Former Fighters Go On Rampage Over Delayed Pledges
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African Church Information Service
December 15, 2003
Posted to the web December 15, 2003
Othello Gruduah
Monrovia
At least nine people were reported killed in the Liberian capital, Monrovia, following three days of violent rioting by hundreds of disgruntled former government soldiers.
Subsequently, the interim government has imposed a night time curfew in the city.
The soldiers went on the rampage on December 8, a day after they began handing in their weapons as part of a United Nations (UN)-sponsored disarmament programme, complaining that the UN had failed to give each fighter a promised US$300 in exchange for their guns.
According to reports, about 1,000, mostly child soldiers, handed in their guns at a UN centre on the outskirts of the capital.
The deaths are said to have occurred on the night of December 9, despite the curfew, as the soldiers went on a looting spree.
Earlier, one woman was shot dead when she refused to hand over her car, as former militiamen started commandeering vehicles and firing their guns in the air.
But the UN has disputed the number of deaths, saying the reports were exaggerated, and that it knew of only one death. The fighters claimed the UN had promised to pay half of the stated amount at the beginning of the disarmament programme.
Under the programme, each demobilised soldier is to receive US$300, counselling and vocational training.
To quell the violence, the UN then announced it was giving each soldier an initial US$75 to begin the process.
The nine-month programme, under which UN forces are expected to disarm over 40,000 government and rebel fighters, was officially launched on December 1.
However, fighters from the rebel groups, namely, Liberia United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), and Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), failed to begin the process on schedule, after their leaders complained of not being given promised positions in the new transitional government.
UN envoy to Liberia, Jacques Klein, is reported to have warned: "This is Liberia's last chance. Liberia must put an end to war, or war will put an end to Liberia."
He expressed hope, nevertheless, that all parties will comply with the Accra peace accord aimed at ending the country's 14 years of civil war.
Fighters from all sides are expected to assemble in camps before the end of the year for disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration.
The UN is expected to increase its troops deployment to 15,000 early next year, to oversee the disarmament throughout the country.
Presently, there are about 4,500 UN troops deployed mainly in and around Monrovia.
Meanwhile, Nigeria says it will not detain former Liberian president, Charles Taylor, after Interpol issued a "red notice" for his arrest. He has been indicted by a Sierra Leone war crimes court.
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A Nigerian government spokeswoman dismissed the Interpol warrant, saying Taylor would only be handed over if an elected government in Liberia made a formal request.
The former president was granted asylum as part of a peace deal to end the civil war.
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