Until the 1980's, Liberia's main divide was between indigenous people and the Americo-Liberians, descended from freed U.S. slaves. Mr. Doe's bloody coup ended the old elite's dominance. Power and patronage flowed instead to the Krahn. That favoritism, along with the regime's brutality and incompetence, sparked opposition from other ethnic groups, like the Gio and the Mano. One rebel leader, Prince Johnson, is from the Gio. His rival, Charles Taylor, is an Americo-Liberian.
The U.S. cannot be proud of its own early association with the Doe dictatorship. The Reagan Administration convinced itself that Mr. Doe could provide a strategic bulwark against Communist advance. It ignored abundant evidence of official misdeeds and popular discontent and made Liberia the largest per capita recipient of U.S. aid in sub-Saharan Africa. Congress finally cut back American support after 1985. When Mr. Doe's enemies began closing in on him earlier this year, the Bush Administration rightly resisted his pleas for help.
Instead, a peacekeeping force was raised from the 16-member Economic Community of West African States. With 5,000 Liberian civilians dead and 400,000 refugees streaming over the borders, neighboring states feared chaos. Yet the force's arrival last month touched off reprisals against foreigners and fears of a wider war.
Those concerns remain valid. President Doe's murder has not ended Liberia's ordeal. The prospect of ethnic genocide compels preventive action. From Sri Lanka to the Balkans, political opportunists have exploited ethnic rivalries in the quest for short-term advantage. Too often, their efforts have drowned their countries in blood. For taking risks to prevent the worst, West Africa's peacekeepers deserve the world's appreciation, and support.
Source: New York Times
Showing posts with label Prince Johnson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prince Johnson. Show all posts
Thursday, September 13, 1990
Monday, September 10, 1990
Liberian Insurgents Kill President, Diplomats and Broadcasts Report
It is unclear whether the President died from gunshot wounds suffered during his capture or whether he was killed after arriving at rebel headquarters. President Doe was reportedly seen being interrogated by Mr. Johnson shortly before his death.
The State Department in Washington said it had been informed by what it described as various reliable sources that President Doe died after the weekend shootout with rebel forces. Mr. Johnson has declared himself President until an interim government takes over, though he has reportedly not taken possession of the palace in Monrovia that Mr. Doe occupied until Sunday. While Mr. Doe's death has removed a leading figure in the Liberian conflict, the situation remains complicated.
Mr. Johnson's forces control much of downtown Monrovia, while about 6,000 to 10,000 troops loyal to another rebel leader, Charles Taylor, dominate the country outside the capital. Brig. David Nimley, commander of Mr. Doe's military forces, announced Sunday night that he was in charge, indicating that the Doe group may remain a factor.
In addition, 4,000 troops from five West African countries are in Liberia as part of a peacekeeping force dispatched last month by the 16-nation Economic Community of West African States. This intervention, inspired largely by Nigeria, was conceived as an effort to stop hostilities and organize eventual elections. The international force made a naval landing and is now occupiying part of the port area. Late last month, commanders of the West African troops named Amos Sawyer head of an interim Government. Mr. Johnson's faction has welcomed the West African force, while Mr. Taylor's group opposes it and has battled fiercely with the international contingent on the capital's outskirts.
Reports of the death of Mr. Doe seemed to signal the further disintegration of what had remained of his army. Senior officials in the Doe Government were seen today trying to negotiate with the West African peacekeeping force to evacuate Mr. Doe's relatives and close associates. Many of his soldiers were said to be surrendering or stripping off their uniforms and trying to hide. Sporadic bursts of gunfire continued in central Monrovia throughout the day as Mr. Johnson's fighters hunted down the President's men.
Western diplomats and other sources said Mr. Doe was captured after he appeared unexpectedly at the headquarters of the five-nation peacekeeping force, which has been seeking to impose a cease-fire in a war in which more than 5,000 people are believed to have been killed. Tom Woweiyu, a spokesman for the rival rebel group led by Mr. Taylor, said that according to its intelligence reports Mr. Doe intended to leave the country, possibly under the escort of the peacekeeping force. A spokesman for Mr. Johnson's group also said today that the President was seeking refuge at the peacekeeping force headquarters in Monrovia's port area, but neither report could be confirmed. Shortly after Mr. Doe's arrival, Prince Johnson and his supporters arrived and a gunfight erupted. The rebel troops then hunted down the President's soldiers from room to room and slaughtered them. More than 60 people, including dozens of Mr. Doe's bodyguards, were reportedly killed in the battle. The President was reportedly wounded in both legs.
During the hourlong battle, members of the peacekeeing force made repeated appeals to both sides to stop firing, but were unable to stop the fighting. Western and African diplomats here said today that they were dismayed that the incident occurred at the peacekeeing force's heavily guarded headquarters, and some voiced concern that troops there may have acted in collusion with Mr. Johnson's rebels. There were also unconfirmed reports that Mr. Johnson may have lured President Doe into the area by promising to sign a cease-fire agreement with him. Late last month, Mr. Johnson's faction and Mr. Doe's group announced that they had reached a truce, and Mr. Johnson said publicly that Mr. Doe was no longer his main adversary.
According to reports from witnesses at the Johnson forces' base, Mr. Johnson later interrogated Mr. Doe at length about the whereabouts of large amounts of money he was supposed to have embezzled while in power. In an interview with the BBC shortly after Mr. Doe was captured, Mr. Johnson said he was not going to kill the President, but wanted him to stand trial.
The rebellion started last December when some 150 guerrillas, led by both Mr. Johnson and Mr. Taylor, launched sporadic raids on Government outposts in northeast Liberia. But after brutal army reprisals against the population in the area, the rebellion gathered momemtum and fighting eventually engulfed most of the country of about 2.5 million people, which is about the size of Ohio.
Tonight, Mr. Woweiyu, the Taylor spokesman, said his group was willing to hold cease-fire talks with Mr. Johnson, but only if the West African force ended its efforts to set up an interim government.
Source: New York Times
The State Department in Washington said it had been informed by what it described as various reliable sources that President Doe died after the weekend shootout with rebel forces. Mr. Johnson has declared himself President until an interim government takes over, though he has reportedly not taken possession of the palace in Monrovia that Mr. Doe occupied until Sunday. While Mr. Doe's death has removed a leading figure in the Liberian conflict, the situation remains complicated.
Mr. Johnson's forces control much of downtown Monrovia, while about 6,000 to 10,000 troops loyal to another rebel leader, Charles Taylor, dominate the country outside the capital. Brig. David Nimley, commander of Mr. Doe's military forces, announced Sunday night that he was in charge, indicating that the Doe group may remain a factor.
In addition, 4,000 troops from five West African countries are in Liberia as part of a peacekeeping force dispatched last month by the 16-nation Economic Community of West African States. This intervention, inspired largely by Nigeria, was conceived as an effort to stop hostilities and organize eventual elections. The international force made a naval landing and is now occupiying part of the port area. Late last month, commanders of the West African troops named Amos Sawyer head of an interim Government. Mr. Johnson's faction has welcomed the West African force, while Mr. Taylor's group opposes it and has battled fiercely with the international contingent on the capital's outskirts.
Reports of the death of Mr. Doe seemed to signal the further disintegration of what had remained of his army. Senior officials in the Doe Government were seen today trying to negotiate with the West African peacekeeping force to evacuate Mr. Doe's relatives and close associates. Many of his soldiers were said to be surrendering or stripping off their uniforms and trying to hide. Sporadic bursts of gunfire continued in central Monrovia throughout the day as Mr. Johnson's fighters hunted down the President's men.
Western diplomats and other sources said Mr. Doe was captured after he appeared unexpectedly at the headquarters of the five-nation peacekeeping force, which has been seeking to impose a cease-fire in a war in which more than 5,000 people are believed to have been killed. Tom Woweiyu, a spokesman for the rival rebel group led by Mr. Taylor, said that according to its intelligence reports Mr. Doe intended to leave the country, possibly under the escort of the peacekeeping force. A spokesman for Mr. Johnson's group also said today that the President was seeking refuge at the peacekeeping force headquarters in Monrovia's port area, but neither report could be confirmed. Shortly after Mr. Doe's arrival, Prince Johnson and his supporters arrived and a gunfight erupted. The rebel troops then hunted down the President's soldiers from room to room and slaughtered them. More than 60 people, including dozens of Mr. Doe's bodyguards, were reportedly killed in the battle. The President was reportedly wounded in both legs.
During the hourlong battle, members of the peacekeeing force made repeated appeals to both sides to stop firing, but were unable to stop the fighting. Western and African diplomats here said today that they were dismayed that the incident occurred at the peacekeeing force's heavily guarded headquarters, and some voiced concern that troops there may have acted in collusion with Mr. Johnson's rebels. There were also unconfirmed reports that Mr. Johnson may have lured President Doe into the area by promising to sign a cease-fire agreement with him. Late last month, Mr. Johnson's faction and Mr. Doe's group announced that they had reached a truce, and Mr. Johnson said publicly that Mr. Doe was no longer his main adversary.
According to reports from witnesses at the Johnson forces' base, Mr. Johnson later interrogated Mr. Doe at length about the whereabouts of large amounts of money he was supposed to have embezzled while in power. In an interview with the BBC shortly after Mr. Doe was captured, Mr. Johnson said he was not going to kill the President, but wanted him to stand trial.
The rebellion started last December when some 150 guerrillas, led by both Mr. Johnson and Mr. Taylor, launched sporadic raids on Government outposts in northeast Liberia. But after brutal army reprisals against the population in the area, the rebellion gathered momemtum and fighting eventually engulfed most of the country of about 2.5 million people, which is about the size of Ohio.
Tonight, Mr. Woweiyu, the Taylor spokesman, said his group was willing to hold cease-fire talks with Mr. Johnson, but only if the West African force ended its efforts to set up an interim government.
Source: New York Times
Sunday, September 9, 1990
Liberian President Captured by Rebels In a Fierce Gunfight
According to sketchy reports from neighboring Liberia, a skirmish occurred outside the headquarters of the five-nation West African peacekeeping force sent into Liberia in an effort to end the civil war that began in December. More than 60 people, including dozens of Mr. Doe's bodyguards, were reportedly killed in the battle. The President himself was reported to have been shot in both legs before being taken away. By nightfall, there had been no word from a rival rebel faction led by Charles Taylor, which controls much of the country outside the capital. Liberia's civil war began last December when forces of the two rebel leaders invaded from the Ivory Coast, moving into Nimba County, about 300 miles northeast of Monrovia.
The Liberian Government sent troops and provincial policemen to oust the rebels. By most accounts, the soldiers then went on a rampage, indiscriminately killing and maiming hundreds of unarmed civilians - people they apparently believed were sympathetic to the rebels. At least 400,000 Liberians are believed to have fled across the eastern and northern frontiers to escape the bloodshed, most of them settling in the heavily forested hills of the Ivory Coast and Guinea.
In early February, the two rebel leaders split into rival factions, with Mr. Johnson accusing Mr. Taylor of corruption. Mr. Taylor, a former Cabinet member, also had been accused of corruption when he was serving in Mr. Doe's Government; the President charged he embezzled nearly $1 million in Government funds. Mr. Johnson also accused Mr. Taylor of having received arms and money from Libya, an accusation Mr. Taylor has denied.
The war has become increasingly three-sided, with the two rebel factions fighting each other and Mr. Doe trying to hold onto the small fraction of the country - mostly central Monrovia -that his troops still control. The bitter rivalry between Mr. Taylor and Mr. Johnson took an unexpected turn in late August, when Mr. Taylor announced that he had signed a cease-fire agreement with President Doe. Mr. Doe and Mr. Johnson were apparently discussing the agreement today when they began to argue and fighting erupted. It was not known what role the West African peacekeeping force had played in the incident, although it reportedly occurred outside its headquarters in Monrovia's port area. According to a BBC correspondent with the West African peacekeeping force in Monrovia, Mr. Johnson said tonight that he would court-martial Mr. Doe, a former soldier, but that he did not want to kill him.
The incident reportedly began when the President, who had only rarely left his heavily fortified executive mansion since July, appeared unexpectedly at the port headquarters of the peacekeeping force. About 10 minutes later, Mr. Johnson and several of his fighters reportedly arrived and began to quarrel with President Doe's bodyguards. The rebel troops then reportedly hunted down the President's soldiers from room to room and slaughtered them. Eventually, they grabbed the President and carried him off to their base camp outside the city. Members of the peacekeeping force reportedly made repeated appeals to the two sides, but were unable to stop the fighting.
In 1980, President Doe, a 28-year-old master sergeant who dropped out of the 11th grade, came to power after he and other army noncommissioned officers seized power from President William R. Tolbert, who was shot and bayoneted to death. Ten days later, foreign reporters were invited to watch 13 senior Government officials, including most of the former Cabinet, marched nearly naked through the streets of Monrovia, tied to seaside posts and then executed at point-blank range.
President Doe's international reputation never fully recovered from that incident. His image has also suffered from persistent accusations of human rights abuses. The State Department's 1989 human rights report, released shortly after the rebel invasion, said, "Brutality by police and other security officials during the arrest and questioning of individuals is fairly common, and there has been no evidence of Government efforts to halt this practice." Since Mr. Doe came to power, more than 20 senior Government officials and army officers have been executed on charges of plotting coups.
Source: New York Times
The Liberian Government sent troops and provincial policemen to oust the rebels. By most accounts, the soldiers then went on a rampage, indiscriminately killing and maiming hundreds of unarmed civilians - people they apparently believed were sympathetic to the rebels. At least 400,000 Liberians are believed to have fled across the eastern and northern frontiers to escape the bloodshed, most of them settling in the heavily forested hills of the Ivory Coast and Guinea.
In early February, the two rebel leaders split into rival factions, with Mr. Johnson accusing Mr. Taylor of corruption. Mr. Taylor, a former Cabinet member, also had been accused of corruption when he was serving in Mr. Doe's Government; the President charged he embezzled nearly $1 million in Government funds. Mr. Johnson also accused Mr. Taylor of having received arms and money from Libya, an accusation Mr. Taylor has denied.
The war has become increasingly three-sided, with the two rebel factions fighting each other and Mr. Doe trying to hold onto the small fraction of the country - mostly central Monrovia -that his troops still control. The bitter rivalry between Mr. Taylor and Mr. Johnson took an unexpected turn in late August, when Mr. Taylor announced that he had signed a cease-fire agreement with President Doe. Mr. Doe and Mr. Johnson were apparently discussing the agreement today when they began to argue and fighting erupted. It was not known what role the West African peacekeeping force had played in the incident, although it reportedly occurred outside its headquarters in Monrovia's port area. According to a BBC correspondent with the West African peacekeeping force in Monrovia, Mr. Johnson said tonight that he would court-martial Mr. Doe, a former soldier, but that he did not want to kill him.
The incident reportedly began when the President, who had only rarely left his heavily fortified executive mansion since July, appeared unexpectedly at the port headquarters of the peacekeeping force. About 10 minutes later, Mr. Johnson and several of his fighters reportedly arrived and began to quarrel with President Doe's bodyguards. The rebel troops then reportedly hunted down the President's soldiers from room to room and slaughtered them. Eventually, they grabbed the President and carried him off to their base camp outside the city. Members of the peacekeeping force reportedly made repeated appeals to the two sides, but were unable to stop the fighting.
In 1980, President Doe, a 28-year-old master sergeant who dropped out of the 11th grade, came to power after he and other army noncommissioned officers seized power from President William R. Tolbert, who was shot and bayoneted to death. Ten days later, foreign reporters were invited to watch 13 senior Government officials, including most of the former Cabinet, marched nearly naked through the streets of Monrovia, tied to seaside posts and then executed at point-blank range.
President Doe's international reputation never fully recovered from that incident. His image has also suffered from persistent accusations of human rights abuses. The State Department's 1989 human rights report, released shortly after the rebel invasion, said, "Brutality by police and other security officials during the arrest and questioning of individuals is fairly common, and there has been no evidence of Government efforts to halt this practice." Since Mr. Doe came to power, more than 20 senior Government officials and army officers have been executed on charges of plotting coups.
Source: New York Times
Friday, August 24, 1990
3,000 West African Troops Leave For Liberia to Enforce Cease-Fire
Six ships carrying 3,000 West African soldiers sailed from here today to enforce a cease-fire in Liberia, where a 10,000-man rebel army has rejected a proposed truce. The West African Economic Community, which dispatched the soldiers, emphasized that the force was on a peaceful mission to halt the eight-month civil war. An estimated 5,000 people, mostly civilians, have died in the fighting. The fleet could reach Monrovia, the capital, as early as Friday morning.
A rebel leader, Charles Taylor, assailed the plan as a maneuver to keep President Samuel K. Doe in power. Mr. Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia is the largest of the three armies fighting for control of this West African nation of 2.5 million. The leader of another rebel group, Prince Johnson, and the forces loyal to President Doe have accepted the proposal for a truce. Mr. Johnson's rebels and Mr. Doe's army are in control of the capital, and Mr. Taylor's force controls most of the rest of Liberia. It was unclear whether the West African peacekeeping force will enter Monrovia when it arrives or wait offshore for more negotiations to bring about a truce. Its commander, Lieut. Gen. Arnold Quainoo of Ghana, has said he does not want to risk entering Liberia until all sides agreed to stop fighting.
Peace talks are to resume on Monday, but Mr. Taylor has not said whether he will send envoys. Troops from Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Guinea have been assembling for weeks. Togo had said it would send troops, but did not. Efforts to persuade Mr. Taylor to accept a role by the force collapsed on Wednesday after his representatives and West African leaders conferred for two days in Banjul, Gambia.
The Gambian leader, Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, chairman of the West African organization, issued a statement that said Mr. Taylor was responsible for the failure of the talks. It said the West African group agreed at the meeting to meet Mr. Taylor's demands for an initial 10-day truce, but that Mr. Taylor's delegates backed off when they learned that Mr. Doe and Mr. Johnson had agreed. Mr. Taylor said he was concerned that hundreds of the soldiers were provided by Nigeria and Guinea, whose leaders have in the past supported Mr. Doe. Mr. Taylor led his forces into Liberia from Ivory Coast in December, saying that Mr. Doe's Government was corrupt and he would oust it.
Mr. Taylor has refused to allow thousands of Nigerians and Guineans caught behind his lines on Monrovia's eastern outskirts to leave the country. His spokesman, Tom Woewiyu, said Tuesday that the rebels would ''fight to the last man'' against the West African soldiers. "There are enough guns floating around in Liberia," Mr. Woewiyu said. "For a group of people to come to Liberia with even bigger guns is like putting an explosive in a fire."
Mr. Taylor reportedly said this week that outside intervention would leave him free to call on whatever forces he pleased for help. He has denied charges by the United States and by Mr. Johnson, who was formerly his chief commander, that his rebels were trained and armed by Libya and Burkina Faso. West African leaders decided to intervene on Aug. 6. They have argued that the war is no longer an internal conflict because thousands of their citizens are trapped in Liberia and about 400,000 Liberian refugees are burdening neighboring countries.
Source: New York Times
A rebel leader, Charles Taylor, assailed the plan as a maneuver to keep President Samuel K. Doe in power. Mr. Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia is the largest of the three armies fighting for control of this West African nation of 2.5 million. The leader of another rebel group, Prince Johnson, and the forces loyal to President Doe have accepted the proposal for a truce. Mr. Johnson's rebels and Mr. Doe's army are in control of the capital, and Mr. Taylor's force controls most of the rest of Liberia. It was unclear whether the West African peacekeeping force will enter Monrovia when it arrives or wait offshore for more negotiations to bring about a truce. Its commander, Lieut. Gen. Arnold Quainoo of Ghana, has said he does not want to risk entering Liberia until all sides agreed to stop fighting.
Peace talks are to resume on Monday, but Mr. Taylor has not said whether he will send envoys. Troops from Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Guinea have been assembling for weeks. Togo had said it would send troops, but did not. Efforts to persuade Mr. Taylor to accept a role by the force collapsed on Wednesday after his representatives and West African leaders conferred for two days in Banjul, Gambia.
The Gambian leader, Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, chairman of the West African organization, issued a statement that said Mr. Taylor was responsible for the failure of the talks. It said the West African group agreed at the meeting to meet Mr. Taylor's demands for an initial 10-day truce, but that Mr. Taylor's delegates backed off when they learned that Mr. Doe and Mr. Johnson had agreed. Mr. Taylor said he was concerned that hundreds of the soldiers were provided by Nigeria and Guinea, whose leaders have in the past supported Mr. Doe. Mr. Taylor led his forces into Liberia from Ivory Coast in December, saying that Mr. Doe's Government was corrupt and he would oust it.
Mr. Taylor has refused to allow thousands of Nigerians and Guineans caught behind his lines on Monrovia's eastern outskirts to leave the country. His spokesman, Tom Woewiyu, said Tuesday that the rebels would ''fight to the last man'' against the West African soldiers. "There are enough guns floating around in Liberia," Mr. Woewiyu said. "For a group of people to come to Liberia with even bigger guns is like putting an explosive in a fire."
Mr. Taylor reportedly said this week that outside intervention would leave him free to call on whatever forces he pleased for help. He has denied charges by the United States and by Mr. Johnson, who was formerly his chief commander, that his rebels were trained and armed by Libya and Burkina Faso. West African leaders decided to intervene on Aug. 6. They have argued that the war is no longer an internal conflict because thousands of their citizens are trapped in Liberia and about 400,000 Liberian refugees are burdening neighboring countries.
Source: New York Times
Monday, July 23, 1990
Liberian Rebels Invade Capital's Center
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
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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