VOA News
25 Jun 2003, 17:46 UTC
Liberian rebels who have entered the capital, Monrovia, say they will not stop their offensive until they have won control of the city.
The statement Wednesday came as the insurgents were battling forces loyal to President Charles Taylor in the city's western port area, within five kilometers of Mr. Taylor's mansion.
Witnesses say shells are bursting in several parts of the city, forcing residents and refugees to flee or to shut themselves inside their houses.
In a radio address, Mr. Taylor called the rebel advance a blatant act of terror and said his forces will fight it to the end. He denied reports he had fled the city, telling citizens his life was not more important than theirs.
The latest rebel advance began on Tuesday. The loyalists and the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy rebel group blame each other for the renewed fighting.
The violence ended a cease-fire agreement signed last week in Ghana. That agreement called for an interim government that will not include Mr. Taylor. But last week, the president said he would serve out his term and may run again whenever elections are held.
Liberia's latest civil war is now in its fifth year.
The Liberian president is also under sanctions and an international indictment for his alleged role in financing civil wars in West Africa.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.
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