VOA News
18 Jul 2003, 13:55 UTC
Fighting has again erupted in Liberia, as rebels and government forces battle outside the capital, Monrovia. The rebels are about 20 kilometers outside the city center.
Liberia's government accuses them of mounting a new advance on Monrovia, but rebels from Liberian's United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) say they are only defending their own positions.
This latest round of fighting has raised fears of a collapse in the shaky cease-fire between the rebels and government troops. Last month, LURD rebels successfully fought their way inside Monrovia's center twice before government forces pushed them back to the outskirts of the capital. Hundreds of people were killed and tens of thousands of others were displaced, causing a humanitarian crisis in Monrovia. The rebels called a truce which, until now, has been largely holding.
On Thursday, U.N. special envoy to Liberia Jacques Klein said the United States will not make a decision on whether to send troops to the war-torn nation until a local, West African force is in place. The Bush administration has sent two military teams to the region to assess the security and humanitarian situation in Liberia. President Bush has said he is committed to helping Liberia, but has not yet made a final decision.
The Economic Community of West African States or ECOWAS has already promised to send a first contingent of at least 1,000 peacekeepers, but they are not expected to arrive until August.
Washington has said a limited number of troops could be deployed to the West African country, but it says any deployment is conditional on Mr. Taylor first stepping down from power.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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