Kofi Annan calls for African intervention in Liberia
Liberian troops and rebel forces are still embroiled in a fierce battle in the capital, Monrovia, with defence minister Daniel Chea claiming that up to 600 people have been killed in the recent fighting.
The rebel group – Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy – started a fresh assault on Thursday, leading Kofi Annan to warn that Liberia is “poised between hope and disaster”.
Yesterday, the UN secretary general urged West African military leaders – meeting in Senegal this week – to make a decision on when to enter the war-torn country.
Nigerian troops are about to make a reconnaissance trip to Liberia, but no further plan for the deployment of peacekeeping troops has been arranged.
Civil war has been raging in Liberia for over a decade, when current president Charles Taylor came to power by force.
A tentative ceasefire was secured at the end of June, while peace talks were established in Ghana.
As a result of those talks between the government and rebel groups, President Taylor has offered to stand aside if a peacekeeping force is sent to the country.
Since then the renewed violence has led to calls for intervention by the international community.
The US government entered into talks today about the possibility giving its assistance, after 60 people were reported to have been killed when a mortar hit the US embassy in Monrovia.
“We remain actively engaged with the UN and ECOWAS [the Economic Community of West African States] in their attempts to bring peace and stability in Liberia,” White House spokesman Scott McClellan announced.
But a final decision has not been made on sending extra troops to Liberia, which was founded by freed American slaves, although 41 US marines were sent out to protect the embassy.
The humanitarian situation is deteriorating, and the UN is having to find shelter for thousands of displaced people in the capital. The organisation claims that providing aid “has become increasingly difficult” and most of its staff have now fled the country for Sierra Leone.
