The group's leadership is broken and the UN says it will pursue and shoot any West Side boys who refuse to disarm.

BBC: Captured leader 'regrets' kidnap

Until the capture of British soldiers, the West Side Boys, a small ill-disciplined group with a reputation for taking drugs and alcohol, were largely ignored by the United Nations, the Sierra Leonean Government and Britain.

BBC: Captured leader 'regrets' kidnap

The West Side Boys are no longer linked to the rebel Revolutionary United Front, but two years ago they took part in the killing and mutilation of civilians when they fought with RUF during a raid on Freetown.

BBC: Captured leader 'regrets' kidnap

However, the UK Government may come under fire from the opposition Conservative Party, which called for the army to be withdrawn after a British soldier died during September's daring operation to rescue British troops held hostage by the West Side Boys militia.

BBC: UK boosts Sierra Leone force

In recent days, he has sprung into action, summoning his former soldiers, known as the West Side Jungle Boys.

ECONOMIST: Who can, or will, save the country from its savage rebels?