Scores of Soldiers Killed, Rebels Claim

Fearing an impending rebel assault on the Sierra Leone capital of Freetown, angry residents surged through the streets and burned alive at least two men accused of being rebel spies. The rebel Revolutionary United Front, meanwhile, reported it had killed 60 Nigerian soldiers belonging to a West African intervention force while capturing the town of Makeni, 75 miles east of Freetown. However, the government denied that Makeni had been captured and said the Nigerian-led forces, known as ECOMOG, continued to battle rebels for the town. Troops remained firmly in control of the country, the Information Ministry said in a statement. Fighting has intensified in recent weeks in the West African nation that is slightly smaller than Indiana and has a population of 4.7 million people.