The United Nations and Sierra Leone's government on Wednesday agreed to establish a unique war crimes tribunal to try those most responsible for atrocities in a civil war noted for its horrific treatment of civilians, particularly children.

If the Special Court for Sierra Leone is to tackle impunity effectively and fairly and contribute to the peace and reconciliation process, the independence of the prosecutor must be assured and monitored, adequate and sustained funding must be guaranteed, and a clear relationship between the Special Court and Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) established," Amnesty International has said.

A symbolic weapons burning ceremony took place at Lungi, north of the capital Freetown, on Friday to mark the end of a decade of civil conflict in Sierra Leone. During the event 3,000 weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were destroyed, Francis Kai-Kai, Executive Secretary of the National Committee for Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration, told IRIN on Friday.

A visiting UN team has begun a series of meetings in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on "practical arrangements for the establishment and operation" of a special war crimes court in the West African country, the UN News service reported on Tuesday.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has authorised a war crimes tribunal to be set up in Sierra Leone despite a big shortfall in funding pledges from the world body's member-nations.