Troops Raid Villages, Kill 25, Refugees Say

Soldiers killed at least 25 villagers in southern Sierra Leone, according to witnesses who reached Freetown, the capital, after fleeing a region that has been a center of opposition to the country’s new military junta. Violence has continued since last month’s coup, despite military leader Maj. Johnny Paul Koroma’s pledges that he will restore order in the country, which is just emerging from six years of civil war. The witnesses said the dead included the father of Vice President Joseph Demby, who was ousted by low-ranking soldiers along with President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah. The attacks occurred Thursday night in villages near Bo, a military headquarters town near the Liberian border.