Peacekeeping inspectors arrive in Liberia

Nigerian military commanders and other west African and US team members arrived in a Ghanaian military flight to the Liberian capital, where authorities said the team would assess conditions for a peace force promised after rebels opened their attack on the refugee-crowded capital in early June.

Greeted by Liberian and American officials, Nigerian Brig Gen Festus Okonkwo, who would oversee any west African deployment, said on arrival that the first peace forces would follow him in days – a time frame repeatedly held out by west African officials in recent weeks.

At the United Nations, US Ambassador John Negroponte introduced the resolution at a closed-door security council meeting and made clear the United States wanted African nations to lead the multi-national force.

“At the moment what we’re talking about is providing support to bring peace to Liberia and to enable us to deal with this desperate humanitarian situation,” Negroponte said.

US Defence Department officials have still not said whether US Marines, expected to arrive off Liberia’s coast in warships by Saturday, would take part on the ground.

US president George Bush, meanwhile, repeated demands that a ceasefire be in place, and President Charles Taylor gone, before the United States got involved.

“I also want to remind you, the troop strength will be limited and the time frame will be limited, and we’re working on that,” Bush said yesterday.

In Monrovia, residents in rebel-held parts of the bloodied capital held a rally to urge rebels to hold their ground until a peace force arrived – and to appeal to American forces to hurry.

“Uncle Sam must come at once,” one banner declared, among the crowd of hundreds of participants.

Residents said they fear looting and reprisal attacks on civilians if rebels withdraw from the city ahead of peacekeepers. Taylor’s forces, largely unpaid and notorious for rights abuses, have robbed homes nightly during the two-month siege of the capital.

Rebels are pressing a three-year campaign to take the capital and oust Taylor, a Libyan-trained guerrilla fighter who launched the American-founded West African nation into near-constant conflict in 1989.

US officials have promised at least logistical support to what it says must be a West African- and UN-led peace effort.

West African leaders, taken aback by the surge in fighting and hopeful of more US aid for the multi-million-dollar mission, have yet to deliver on what they have repeatedly described as imminent deployment. Liberia was founded by freed American slaves in the 19th century, and had strong strategic ties to the United States during the Cold War.

The 10-to 12-member assessment team would work in Monrovia at least through tomorrow, West African bloc spokesman Sunny Ugoh said. Two Nigerian battalions, on standby as a vanguard force, would deploy only after the assessment, he said.

Six African countries – Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Benin, Senegal and Togo – have promised a total of 3,250 troops for an eventual 5,000-strong peacekeeping force, according to a statement by the Economic Community of West African States, the regional bloc arranging the force.

In New York, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urged West African nations to commit publicly to a date for deployment – and repeated that UN funds could be freed to help with the cost.

A rebel ceasefire, announced on Tuesday under US and West African pressure, brought no pause in hostilities.

Rebel commanders on the ground accused Taylor’s forces of provoking fighting with new attacks, and said a ceasefire was impossible under those conditions.

Fighting has killed more than 1,000 civilians in Monrovia since June.