Foday Sankoh out of an army base in the capital Freetown.

Secrecy

British officers said they were just transporting Mr Sankoh on behalf of the Sierra Leone police.

The police say they are now holding him under emergency legislation and that he will soon be tried by a Special Court.

Britain is backing and advising the Sierra Leonian army

But Sierra Leonian government officials refuse to say which jail Mr Sankoh is held in.

And his wife continues to believe that the British are involved, even alleging he is held on a British warship. British officials deny this.

Many Sierra Leonians are pleased that the rebel leader, who is deeply unpopular in Freetown, is in jail.

But his precise whereabouts still generate interest. Sierra Leonian prisons are notoriously insecure.

And yet usually well informed Sierra Leonian sources can't say for certain where Mr Sankoh is.

This has continued to fuel speculation in Freetown that the British may have a hand in keeping the rebel leader out of the public eye.