Civilians Flee as Liberian Town Falls to Rebels

Thousands of civilians fled the latest bout of fighting in Liberia on Tuesday as rebels pushed down a highway toward the capital Monrovia, undermining an already rocky peace deal.

Defense Minister Daniel Chea, fleeing civilians and government soldiers said the rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) had seized Gbatala, a town 130 km (80 miles) from Monrovia on the highway to Ivory Coast....

The rebel advance through Liberia's lawless interior came after a weekend of skirmishes with government troops and accusations of a civilian massacre, prompting calls for African peacekeeping force Ecomil to deploy outside the capital....

The United States, which has two warships offshore with a force of 2,300 including Marines, condemned the latest fighting....

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20030826_439.html

Thank you so much for posting about Liberia on a regular basis. I am heart broken over what is happening there. I just don't seem to be able to keep up. I sincerely appreciate your efforts.

Civilians fleeing by the thousands cried out for rescue Wednesday, as a first trip into Liberia's countryside showed the war-ruined nation's nightmare is far from over.

Families streaming from the north clutched bone-thin babies and spoke of starvation and near-nightly gunfire and mortars, despite a week-old peace deal.

"Our children are dying. We're dropping them on the road," shouted 42-year-old Fatu Leonfay, who appealed for help from West African peacekeepers. "If they don't come, we'll die."

Emaciated women around her cradled naked children, their bellies bloated by malnutrition.

http://theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030827.wlibe827/BNStory/International/

http://darker0darker.tripod.com/