FREETOWN - Rebels allied to coup leaders in Sierra Leone have taken control of Hastings airport, which Nigeria had been using to fly in troops and supplies for its nearby military base. The loss of Hastings, 18 km south east of Freetown, leaves the Nigerians reliant on the remote international airport at Lungi, creating logistical problems for any military strike.
Nigeria has been building up its troops in Freetown since the May 25th coup and is widely expected to stage another military strike against the coup leaders after last Monday's unsuccessful attempt to force them aside.
Hundreds of residents were fleeing the Hastings area yesterday heading upcountry, walking with their belongings on their heads or waiting by the road hoping for transport.
Members of the country's dissolved parliament met in defiance of a ban on political activity to denounce the two week old military coup and call for the return of the ousted civilian president, Mr Ahmad Tejan Kabbah.
