Posted on 08/04/2003 9:13:19 AM PDT by HAL9000
MONROVIA (Reuters) - West African peacekeepers swooped into Liberia by helicopter on Monday, as hundreds of war-weary Liberians danced for joy in the capital's ruined streets on hopes of an end to 14 years of bloodshed.Nigerian soldiers in flak jackets and helmets leapt out into driving rain at the international airport near the war-battered capital Monrovia, as hundreds of Liberians welcomed them with cheers and chants of "No more war, we want peace."
In Rome, the leader of the main rebel group, LURD, which controls Monrovia's vital port, said his fighters would withdraw once the Nigerians moved in. He also reiterated demands that Liberia's President Charles Taylor leave the country as soon as possible.
More than 100 Nigerian soldiers flew in from neighboring Sierra Leone where they had helped end a savage decade-long civil war with links to Liberia's own conflict.
The peacekeepers ran across the cracked airport tarmac to take up positions in the long grass. The jubilant crowd hoisted one Nigerian colonel onto their shoulders -- already a hero.
They are the first wave of a thousands-strong regional force meant to separate fighters who have turned Monrovia into a bloody war zone during two weeks of inch-by-inch battles.
As the U.N. helicopters clattered over the capital, exhausted, hungry people began cheering and dancing. They hope the peacekeepers will allow humanitarian aid to start flowing.
"If they stay for the next 50 years, no problem. I just want to sleep soundly. There will be no mixed reaction, all Liberians want peace," said airport worker Kerdial Johnson.
REBEL PULLBACK
Fighters loyal to Taylor and their rebel foes welcomed the troops and stopped shooting as Monrovia enjoyed its quietest day in more than two weeks.
"We are very happy for them to be here, so that this war can come to an end," army chief of staff General Benjamin Yeaten said. "Liberians are very tired of war."
Some rebels danced near the frontline and waved white flags to celebrate. But battles continued in the second city Buchanan.
Three attacks on Monrovia by the rebels of Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) since the start of June have killed around 2,000 people and wounded thousands more.
LURD leader Sekou Conneh said his fighters would pull out of Monrovia when the peacekeepers moved in.
"We don't want to pull back if the peacekeepers are not there and the civilians will get attacked by Taylor's forces... so that is why we are taking our time," Conneh told Reuters in Rome.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians have sought refuge in Monrovia's center, dodging bullets and braving mortar bombs to forage for ever scarcer food and water as the capital teetered on the edge of a humanitarian disaster.
The Nigerians are expected to camp at the airport for a few days then move to central Monrovia, some 45 km (28 miles) away.
U.S. ambassador John Blaney said Washington had yet to decide whether to send in Marines aboard U.S. warships heading for the coastal waters of Liberia, a country founded in the 19th century by freed American slaves.
TAYLOR'S FUTURE
Nigeria's Foreign Minister Oluyemi Adeniji flew in with the peacekeepers and met the Liberian leader.
"We have come to explain to the president about the deployment of the troops, to explain to him that the force is here. The president was very happy," Adeniji said.
Taylor has pledged to resign on August 11 and leave the country afterwards, but has given no date for his departure.
Indicted for war crimes by a U.N.-backed court in Sierra Leone and ordered to leave by President Bush, Taylor has accepted an offer of asylum from Nigeria.
But some feel the wily survivor, who waged a brutal seven-year war before winning power via the ballot box, is stalling and could find yet another get-out-of-jail card.
Taylor's spokesman in Monrovia said preparations were continuing for him to move to Nigeria.
"No time has been attached to it, not because of any issue but because of security reasons," Vaani Passawe said.
These soldiers are from ECOWAS - the Economic Community of West African States. The UN peacekeepers won't arrive until October.
You're welcome, world.
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