West African Military Assessment Team Arrive in Monrovia

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, July 31, 2003

West African Military Assessment Team Arrive in Monrovia

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A West African military assessment team led by Nigerian Brigadier-General Festus Okonkwo arrived in Liberia's capital Monrovia Wednesday to pave the way for the deployment of peacekeeping troops, said reports reaching Lagos from Monrovia.

Nigeria, the strongest military powerhouse in West Africa, has promised to send two battalions of over 1,500 soldiers to Liberia to end a 14-year bloody civil war in the West African country.

"We've come here to see the situation on the ground ... and then get back to look at our plan," Okonkwo told reporters at Monrovia's international airport.

The team, which is expected to stay in Liberia until Saturday, will assess the situation on the ground ahead of the proposed deployment of a regional peacekeeping force.

Although Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo had said the peacekeeping troops were ready to move to Liberia, where fighting between the Liberian government force loyal to President Charles Taylor and rebel forces were getting fiercer and tougher.

The new round of fighting which erupted a week ago has claimed more than 1,000 lives and some 200,000 people displaced.

Residents in the capital Monrovia are now faced miserable live as only little food and clean water are available.

The Liberian civil war, which lasted more than 14 years and claimed at least 200,000 lives, flared up again in 1998 following attacks launched by rebels in northern Liberia.

Civil war over the past decade has made Liberia among the most miserable places in the world and the latest unrest since 1998 hasforced some 300,000 Liberians to flee to neighboring countries andclaimed thousands more lives.

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