Rebel fighters waded across a swamp and shot their way into the center of the capital today, surprising Government troops who had been defending two bridges leading into the city. The rebels were part of a splinter army led by Prince Johnson, now considered by some foreign diplomats to be the strongest force challenging President Samuel K. Doe in the seven-month civil war.
On the eastern outskirts of Monrovia, the forces of the other main rebel leader, Charles Taylor, have been stalled in their assault on the city. If Mr. Johnson's fighters topple President Doe before the other rebels have a chance to, there could be increased fighting between the rebel forces. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Taylor split after the rebel invasion in December, and their forces have clashed before.
Diplomats said President Doe was a virtual hostage of his bodyguards at the heavily fortified presidential palace. The bodyguards, soldiers of Mr. Doe's own Krahn tribe, are convinced they will be massacred if the rebels take the capital and are apparently trying to use the President as a bargaining chip to obtain safe passage out of Monrovia. The Gio and Mano tribes are on the side of the rebels, turning the civil war into an outright tribal conflict. Journalists with the insurgents already have reported rebel killings of Krahns in retaliation for the killing of civilian rebel supporters by Government troops.
A United States official in Washington said Mr. Johnson's forces advanced on Monrovia's center today through a swamp from Bushrod Island, an island in the northwestern part of the city that they control, and across two bridges that were not being heavily defended by Government forces. Many of Mr. Doe's forces were seen dropping their weapons and fleeing after the surprise attack. The President's soldiers fought back from atop tall buildings. Heavy machine-gun and rifle fire shook downtown streets.
Air Cargo of Liberia, which ran the last air link into Monrovia, operated its last flight on Sunday, filled with fleeing refugees. At a supermarket opposite the main military barracks in Monrovia, the owner, Youssef Fawaz, was asked if he was planning to leave as well. "Now I have no more stock, there is nothing else left for me to do," he said. "Only, I don't know how to leave." His store's shelves were empty except for a few cans of powdered milk, boxes of tea bags and crates filled with shoe polish.
The United States official said Mr. Johnson's forces appeared to be stronger than Mr. Taylor's. Mr. Johnson began feuding with Mr. Taylor after the rebel invasion last year. Mr. Taylor has accused him of killing several of his soldiers. Mr. Johnson's men forced Mr. Taylor to delay a planned assault on Monrovia by attacking his soldiers and forcing them to regroup.
On Sunday, President Doe vowed to remain in the capital until a clear victor emerges in the civil war. Diplomats said that even if he wanted to leave sooner, the soldiers guarding him would not leave without guarantees for their safety. In exchange for allowing Mr. Doe to leave, the Krahn soldiers seek safe passage to their home territory in Grand Gedeh County. Grand Gedeh is Mr. Doe's last remaining stronghold, apart from his few remaining square miles in downtown Monrovia.
The rebels began their offensive in December and effectively control two-thirds of the country of 2.4 million people. They have accused Mr. Doe, who took power in a 1980 coup, of corruption, mismanagement and human rights abuses. Mr. Taylor has promised to maintain close ties with the United States if he comes to power, but he has ruled out immediate elections.
Liberia, founded by freed American slaves 150 years ago, has traditionally had close ties with Washington. Washington refused to send in a peacekeeping force, and on Saturday Mr. Doe ordered the American military attache expelled, accusing him of helping the rebels. The United States denied the accusations.
Source: New York Times
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