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

However, the UK Government may come under fire from the opposition Conservative Party, which called for the army to be withdrawn after a British soldier died during September's daring operation to rescue British troops held hostage by the West Side Boys militia.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