Among the demands of the kidnappers is the release from captivity of Johnny Paul Koroma - the man who led the Sierra Leonean army in a coup against President Kabbah in 1997.

The kidnappers say they are from the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), the movement led by Mr Koroma.

BBC Sierra Leone Correspondent Winston Ojukutu Macauley: Rebels are renegade soldiers

They say their leader is being held prisoner by the Revolutionary United Front - another rebel movement which recently signed the Lome peace accord with President Kabbah's government.

United against Kabbah

Previously, the AFRC and RUF have fought together against the Kabbah government.

Johnny Paul Koroma: Prevented from attending Lome talks

The RUF had already taken up arms against President Kabbah before the 1997 coup.

In fact, the protracted war fought against the rebels by the ill-paid soldiers contributed to the resentment which eventually triggered the coup.

When Mr Koroma and his soldiers took power in Freetown, the RUF offered its support and was granted a share in the government.

Fought together

The two groups fought together against a counter-offensive launched by the Nigerian-led Ecomog intervention force, which was attempting to restore President Kabbah to power.

However, the RUF and the AFRC retained distinct identities.

When Mr Kabbah returned to the presidency last year, much of the AFRC leadership was court-martialled and shot. Johnny Paul Koroma went into hiding.

The RUF continued to control large areas of the country. But it was the AFRC which came very close to gaining control of the capital once more in an attempted insurrection in January.

Left out of negotiations

After a further attempted insurrection earlier this year, the government began the negotiations which led eventually to the signing of the Lome accord.

But these talks were aimed primarily at reaching an agreement with the RUF and its leader Foday Sankoh.

Johnny Paul Koroma had been expected at the Lome talks, and is believed to have been on the list of people nominated by the RUF to form part of a government of national unity.

But he never arrived in Lome.

Mr Koroma had been living in hiding with the RUF rebels and their military commander Sam "Mosquito" Bokarie.

According to BBC Sierra Leone Correspondent Winston Okutu Macauley, Mosquito's followers prevented Mr Koroma from going to the talks - effectively keeping him captive.

Fears of Koroma's influence

Koroma is a professional soldier who commands support within the former army - and there were fears among the RUF that his presence at the negotiations could undermine their own position.

Believing their leader was kept away from the talks, the AFRC kidnappers are now complaining they were neglected in the peace process.

They want to be readmitted and paid as soldiers in the Sierra Leone army, which is being re-established following President Kabbah's return to office.

This issue was never addressed in the negotiations, in which RUF's first priority was securing cabinet positions for its own members.

The RUF continues to deny suggestions of a rift.