Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Nov. 29, 1990, edition 1 / Page 2
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Liberian civilans still dying in civil war * By -Hiram A. Ruiz t ' ? ? ? ? *? In theory, Monrovia, ihc belea guered capital of Liberia, is safe. ECO NjOG. 'he peacekeeping force that \\ms sent in by a group of West African nations, says it forces and those of rebel leader Prince Johnson arc now in control of all of Monrovia and sur rounding areas. The main road leading irHO the city is lined with men, women, and children carrying small bundles. Ttoey are among the team of thousands of people displaced by the fighting who arc now pouring back into Mon rdvia. Those who arc too weak or sick to walk arc pushed in wheelbarrows. Bpdies of those who couldn't make it life on the side of the road. I . The city they arc reentering remains in a state of crisis. There is no vsiaicr supply; the population has ~ swelled from 150,000 just three weeks ago to more4han 320,000 today; everyone in the city is totally depen dent on outside food aid; many are still displaced from their homes; and although the civil war's front line has been pushed well outside of Monrovia, much of the city ccntcr is deserted because the 2,000 remaining "sol diers" of the late President Samuel Dpe's Armed Forces of Liberia (AFT-) ? ?ir the same men who for months (many would say years) terrorized the crvilian population of Monrovia, killing, raping, and looting at will ? are still armed and continue to threaten large areas in the vicinity of the late president's mansion and nearby army barracks, where they and their 4,000 dependents are holed up. I was recently in Monrovia and went to St. Peter *s Churchrscente of one of the AFL's worst outrages. On July 30, a group of AFL soldiers forced their way into the church, which has been designated as a Red Cross sanctuary, and massacred hun dreds of civilians who had sought refbgc there from the fighting. When I vrsltcd, the church remained much as it was left on the day of the massacrc. Although many of the dead had been removed, dozens of decomposing bod ' ics remained strewn throughout the church. In the dark, 1 almost stepped on what was left of a young child's body. It was a sight too horrendous to describe ? and one that none of us who witnessed it will ever forget, more than 24 hours after leaving the site, I could still smell the rotting flesh. The men who committed this auocily not only remain armed and aL_ large, bul continue to play a role in negotiations regarding the future of Liberia. The leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) peace-keeping force, the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECO MOG), say that the AFL are restricted to the executive mansion and do not represent a threat to the city; but while I was in Monrovia, I could hear firing n?4r the city center. Prince Johnson, . t^Jjnan who seized and killed Doc, hflsfcaid that if ECOMOG cannot con tafcj Doe's men, he will take the matter intthhis own hands. That would of c^tee lead to renewed warfare and Wing and end to the relative calm that has permitted some relief operations to be mounted in Monrovia. ECOWAS has appointed an inter im government made up of civilians in exile who have in the past opposed Doc. While the interim government has the backing of ECOMOG, it does not command any military force, and it is very unclear at this point what suc cess it will have in establishing actual authority. Johnson has voiced support fdHhe interim government. So has the At&. But Charles Taylor, the rebel leader whose invasion of Liberia last December set off the civil war, has refused to negotiate with the interim government. Johnson is ? to say the least ? unpredictable. Although he is said to be quite reasonable and serious about his responsibilities during the morn ings, Johnson reportedly drinks heavi ly beginning in the afternoon and becomes a very different man by evening. It is the evening Johnson that I encountered. I was at a hospital with two colleagues when Johnson, who has supported the hospital financially, arrived with an armed escort and video cameraman. Johnson became enraged when he saw a sign asking patients to contribute a small amount ? no more Clean Topsoil and Fill Dirt Available at New Walkertown Market Site. Located on New Walkertown Rd. behind the new ABC store. Call 777-3474 than a couple of dollars ? upon admission 10 the hospital. He ordered the doctor in charge arrested and threatened to shoot him. We later learned that Johnson personally beat the doctor severely. Having seen Johnson in action, he docs not come across as the sort of man who will be happy to step out of the limelight and remain in the shadow of the interim government. There have been some positive developments. The first of more than 67,000 metric tons of food aid pledged by the U.S. Government has begun to arrive. Relief organizations are once again sending personnel, including much-needed doctors and nurses, as well as medicines and other relief sup plies. UN agencies may also return. ECOWAS has appointed an interim government that is due to arrive in Monrovia any day. But these develop ments arc all threatened by the contin uing political impasse and the potential for resumed violence. ECOMOG recently bombed the Taylor-held port of Buchanan, forcing two ships carrying food aid to leave. Taylor retaliated by shelling Mon rovia's port. The next scheduled ship ment of food there has also been can celed. A negotiated settlement to the civil war must be found. There cannot be two Liberia's ? one controlled by Taylor; the other by ECOMCG, the interim government, and Johnson. Also, there likely will be no peace while the AFL remains present and out of control. The international communi ty must find a way to peacefully remove the AFL and their dependents iron^Monrovia ? for their own-safety - and for the sake of all Monrovia. Until peace returns to Liberia, and the coun try is reunited under one stable, hope fully democratic, government, the Liberian people will not be able to begin the long and difficult process of healing the wounds that have divided ? them, or of reconstructing their rav aged nation. (Mr. Ruiz, a policy analyst with the U.S. Committee of Refugees, has just returned from a fact-finding vis// to Monrovia, Liberia.) r .c ? qw ? "W"" ' : ? H >-? - \ 1- - AP LaserPhoto Feelings run high in the African-American community about what continues to happen in war-torn Liberia. 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Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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Nov. 29, 1990, edition 1
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