With the departure of President Charles Ghankey Taylor and the appointment of Vice President Moses Blah as his replacement, fighting has flared up again 45 km from the capital's Roberstfield international airport at the Firestone plantation. Both sides accused the other of instigating the skirmishing. MODEL rebels were reported using mortars.
Less than 800 Nigerian troops have arrived in Liberia so far and their commanders are privately admitting that their force is not yet strong enough to take full control of the capital. This means the Nigerians can't take control of the strategic port, so relief operations can't resume to feed the city's one million beleaguered residents, let alone deal with problems outside of the city. The United Nations estimates that up to 450,000 people in the capital have been forced out of their homes by three rebel attacks on the city over the past two months. Many of these displaced people were starving, since aid agencies have been unable to access food supplies at warehouses in the rebel-held port for the past three weeks. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said there were humanitarian aid ships off shore ready to "swing into action" once the port has been opened.
The ECOMIL force will muster 3,250 men by the end of August, but assorted unnamed diplomats and relief workers were hoping that with Taylor's departure, US Marines from the naval task force that has been lying just over the horizon for the past week would come ashore. The United States recently moved their amphibious battle group (the USS Iwo Jima, USS Carter Hall and USS Nashville, with 2,300 Marines) closer to the Liberian coast and within sight of the capital, as a way to send a "powerful message" to the warring factions. The task force commander Major General Thomas Turner went ashore soon to meet with LURD leaders.
The ECOMIL units are patrolling Monrovia's streets (although armed militias haven't disappeared yet) and have taken over the responsibilities of Taylor's elite "Anti-Terrorist Unit" at checkpoints outside the Executive Mansion. This may become a problem, since Taylor has threatened to use the "Anti-Terrorist Unit" as an instrument of revenge against the special court in Sierra Leone.
While Nigerian troops were cheered when they arrived in Monrovia last time, too many locals remember these troops carrying loot home when they left after the last peacekeeping mission in 1998. Author Stephen Ellis' account of recent Liberian wars, "The Mask of Anarchy," noted that West African peacekeeping forces "did business with every faction at one time or another."
The UN Security Council has ordered UN peacekeepers to replace the planned 3,250-strong West African multinational force already deploying to Liberia. The West Africans went in because they were closer to the problem and could move faster than the UN, while the UN is prepared to stay longer. Whether either force will ultimately be effective is still a open question.
The United Nations peacekeeping force composition is still being formulated. Namibia has pledged 1,600 soldiers (two full battalions) for the UN's peacekeeping force in Liberia, which they claim are ready to go at any time. Bangladesh had made the most recent offer of troops, volunteering to send one full strength brigade (with headquarters, an 800-man Engineer battalion and all ancillary support services, about 3,500 to 4,800 troops). India, Pakistan, Ireland and South Africa are also reported to be considering offering troops or assistance.
However, the South Africans are admitting that they're already stretched thin, with about 2,700 troops assigned to the Congo and Burundi, with 500 more scheduled to deploy to the Congo soon. South African peacekeepers are rotated every six months. For every one soldier deployed, another three were required at home (one in reserve, one preparing for the mission and one resting after having returned). For each soldier deployed, there's ten soldiers involved in supporting him. - Adam Geibel
LURD signed an agreement with African ECOWAS peacekeepers that included LURD troops pulling back from the capital on the 14th. But this only happens if peacekeeping troops are available to take over. LURD also said it would not join the current government. This means the fighting continues until the current government (which is still pretty much former president Charles Taylor's organization) gives up with little power it has (control of about 20 percent of Liberia.)
The US has told LURD and MODEL that if they don't come up with a peace deal fast, they will be considered outlaws and destroyed. This threat was made after the amphibious ships carrying three battalions of US marines hove into view off the capital. The US also said that former president Charles Taylor would eventually be brought to justice on war crimes charges, in spite of Nigeria's promise to shield Taylor from prosecution.
