May 21, 2002	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 8,1423

LONDON: Sierra Leone’s voters have decisively rejected the rebels who terrorized their nation for a decade by overwhelmingly re-electing President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah two years after British troops were sent to save his government.

Within hours of the announcement on Sunday of final results from last week’s ballot, Kabbah was sworn in for a second term after avoiding a second round run-off by taking 70.6 per cent of the vote. His Sierra Leone People’s Party also won a healthy majority in parliament.

The Revolutionary United Front rebels, who two years ago controlled most of the country while Kabbah governed little more than the capital, saw a remarkable turnaround in their fortunes as they garnered just 1.7 per cent of the vote.

The announcement of the results brought tens of thousands of people on to the streets in celebration of what many Sierra Leoneans see as final confirmation of an end to the war that was officially declared over in January.

However, sharing power was not enough for the RUF’s then leader, Corporal Foday Sankoh. His attempt to seize total control of government by force two years ago prompted the British military intervention that led to his own arrest and the political demise of his organization, first on the battlefield and now at the ballot box. The RUF also failed to win a single seat in parliament

The United Nations declared the election a success, but said it is unlikely to lead to an early withdrawal of the largest peacekeeping force in the world. However, numbers might be reduced from the 17,500 troops deployed at present.—Dawn/The Guardian News Service.