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At l
east three people were killed and seven wounded yesterday in
clashes between rebels and government troops and militiamen as
United Nations peacekeepers began taking over from west African
soldiers in Liberia, wracked by 14 years of war.
Heavy fighting broke out in the capital Monrovia after a convoy
escorting a rebel leader came under attack in an eastern district
of the city, witnesses said.
Sekou Damate Conneh, leader of the main rebel group Liberians
United for Reconciliation and Democracy (Lurd), was on his way to
see President Moses Blah when his convoy came under attack in an
area home to many supporters of exiled former president Charles
Taylor.
Witnesses said civilians began throwing stones at Conneh's convoy
and his escorts opened fire, prompting militiamen and government
troops to intervene.
"Lurd fighters responded by opening fire and throwing
grenades.
Two teenagers died instantly when a Lurd fighter threw a grenade in
their direction," one witness, Francis Gbessay, said.
The sporadic firing, which lasted for about 15 minutes, sent
civilians fleeing in all directions.
Traders who had gathered in the busy commercial district abandoned
their wares and fled.
A Lurd fighter was also killed in the clashes, and troops of the UN
force UNMIL fired in the air to disperse a group of militiamen who
had set upon his body to mutilate it.
The militiamen tried to burn the body, chanting: "We want Taylor,
we want Taylor", witnesses said.
The convoy of more than 30 vehicles returned to base, forcing the
meeting between Conneh and Blah to be called off for the third time
since Saturday.
One of the vehicles was carrying the outgoing commander of the west
African (Ecomil) force General Festus Okonkwo, the UN Security
Council voted last month to deploy a peacekeeping force in Liberia,
to help the west African country emerge from two successive civil
wars that have left it the poorest nation in the world.
The UN force was due at a ceremony later yesterday to officially
take over peacekeeping duties from west African soldiers who have
been in Liberia since August 4, a week before Taylor stood down and
went into exile in Nigeria.
Taylor's exit in August paved the way for peace talks between
rebels and the government which resulted in a ceasefire and the
creation of an interim, civilian-led government, tasked with taking
Liberia to elections.
The west African force already on the ground will be incorporated
in the UN force, which will eventually number 15 000 soldiers and
has an initial mandate of one year.
Yesterday morning, most of the west African peacekeepers at
checkpoints near the capital Monrovia were prepared for the
changeover, already wearing the blue caps and badges of the UN
force.
"They will all wear the blue caps and badges after the formal
transfer of power at Roberts International Airport later today
(Wednesday)," Ecomil spokesperson Major Ogun Sanya said.
The UN force, Unmil, will not only police the ceasefire between
rebels of Lurd and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (Model),
and the government, but will also help disarm, demobilise, and
reintegrate into civilian life former combatants in the long
Liberian conflict, a UN statement said.
It will also assist humanitarian relief efforts, protect civilians
from violence, and establish conditions for the safe return of
refugees and internally displaced people, the statement said.
Around 3 500 west African soldiers are currently deployed in
Liberia.
Nigeria has contributed the bulk of the troops in the force, with
Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Senegal and Togo also sending
soldiers to their troubled regional neighbour.
The west African force has deployed primarily in Monrovia and its
surroundings. A contingent from Benin is expected in the country
shortly, but the force is too small to cover all of Liberia.
When it is at full strength, the 15 000-strong Unmil will be able
to cover the entire west African country, where sporadic fighting
still continues and where war-weary civilians flee on mere rumours
of unrest.
On Tuesday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva
said thousands of Liberians had fled to neighbouring Guinea in
recent weeks, fearing attacks by rebels.
The UN force will comprise not only soldiers from Ecowas countries,
but also from other parts of Africa and the rest of the world.
– Sapa-AFP.
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