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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |
LIBERIA: Warring parties cooperating to make Monrovia arms-free, UN says
MONROVIA, 9 October 2003 (IRIN) - The Liberian government and the rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) were cooperating with the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) to remove weapons from the capital, Monrovia, by Thursday, the United Nations said.
UNMIL said the fighters were complying with a 72-hour ultimatum that started on Tuesday to make Monrovia arms-free. The ultimatum was agreed at a meeting of representatives of the government, LURD and the second rebel group, the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL).
Margaret Novicki, UNMIL spokesperson in Monrovia, told IRIN on Thursday: "The warring parties are cooperating with UNMIL to ensure that this capital is free of all forms of weapons."
The ultimatum was prompted by a shootout between government fighters and LURD rebels last week at a crowded commercial center in Paynesville, in the eastern suburbs of Monrovia. Eyewitnesses said at least nine people died and 36 were injured.
The LURD said its fighters who were escorting their chairman, Sekou Damate Conneh, repulsed an attempt by government troops to assassinate Conneh. The government on the other hand said the LURD had planned to topple interim President Moses Blah.
Earlier this week, UNMIL Force Commander General Daniel Opande met government military chiefs and then drove out to meet LURD leaders in their stronghold of Tubmanburg, 60 km west of Monrovia.
A government officer in the presidential elite guard unit told IRIN on Thursday: "Our chief have instructed us to carry all of our weapons to Schiefflin barracks. UN will take them during disarmament. We like the idea, we tired of this arms business".
Schiefflin is a key government garrison located 30 km south of Monrovia along the route leading to the country's main international airport.
One of the LURD officials also told IRIN: "We have ordered all of our men who have arms in the city to take them back to Tubmanburg. Any of them found with hidden weapon will be dealt with by UNMIL.".
On Thursday, UN peacekeepers began a thorough search of both vehicles and pedestrians traveling through the Stockton Creek bridge. The bridge was a key battle zone between government and LURD rebels in June-August when the two battled for control of the capital.
UNMIL was also preparing to deploy in rural Liberia where factional skirmishes have been reported.
General Opande told IRIN on Tuesday: "I intend to move into other rebel-held areas very soon to build confidence and in preparation of UNMIL deployment in those areas."
On Wednesday, Opande along with some LURD's commanders traveled to Gbarnga in the central Bong County, 150 km north of Monrovia to explore the possibility of full deployment there.
Meanwhile the first 80 out of 800 Bangladeshi soldiers formerly in the UN mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) arrived in Liberia on Wednesday to augment the current small number of UNMIL troops in the country.
"By Saturday, the entire battalion will be in Liberia and they are expected to be deployed at the port area on Bushrod Island [in the western suburbs of Monrovia]," Novicki revealed. She added that Bangladesh had committed 3,000 soldiers to UNMIL which is trying to assemble a force of 15,000 troops.
The departure of the Bangladeshi troops will reduce UNAMSIL's strength to just over 10,000. Patrick Cocker, UNAMSIL spokesman in the Sierra Leone capital, Freetown, told IRIN that UNAMSIL was also assisting in pre-deployment training for UNMIL.
"The deployment of the Bangladeshi troops is in accordance with UNAMSIL's drawback plan and process of exit from Sierra Leone. We hope by the end of 2004, UNAMSIL will have withdrawn from this country," Cocker said.
UNAMSIL had a force of 17,000 peacekeepers who were deployed in Sierra Leone to end 10-years of civil conflict that raged from 1991-2001.
Themes: (IRIN) Conflict
[ENDS]
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