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Incoming Troops Calm Liberiaâs Capital
EFL, and donât forget to hit the embedded links.
Liberian rebels darted across contested bridges to shake hands Tuesday with government fighters — many as young as 10 and barely bigger than their AK-47s — as a steadily building West African deployment brought an edgy day of calm to Liberiaâs gutted, looted capital. International aid agencies sped aid shipments to Monrovia, bloodied by two months of rebel sieges that have killed more than 1,000 civilians and cut the capital off from food, clean water and all but the barest medical care. Pallets with tons of relief aid piled up at Liberiaâs main airport as white U.N. helicopters shuttled in Nigerian troops of a promised 3,250-member West African deployment.
| Chuck won't let this last, unless he can be president... |
It will be days before the peace troops move from the airport into the capital, but their mere presence in the country was enough to still AK-47s in the war-divided city.
| Out of ammunition, are we? |
``My brother, what are we fighting for?ââ declared rebel commander Gen. Acapulco as he embraced government Col. George P. Rollins on Monroviaâs New Bridge.
| "I dunno. Why'd we stop?" |
``Damned if I know I have no problem with you, my brother,ââ said Acapulco, shaking the officerâs hand. ``We are only against one person. That is Charles Taylor.ââ
| "Hey! Them's fightin' words!" |
``Oh yeah, right, him Only foreign intervention made this possible,ââ Rollins responded. ``Maybe our commanders would be ordering us to kill each other — but we are Liberians.ââ
"We shouldn't kill Liberians!"
"Yeah! Let's go kill somebody else!"
"I'll get my gun!" |
As they spoke, 15-year-old rebel fighter Rosalyn Tappeh, in jeans and bikini top, shared a cigarette with 17-year-old government fighter Sah Aruna. ``She is my sister,ââ Aruna said. ``Maybe I will marry her one day.ââ
Down, boy! Wonder if heâs a jihadi or something.
At one point, three lower-ranking rebels darted across the bridge, shaking hands with their government rivals before running back. The scene at the nearby Old Bridge was like a school party — one redolent with marijuana and bristling with arms.
Detroit Central High, class of 2008!
Government troops of 10- and 12-years-old, barely bigger than their assault rifles, waved, posed and strutted for rebel fighters on the other side, doing the same. As late as Monday, none would have dared approach the bridges. ``Our brothers on the other side are clearly tired of fighting. Just like our men here,ââ said Prince Hilton, a 27-year-old computer technician watching from the government side.
| "Yes! It's time to get on with the looting!" |
U.S. Ambassador John Blaney was among those traveling to the rebel side in a convoy with West African force officials. In a building with tarps hung across shattered windows, they appealed to rebels to open the port for humanitarian access. Rebel chief of staff Maj. Gen. Abdulla Seyeah Sheriff told reporters that would happen only when Taylor resigned and left Liberia. Later, Taylorâs military chief of staff, Gen. Benjamin Yeaten, warned that if rebels fail to withdraw from the port it could ``tempt meââ to break the cease-fire.
It could tempt the Marines to break your command post wide open.
Dressed bizarrely even by the standards of Liberian combat, rebels spoke of a life after fighting. ``I want peace,ââ 17-year-old rebel Prince Kollie said, his shaved head painted in fluorescent orange and green spray paint. Pointing to a reporterâs notebook, he added: ``I want to go to school, and use a pen and paper.ââ
| "I've never used a pen and paper to kill anybody..." |
Talking of what it would take to get Taylor to resign, some rebels nodded at their guns. ``I donât trust Taylor will step down, because he is a criminal,ââ said rebel Lt. Gen. Philip Kamara. In Washington, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said it was unclear whether Taylor would go, saying: ``I donât know what heâll ultimately do ...Whether he will or not, time will tell. And Iâve heard of nothing that suggests that the charges against him are likely to be dropped.ââ
| Ummm... My guess is that he'll go when he has no other options than that or decomposition. And he'd better take Benjamin Yeaton with him... |
In South Africa, President Thabo Mbeki said Taylor had promised in a phone call not to linger after giving up power Monday. Taylor ``will leave as soon as possible after that, either the same day or the day after, to Nigeria,ââ Mbeki said. However, Nigerian presidential aide Stanley Macebuh said there were signs of reluctance. ``It appears Mr. Taylor is unwilling to take the Nigeria offerââ of exile, Macebuh told reporters. He seems to be nursing fresh ambitions to remain in power.ââ
Finish the job, LURD, now please.
Posted by: Steve White 2003-08-06 |
