Liberia Humanitarian Situation Update No. 19

1. Security and Political Situation
   1. Security/Political developments

On Saturday, the government said that rebel forces entered Monrovia after taking a crucial river crossing.

Shelling was heard in the Mamba Point diplomatic district late on Saturday evening as Charles Taylor made a radio address. "I will stand and fight to the last man until they stop killing my own people," he said.

Twenty civilians were reported dead, as fighting raged close to the heart of the city for the third time this month. Defence Minister Daniel Chea said 20 civilians were killed in what he called a flagrant violation of the current ceasefire. Mr Chea further called on the West African regional organisation, ECOWAS, to intervene to stop the violence.

In what appeared to be an extraordinary show of defiance, thousands of the city's residents took to the streets to protest against the fighting, as the rebels advanced.

Groups of people marched towards the front line at St Paul's Bridge, waving tree branches, which is a local symbol of peace, they chanted "We want peace, no more war".

They were determined to march all the way to the Lurd rebels, but were turned back by the government troops defending the bridge.

Mortars landed in the neighbourhood surrounding the U.S. Embassy compound, and a Liberian security guard around there was shot and injured. Meanwhile, thousands of residents streamed through the streets of a neighbourhood housing diplomatic compounds seeking shelter behind their gates. The U.S. diplomatic residential compound at the Greystone is already crammed with some 10,000 refugees from two recent rounds of fighting. The building housing the Catholic-run Veritas radio station was shelled, causing damage to the building but no injuries.

A French news photographer, Patrick Robert, on assignment for Time magazine was shot in the chest and arm. He was quickly rushed to the International Committee of the Red Cross trauma unit in Monrovia. He was reported to be in a stable condition on Sunday, but not well enough to be safely evacuated.

The rebel assault -- the third round against Monrovia since last month -- shattered hopes that a speedy deployment of international peacekeepers could avert fresh violence in a country where hundreds of thousands have died in two savage civil wars.

President Charles Taylor vowed on Saturday to "fight to the last man", and reiterated that he would ''fight street-to-street, house-to-house'' until the rebels are defeated. Addressing the nation on his kiss-FM radio station, President Taylor stated that ''I will never desert the city, I will never desert my people,'' ''I will stand and fight to the last man until they stop killing my own people.'' President Taylor's vow to fight to the last man puts into question his earlier acceptance of the asylum offer from the Nigerian Head of State. In the Saturday's address to the nation, Taylor repeated his pledge to step down and accept asylum in Nigeria, but only after international peacekeepers arrive in sufficient numbers to prevent a chaotic transition. He did not elaborate as to what constitutes a "sufficient numbers".

On Sunday, Rebels pushed further into Liberia's capital, where they exchanged mortar and machine-gun fire with government troops in a battle for control of two key bridges leading to the city centre. Rebels now control the port area and the northern part of the city in fighting that has sent tens of thousands of frightened residents scurrying for shelter. Government gunmen were deployed on rooftops downtown and around the bridges.

The rebel assault - the third against Monrovia since last month - has shattered hopes that a speedy deployment of international peacekeepers could avert fresh violence in a country where hundreds of thousands have died in two savage civil wars.

The United States ambassador in Liberia, John Blaney has appealed to rebels battling their way into Monrovia to halt their advance and concentrate on peace talks in Ghana, which seek to reach agreement on a transition government to oversee elections. The American ambassador said any lasting peace must be based on a broad political understanding and fighting government forces in Monrovia does not change that fact. The ambassador made a direct appeal to LURD stating that, "The world is watching the way you conduct yourselves now and the United States expects you to make every effort to ensure the safety of all civilians".

Most of the government forces are said to have rescinded and LURD dissidents are meeting very little resistance. Combatants traded mortar, grenade and machine-gun fire on the two bridges leading into downtown Monrovia from the port area.

Fighting continued throughout Saturday night to Sunday as rebels tried to push their way into the city centre on several fronts, including the strategic Gabriel Tucker Bridge, linking Monrovia with the western suburbs. Heavy fighting also took place at the New Georgia, Bardnersville and several areas in Gardnersville, east of the city outskirts. There were strong indications that rebels had crossed the bridge and begun engaging government forces on Johnson Street, central Monrovia.

Humanitarian assistance to thousands of displaced centres is highly unlikely under the prevailing circumstances and food and water supplies are running low at overcrowded displaced centres including UN compounds.

The Government has put the total death toil at around 800 persons and 1000 wounded persons as a result of rebel's attacks on Monrovia on two separate occasions to pressurize President Charles Taylor to step down. The President has also come under intense local and international pressure to step down but Taylor is firm stating that his departure is contingent on the deployment of an international peace keeping force.

Mortal and rockets shield continued to pound the city centre, bullets were streaming through and wounded people were being ferried by ambulances to nearby hospitals. A source at the J.F.K Hospital says the walls of the hospital are overwhelmed by recent influx of wounded soldiers and civilians.

Rocket shield reportedly landed close to the compound of the Catholic Radio Station (Radio Varitas) last night and caused some minor damages to parts of the fence. The compound, adjourning the compound of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator, is located close to the US Embassy.

The HC and other members of the UN assessment team as well as other expatriates are currently taking refuge at the US Embassy in Monrovia.

2. Peace Process in Accra

Meanwhile in Accra, the chief mediator, former Nigerian Head of State, General Abubakar Abdulsalami, distributed a draft proposal for the formation of Liberia Interim Government, that is said to include the current Taylor administration's cabinet members, LURD, MODEL and the eighteen (18) political parties. All stakeholders are expected to make comments on the proposal by Monday, 21 July so that the comprehensive peace agreement would be signed on Tuesday, 22nd July 2003.

It is not clear whether the developments in Liberia will derail the on-going peace process in Accra.

MAP - Displaced people in Liberia (20 July 2003)

MAP - Displaced people in Monrovia (20 July 2003)

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Ali Farah Muktar, Head of OCHA Liberia
E-mail: farah.muktar@undp.org/ muktarfarah@yahoo.com
Ms. Rosemary Musumba, Public information Officer (currently in Abidjan)
Telephone Numbers: + 225-2240-5174/75 (Office)
Email: r.musumba@ocha.ci