Armed militias bring terror in Liberia

[dArKeR]

Armed militias continue to violate human rights and international humanitarian law, despite the progress being made to end Liberia's 14-year conflict, a human rights lawyer says.

"The rebels are engaged in a new wave of violence, extorting, abducting and harassing the civilians," said Dempster Browne, chairperson of the Monrovia-based National Commission on Human Rights.

The violence is mainly concentrated in the interior of the country. In the central provincial town of Gbarnga, residents live in fear as the Guinean-backed rebels of the Liberia United for Reconciliation and Democracy (Lurd) reign over the population.

"They engage in sporadic shooting and drive us out of our homes at night, demanding money and food," said Marvi Dorleh, a resident, who fled Gbanrga recently.

http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=31190

Now I remember AWOL sent the US Marines to Liberia not too long ago. What did AWOL's plan do?

[Elidor]

1. It was a small contingent - about 64 marines IIRC

They stayed aboard ship off the coast for a while as negotiations for Taylor's resignation dragged on. At one point, I seem to recall, they went ashore to the US embassy and helped out with the people flocking to the embassy for protection. But there were never enough of them to do much, and I haven't had time to keep up with developments in quite a while.