PRO-GOVERNMENT forces have captured Bunumbu, a major town in eastern Sierra Leone, from rebels fighting the Freetown government, reports said on Sunday. Journalists in the region said a three-day battle for Bunumbu ended Friday when Civil Defence Forces drove rebels of the Revolutionary United Front from the town. Bunumbu, which has a key educational Teacher’s College once funded by the British government, is regarded as a gateway to Kailahun, where the main rebel base is located. Analysts in Freetown said pro-government forces could use the town to launch an offensive on the rebel stronghold. The RUF first took up arms in 1991, battling several Freetown governments until it rallied to a junta that siezed power in a 1997 coup and was later toppled by Nigerian intervention troops.