A BURNLEY soldier is helping to rebuild one of the world's poorest countries following a devastating civil war.

Colour Sergeant Damian Close is deployed for one year in Sierra Leone, where a multi-national effort is under way to improve the nation's armed forces.

The 35-year-old's role, as a member of the International Military Advisory and training Team (IMATT), is to advise in the training of infantry skills to new recruits and instructors in the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF).

The West African state emerged from a decade of civil war in 2002, after 17,000 United Nations troops were sent in to disarm rebels and militia fighters, and maintain the peace.

A feature of the conflict, which left 50,000 dead, was the atrocities committed by the rebels, whose trademark was to hack off the hands of their victims. This UN peace-keeping operation in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) will fully withdraw from the West African country this month, and RSLAF will take over many of its tasks.

Based in Benguema, about 45 minutes drive from Sierra Leone's capital city Freetown, CSgt Close, of The Queen's Lancashire Regiment, works with a small team of experienced British Army colleagues. The team shares its expertise and techniques on a range of courses, from selecting new recruits to jungle warfare training.

Although only 150 places were available for this year's RSLAF intake, more than 800 hopefuls travelled from all over Sierra Leone to be considered.

CSgt Close, from Burnley Wood, and a former Towneley High School pupil, said: "When I first came here, we were running a lot of the courses ourselves. Now we are taking a back step, advising and assisting the RSLAF's own instructors to teach their own recruits, which is a sign of the progress we are making. We are just trying to get them to look at new ways of doing things."

CSgt Close, who is married to Cathy and has three children, joined the Army in 1986. He has since served across the world, including in Germany, Canada, Kenya, Northern Ireland, Brazil and Korea. But life in Sierra Leone is a new experience. He said: "I did not expect to see such poverty. These people have not got anything. It's quite a culture shock."

IMATT is scheduled to remain in Sierra Leone until 2010. Deputy commander Col Steve Telfer said: "To underestimate the scale of the task here is to make a mistake. It is enormous but significant progress has been made and will be made over the next four to five years. We are trying to give the people of Sierra Leone the chance to stand on their own two feet."