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| East/Subsaharan Africa |
| Rare Liberian Protests Tell Taylor to Go |
| 2003-07-03 |
| EFL Hundreds of people demonstrated in Liberia's capital on Thursday in an unprecedented show of opposition to President Charles Taylor, a day after President Bush told him to leave the country. "Taylor must go" and "No more Taylor, we want Bush," chanted more than 400 people outside the U.S. embassy as American Marines in flak jackets and helmets kept watch from behind sandbagged posts on the roof. Across the battered coastal capital, a few hundred Taylor supporters gathered in a football stadium to show their support for a former warlord who never looked so vulnerable. Long regarded as the instigator of West Africa's tangled conflicts, Taylor has been indicted for war crimes by an international court and besieged by rebels who want him out. Even some of his own supporters said Taylor would have to step down, but they argued the U.S.-educated leader should be given time to leave and not pushed out abruptly. Unless you push, he's not going anywhere. Bush has called on Taylor to quit Liberia, a nation founded by freed American slaves in the 19th century. The United States is considering sending troops to help ensure peace. Think hard before you do this. |
| Posted by:Steve |