Shells pound Monrovia
2003-07-26 14:29
Monrovia - Liberia's independence day began on Saturday with a downpour of mortar shells at battle sites around Monrovia's key bridges, as President Charles Taylor was due to address thousands of war-battered displaced civilians.
Taylor was expected to make an afternoon address to the roughly 30 000 people who have fled the capital's raging combat to hole up in the sprawling Samuel Kanyon Doe sports stadium.
The former warlord turned president, who has lost control of most of the country during a four-year civil war, has rarely appeared in public since Monrovia was besieged by rebels last month.
General Benjamin Yeaten, the Liberian deputy chief of staff, said his men were on Saturday engaged in heavy clashes with the rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) at two separate crossing areas in the seaport city.
Fighting was taking place around two strategic bridges leading to the city centre, as well as at a bridge over Stockton Creek further north, linking the rebel-held port to Monrovia's suburbs.
"There has been heavy shelling since morning," despite rebel declarations of a ceasefire late on Friday, Yeaten said. "They (the rebels) are on the move."
The two lower bridges lead into the heart of Monrovia and its Mamba Point diplomatic quarter, where on Friday a mortar attack killed at least 11 civilians and wounded dozens more.
In the wake of a week of fighting that has claimed hundreds of lives while deepening an acute humanitarian crisis, US President George W Bush ordered US battleships on Friday to the Liberian coast.
Their goal, which was only vaguely outlined, will be to support a future west African peacekeeping force.
"US troops will be there to help ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States) go in and serve as peacekeepers necessary to create the conditions so that humanitarian aid can go in and help the people in Liberia," Bush said.
Liberia was founded by freed American slaves in 1822. In 1847 it declared independence, becoming the first free nation in black Africa.
Anger has been mounting against Washington for Bush's failure to respond to international appeals led by UN head Kofi Annan to lead a multinational force in Liberia.
Bush said earlier in the month that US troops would be sent on a "limited" mission and only if the embattled president Taylor leaves the country.
Taylor's government late Friday welcomed the US announcement but said the role and mandate of the intervention force would have to be clearly defined.
"The government eagerly awaits the conclusion of a status of forces agreement that will facilitate the early deployment of troops to Liberia," a statement by Information Minister Reginald Goodridge said.
"This will enhance confidence and ensure a smooth working relationship between peacekeepers and the Liberian authorities," it added.
Taylor has accepted an asylum offer from Nigeria but has not indicated when he will leave. He is under tremendous pressure from loyalists not to quit the country as they would be left in the lurch after he leaves.
Hopes that west African peacekeepers could soon be on the ground faded, meanwhile, when it was announced that a force of 1 300 Nigerian troops could not reach Liberia for at least a week to 10 days.
A date for sending the Nigerian battalions to Liberia is due to be announced on Monday.
US soldiers guarding the US embassy on Friday distributed leaflets threatening to use "deadly force" against anyone who approached their compound in a hostile manner.
A mortar landed inside the complex this week but caused no casualties. However buildings around the mission have been hit, including a nearby complex housing local security guards and displaced people.
The past week has seen UN and other aid agencies beseech the world for aid as the humanitarian situation grew dire in Monrovia.
Up to 200 000 people have been displaced by the war in Monrovia, according to aid agencies, and there is an acute shortage of food, water and medicines.