Print

Mail

wiki links

Liberians cheer Nigerian leader

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, center, in blue outfit, and his Liberian counterpart Moses Blah, right, wave to the crowd shortly after Obasanjo's arrival in Monrovia on Monday. Thousands of Liberians thronged the streets of Monrovia to give a rousing welcome to Obasanjo, who was on a one-day working visit to Liberia. Liberians attribute the level of calm among the warring factions to Nigeria's early deployment of its troops. PHOTO: AFP

Tens of thousands of Liberians cheered Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo as he drove through the capital on Monday, applauding a leader who has played a central role in ending the bloodshed on Monrovia's streets.

Crowds waved little green-and-white Nigerian flags as Obasanjo and Liberia's caretaker President Moses Blah crossed the battle-scarred city in a convoy of jeeps, pickups with mounted machineguns and armored personnel carriers.

Obasanjo stopped now and then to get out, wave and blow kisses to the people, who chanted: "We want peace, no more war." Raising a clenched fist, he replied: "You will have peace."

The scenes were reminiscent of the welcome given to Nigerian troops when they arrived in Monrovia in mid-August to keep a fragile peace between rebels and government troops after bloody battles left around 2,000 civilians dead in June and July.

"I'm very, very happy today, and I'm very grateful to Obasanjo. He's trying to bring peace to our country," said Ernest Smith, who was riding a bicycle alongside the convoy, one hand raised in the victory sign.

West African bloc ECOWAS sent the peacekeepers, mainly Nigerians, to help secure Liberia and allow international aid agencies to assist a people traumatized by years of bloodshed.

But despite a peace deal signed by Liberia's government and two rebel factions last month, fighting has continued outside Monrovia, far away from the foreign soldiers.

"The situation today is that not all of the signatories seem to have observed or to be observing the agreement. That's not good enough," Obasanjo said at Blah's Executive Mansion.

In a sign of ongoing insecurity in the city, a government Special Security Services vehicle was attacked on its way to the port ahead of the official visit. The vehicle's windows were smashed and one man was slightly injured.

Blah appealed to all Liberians to welcome the peacekeepers, acknowledging painful memories of Nigerian deployment here in the 1990s when hundreds of soldiers were killed.

Fighting has halted in Monrovia since the peace deal was agreed in Ghana last month. But in the bush, gunshots still ring out and shadowy bands of fighters still spread terror, forcing thousands of civilians to flee their homes.

Nigerian lawmaker Irem Oka Ibom, a member of Obasanjo's delegation, said the president also wanted regional neighbors to send the troop contingents they had pledged without delay.

ECOWAS has promised around 3,250 troops. So far, Nigeria has provided around 1,500 of some 2,000 troops on the ground. There are also some 2,300 US soldiers, most on standby offshore.

Fresh troops were due to fly in this week, with 150 Gambians scheduled to arrive later on Monday and some 550 soldiers from Guinea Bissau expected over the next couple of days.

As well as sending the first peacekeepers, Obasanjo offered asylum to Liberia's former President Charles Taylor in a bid to end the fierce fighting in Monrovia.

Taylor, a former warlord wanted for war crimes by the UN, stepped down and flew into exile on Aug. 11. Liberia has been torn apart since the civil war Taylor started in 1989. More than 200,000 people died in that conflict.

Blah is due to hand over power to neutral businessman Gyude Bryant in October. Bryant will head an interim government meant to pave the way for elections in 2005.
This story has been viewed 2180 times.