Liberians rush to port in search of food
Monrovians flooded towards the city’s port area today in a bid to find food and water, after a month-long siege of the Liberian capital ended.
There were reports of people drowning yesterday as they tried to swim to the port, after being prevented from crossing the Gabriel Tucker and Old bridges by peacekeepers.
West African peacekeepers, assisted by U.S. Marines reclaimed the port which had been under the control of LURD rebels. They have now withdrawn to the River Po on the city’s outskirts.
Many of the World Food programme’s warehouses at the port have been looted during the rebel occupation, but the back-up was provided today by one of the WFP’s ships carrying high-energy biscuits and rehydration salts.
Until now the estimated half a million residents that are in urgent need of aid have been relying on emergency flights which can carry only limited supplies.
Rebel leaders are now engaged in talks with the new Liberian president, Moses Blah, following the resignation of Charles Taylor on Monday.
The rebels have accepted the new appointment, under the condition that President Blah stands down in October to make way for a neutral interim government.
But there were problems during the peace talks in Ghana, with Reuters reporting rebel dissatisfaction at the proposal that there would be a two-year ban on warring factions holding any of the top four jobs in a transition government.
And there are increasing concerns about Liberia’s second city of Buchanan, where the stand-off between government and rebel forces continues.
