Liberia
Liberian civil war escalates

afrol News, 15 May - A major offensive by Liberian rebels towards the capital Monrovia and the country's second city, Gbarnga, seems to have been temporarily halted by government troops. The fights reportedly have produced a high number of casualties and an even higher number of civilian displaced. 

On Monday, Monrovia residents were gripped by panic as artillery fire could be heard from the capital. The rebel group Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) were fighting over the control of the town Arthington, only 25 kilometres outside coastal Monrovia. In central Liberia, the country's second city, Gbarnga, was also under LURD attack. 

All available troops were immediately mobilised by the government to fight back the rebels, which were believed to head for Monrovia. Today, the government of President Charles Taylor has announced government troops had been able to halt the rebel offensive and drive LURD out of Arthington and Gbarnga. 

Liberian Defence Minister Daniel Chea today told the BBC government troops were now on the offensive. "We have managed to keep them in, and this time they are going to pay a heavy price for coming in to central Liberia," he was quoted saying, referring to the fights around Gbarnga. President Taylor in a radio message to his subjects said at least 100 rebel fighters had been killed at Gbarnga since last week.

While the LURD rebels earlier had seemed a local problem, confined to the Guinean border, this year's assaults have demonstrated that LURD indeed is equal in strength compared to Taylor's government troops. While the Liberian government is internationally isolated - UN sanctions prohibits it from buying arms - LURD has a massive support from outside; especially from exiled Liberians and assumedly at least from the government of Guinea. 

The UN holds that President Taylor's government is one of the key responsible of the wars ravaging the mineral-rich region by having supported diamond-mining rebels of Sierra Leone and Guinea. International distrust in Taylor prevails even after peace seems to be established in both neighbour countries; the UN Security Council only last week decided to extend the worldwide sanctions against his government. 

The UN sanctions are weakening Taylor's ability to stay in power. In the ongoing fight against the LURD rebels, both weapons and ammunition are short. Taylor's internal support is also falling after his government is turning ever more repressive, according to human rights organisations. The unpopular state of emergency was extended for six months on Friday. Rights groups claim Taylor is exploiting this emergency to perpetrate human rights violations; including detentions and killings of civilians and forced army conscription.

LURD, on the other hand, is receiving funds and weapons - assumingly shipped through Guinea - from a growing number of supporters of the aim of having President Taylor removed. No serious international efforts have been made to keep the rebels from trying to remove Taylor. 

The rebels know how to sell their message abroad, even bearing "Reconciliation and Democracy" in their name. The rebels' General Joe Wylie, explaining the aims of LURD, says they are devoted to the ideals of "constitutional democracy, such as the respect for fundamental rights." Their aims are to resettle all displaced Liberians, create a professional army and to work together with Sierra Leone and Guinea to "ensure lasting peace and stability in the sub-region." These aims seem a photocopy of the aims of the international community for Liberia. 

- LURD is determined to have Charles Taylor removed from state power so as to halt his constant assault on the constitution, including the abuse of power and the misuse of authority to stifle press freedom and individual rights, General Wylie says. Exiled Liberians support him massively. Foreign governments do not protest. 

The rebel group was only established in year 2000 by Liberian refugees living in West Africa. While the government claims LURD is made up of warlords and politicians from the 1989-96 civil war that brought Taylor to power, General Wylie holds that "no former warlord has been nor shall be involved or associated with the LURD in its national effort to build democratic institutions in Liberia." 

Meanwhile, the escalation of the fights however is producing even more human misery in the war-ravaged country. A first wave of "frightened residents fleeing" the heavy fighting in the Gbarnga area were reported by the UN refugee agency UNHCR yesterday. However, "no one among the new arrivals [to Côte d'Ivoire] was injured, and many managed to flee with a lot of luggage," UNHCR reported. 

The LURD rebels claim they are doing all within their means to not endanger the lives of civilians. LURD spokesman William Hanson was even quoted to have said the rebels didn't enter Monrovia on Monday - "which we easily could do" - because they would avoid civilian casualties. 

UNHCR meanwhile says it is monitoring the situation in the Sierra Leonean refugee camps around Monrovia, where the situation was said to be calm. So far this year more than 24,000 Liberians have fled their homeland, with 14,000 people entering Sierra Leone, 6,000 arriving in Guinea, and some 4,000 arriving in Côte d'Ivoire. There are now more than 250,000 Liberian refugees throughout the region.

Sources: Based on UNHCR, UN sources, LURD, press reports and afrol archives