Liberian capital waits to be reunited after weeks ( 2003-08-15 15:58) (Agencies)
Residents of Liberia's capital Monrovia prepared
to be reunited on Friday almost four weeks after a rebel assault split the city
in two and sent thousands fleeing for their lives.
U.S. Marines land in Liberia's capital
onThursday to help West African peacekeepers take over security in the
hungry and battle-worn city August 14, 2003. U.S. Marines, helicopters and
screaming jets backed West African peacekeepers as they pushed into
rebel-held areas of Liberia's battle-worn capital Monrovia on Thursday to
a riotous welcome. [Reuters]
Rebel leaders and the new president of the West African country met on
Thursday in the Ghanaian capital Accra hoping to end 14 years of chaos which has
spread mayhem across West Africa and resulted in the deaths of a quarter of a
million people.
Thousands of people thronged Monrovia's streets on Thursday to welcome West
African and U.S. troops to areas around the port held by rebels for almost four
weeks, but in a bid to keep order Nigerian peacekeepers blocked bridges carving
the city in two.
At least 2,000 have died in weeks of fighting and aid workers said up to more
drowned in a desperate bid to cross a river to get to aid stores at the port
where peacekeepers were greeted hours earlier to elated cheering from civilians
and rebel fighters alike -- even as looting continued.
Sources in the Nigerian-led ECOMIL peacekeeping force said the bridges would
be opened at 10 a.m. local time on Friday, and aid workers hoped they would be
able to begin a more orderly distribution of food and other aid.
The United Nations World Food Program said most of its 10,000 tones of
food had been looted from the port, but that it planned to send 9,000 tons of
food a month into Liberia, to feed an estimated 500,000 people in need, mainly
in Monrovia.
Devastated by years of warfare, the city has been further plundered during
the latest offensive by rebel groups whose stated aim has been to oust
ex-warlord President Charles Taylor.
Bowing to international pressure, Taylor left on Monday for exile in Nigeria
-- which has sent the backbone of a regional peacekeeping force to restore order
to the chaotic nation.
Founded by freed slaves from America in the 19th century, Liberia has become
a byword for instability and destruction, its war dragging down neighboring
Sierra Leone and the region's economic powerhouse Ivory Coast.
The United States, which has traditionally had close links with Monrovia, has
warships waiting offshore and on Thursday deployed over 100 Marines at the
city's airport ready to back up the Nigerian peacekeepers in case of
trouble.
