Freetown - A British navy frigate was anchored off Sierra Leone's capital yesterday as a potent sign of political and perhaps military support for pro-government forces fighting rebels.
The HMS Norfolk was sent to the former British colony last week when the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) occupied central and eastern areas of Freetown.
Meanwhile grotesque scenes at Sierra Leone's biggest public hospital underlined the extent of the humanitarian disaster engulfing Freetown. Vultures and dogs feasted on corpses piled in the driveway of the Connaught Hospital on Saturday, victims of a week of fighting, bombardments and arson when rebels occupied the centre and east of the city.