VARIOUS: REBELS AND GOVERNMENT FORCES FIGHT FOR CONTROL OF MONROVIA, U.S. MARINES ARRIVE TO DEFEND AMERICAN EMBASSY.
Record ID:
376149
VARIOUS: REBELS AND GOVERNMENT FORCES FIGHT FOR CONTROL OF MONROVIA, U.S. MARINES ARRIVE TO DEFEND AMERICAN EMBASSY.
- Title: VARIOUS: REBELS AND GOVERNMENT FORCES FIGHT FOR CONTROL OF MONROVIA, U.S. MARINES ARRIVE TO DEFEND AMERICAN EMBASSY.
- Date: 22nd July 2003
- Summary: (EU) MONROVIA, LIBERIA (JULY 21, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV/MV: U.S. HELICOPTER LANDONG; U.S. MARINES DISEMBARKING (2 SHOTS) 0.12 2. MV/GV: LINE OF AID WORKERS WAITING TO BE ADMITTED TO THE HELICOPTER; U.S MARINES SEARCHING THOSE ABOUT TO BOARD HELICOPTER; PEOPLE BOARDING HELICOPTER (3 SHOTS) 0.25 3. GV: HELICOPTER LIFTING OFF; HELICOPTER IN AIR (2 SHOTS) 0.35 (W8) MONROVIA, LIBERIA (JULY 21, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 4. MV/PAN: INJURED PERSON BEING CARRIED ON THE STREET 0.39 5. GV: PEOPLE RUNNING BECAUSE OF GUNFIRE 0.44 6. MV/CU: INJURED BOY WITH FACIAL WOUNDS SITTING ON THE SIDEWALK (2 SHOTS) 0.53 7. MV/MV/PAN: INJURED PEOPLE HEAVILY COVERED IN BLOOD WALKING INTO HOSPITAL OR BEING CARRIED OUT ON STRETCHES (3 SHOTS) 1.09 8. GV: PEOPLE ON STREET 1.12 9. GV/MV: SOLDIERS WITH WEAPONS ON PICKUP TRUCK (2 SHOTS) 1.22 10. MCU: (SOUNDBITE)(English) LIBERIAN DEFENCE MINISTER DANIEL CHEA, SAYING: "It's an uneven fight. These guys have limited access to equipment and materials and here, we are scrumming around, don't have anything." 1.33 11. GV/MV/CU: JOURNALISTS RUNNING INTO U.S EMBASSY'S BUNKER; JOURNALISTS IN THE BUNKER SHELTERING DURING SHELLING (3 SHOTS) 1.44 12. MCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. LIEUTENANT COMMANDER TERENCE DUDLEY SAYING: "The American embassy has sustained a hit with one mortar around the perimetre of the compound today. That mortar ended up going into the apartment right above the commissary of the embassy and no one was injured." 2.01 13. GV: BODIES GATHERED IN FRONT OF THE U.S EMBASSY (NIGHT SHOTS, FAIRLY DARK) 2.11 (W6) UNITED NATIONS (JULY 31, 2003) (UNTV - ACCESS ALL) 14. MCU/GV: (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) UN SPOKESMAN FRED ECKHARDT SAYING: "(The United Nations secretary General said that) Liberia today is poised between hope and disaster and added that the situation could be salvaged if troops were to be deployed urgently." (MEDIA CUTAWAY) ECKHARDT SAYING: "The situation in Monrovia is becoming desperate. The U.S. diplomatic compound at Greystone is crammed with over 10,000 displaced persons who have fled the recent fighting and all UN compounds in the capital are housing displaced persons. As of last week there were an estimated 200,000 dispaced persons scattered throughout the city." (3 SHOTS) 2.50 (W6) ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST (JULY 21, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 15. GV: NIGERIAN PRESIDENT OLUSEGUN OBASANJO WITH DELEGATION AFTER DISEMBARKING IN ABIDJAN AIRPORT 2.56 16. MCU: (SOUDNBITE) (ENGLISH) OBASANJO SAYING: "There has been some fighting this weekend but I believe there can be a ceasefire and will be a ceasefire for an urgent force to move in" (AUDIO AS INCOMING) 3.17 17. MV/GV: OBASANJO GETTING INTO HIS LIMOUSINE AND LEAVING (2 SHOTS) 3.25 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 6th August 2003 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: MONROVIA, LIBERIA / ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST / UNITED NATIONS
- City:
- Country: Liberia Ivory Coast
- Reuters ID: LVA8TM31XH07X7XR431XZ2309LPP
- Story Text: Mortar bombs have rained down on Liberia's capital
Monrovia, killing at least 60 people as fighting between
government forces and rebels raged in the city and U.S.
Marines flew in to help defend the U.S. embassy but Liberian's
are shocked that no one is willing to send troops to stop the
killing
U.S. marines flew into Monrovia today to evacuate
foreign citizens out of the capital. Among the evacuees were
U.S embassy staff and seven aid workers, mostly UNHCR (United
Nations High Commission for Refugees) and ICRC (International
Committee for the Red Cross) workers, who had returned to
Monrovia less than two weeks ago, during a lull in the
fighting, to try to resume humanitarian aid activities in the
civil war-torn West African country after Secretary-General
Kofi Annan warned of a looming major humanitarian tragedy.
At least 50 people were killed by explosions in Liberia's
capital Monrovia on Monday (July 21) as mortar bombs rained
down and fighting between rebels and government troops raged,
according to witnesses and medics.
Witnesses said an angry crowd of Monrovia residents had
laid out 18 bodies, one of which was headless, in front of the
U.S. embassy building while hurling abuse at the U.S. mission
for not intervening to end the fighting.
Witnesses said there were other casualties in downtown
Monrovia and in an area known as Sinkor after mortar bombs
exploded there.
Liberian defence minister Daniel Chea has said that the
rebels are well ezuiped compared to government forces.
"It's an uneven fight. These guys have limited access to
equipment and materials and here, we are scrumming around,
don't have anything." he said.
Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD),
the rebel force fighting to overthrow Liberia's President
Charles Taylor for more than three years, has battled to the
far side of bridges that stand on the threshold of the city
center.
The U.S. military said on Monday it had sent 41 Marines to
Liberia to help reinforce security at the U.S. embassy there
and prepare possibly to evacuate U.S. citizens as fighting in
the West African nation intensified.
Tens of thousands of people are sheltering in the
diplomatic quarter in the Liberian capital, Monrovia, where
the U.S. embassy is situated. The embassy took a hit today
said U.S. Lieutenant commander Terence Dudley.
"The American embassy has sustained a hit with one mortar
around the perimetre of the compound today. That mortar ended
up going into the apartment right above the commissary of the
embassy and no one was injured." he said.
Two failed rebel attacks in June left hundreds dead and
intensified pressure on the United States and the
international community to help a country founded by freed
American slaves in the 19th century.
The United Nations spokesman Fred Eckhardt quoted the
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan as saying that the
situation in Liberia is "poised between the hope and
disaster."
"The situation in Monrovia is becoming desperate. The U.S.
diplomatic compound at Greystone is crammed with over 10,000
displaced persons who have fled the recent fighting and all UN
compounds in the capital are housing displaced persons. As of
last week there were an estimated 200,000 dispaced persons
scattered throughout the city." he added.
On a flying visit to Ivory Coast on Monday (July 31),
Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo said there needed to be
a truce for Ecowas (Economic Community of West African States)
troops to move in.
Speaking before the latest explosions, Obasanjo expressed
hope the warring sides will be able to hold a ceasefire,
necessary to bring international troops into the country.
"There has been some fighting this weekend but I believe
there can be a ceasefire and will be a ceasefire for an urgent
force to move in," he told reporters after arriving at Ivory
Coast's main city of Abidjan on Monday.
But after the latest upsurge in violence the prospects of
getting the ECOWAS troops in became even less likely.the
capital last month when aid workers struggled to cope with a
massive influx of people to the city centre.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None