UN Deputy Secretary General Louise Frechette has begun a three-day visit to the war-torn west African country of Sierra Leone, officials said Thursday.
Frechette, who arrived here late Wednesday, was met at the airport by Ambassador Oluyemi Adeniji, the special representative of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, and officials from the Sierra Leone government.
Frechette was due to meet President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, Foreign Minister Ramadan Dumbuya and other government officials later Thursday.
She is also scheduled to visit the towns of Port Loko and Lunsar in the centre of the country, where UN troops have recently been deployed.
The deployment marks the first foray by UN troops into rebel areas since last May, when 500 blue helmets were taken hostage by Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels.
The RUF campaign against successive governments in Freetown has claimed at least 200,000 lives over the past 10 years, according to conservative estimates.
Frechette leaves Freetown Saturday for Banjul, capital of the Gambia, before moving on to Guinea.
New UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers visited Sierra Leone and its surrounding countries in February for a first-hand assessment of what has been termed the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
Some 150,000 people are trapped in intensified fighting between Sierra Leonean, Guinean and Liberian forces in Guinea – FREETOWN (AFP)
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