They are guarded by Nigerian troops and supervised by UN monitors. On the roads outside the town, gangs of dubious loyalty or none rob and kill travellers. Earlier this month, Nigerian troops brought in the bloody survivors from among a busload of people who had tried to make a dash to the capital, Freetown. Three lay moaning, clutching bullet wounds. Raiders had shot up their bus and stolen their meagre belongings.
Similar attacks happen daily.
Francis Okelo, the UN's departing special representative for Sierra Leone, says the peace process is on track. It is hard to be so optimistic. The agreement signed last July gives a blanket amnesty even for crimes against civilians. President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah was at his weakest when he put his name to it. He saw it as a compromise.