- Title: LIBERIA: REBEL OFFICIALS HAND OVER CONTROL OF THEIR TERRITORY TO ECOMIL TROOPS
- Date: 16th August 2003
- Summary: (W4) ROBERTSFIELD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, LIBERIA (AUGUST 14, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. SLV U.S. MARINES FROM 18TH BATALLION FROM NORTH CAROLINA DEPLOYING AT ROBERTSFIELD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, LANDING IN CHINOOK HELICOPTERS WITH BLACK HAWKS AS ESCORT; SLV U.S. MARINES WALKING IN SINGLE FILE ACROSS FIELD TOWARDS AIRPORT BUILDINGS, HELICOPTERS IN BACKGROUND; CLOSE-UP REAR SHOT OF ARMED U.S. MARINES WALKING 2. SLV U.S. MARINES STANDING ON TARMAC, WITH BACKPACKS; SCU U.S. MARINE'S FACE; SLV ARMED U.S. MARINES STANDING ON TARMAC; SCU MARINE, GESTURES WITH GUN BEFORE WALKING AWAY; AV HELICOPTERS CIRCLING OVERHEAD (10 SHOTS) 0.43 (U4)MONROVIA, LIBERIA (AUGUST 14, 2003)(REUTERS) 3. SLV NIGERIAN ECOMIL TROOPS DEPLOYING OVER BRIDGE INTO REBEL HELD TERRITORY ON WHITE ARMOURED PERSONNEL CARRIER (APC); SLV ECOMIL TROOPS RIDING ON TOP OF APC; SLV ECOMIL TROOPS DEPLOYING IN REBEL HELD TERRITORY (5 SHOTS) 1.04 4. SLV MONROVIAN CIVILIANS CELEBRATING ECOMIL ARRIVAL; MV MONROVIAN CIVILIANS DANCING AROUND APC 0.12 5. MV ECOMIL TROOPS GREETING CIVILIANS FROM BACK OF TROOP CARRIER; SCU ECOMIL SOLDIER MAKING SIGN OF PEACE; MV LIBERIANS CELEBRATING SAYING THEY WANT PEACE, NOT WAR, AND POINTING TO ECOMIL GUN (3 SHOTS) 1.24 6. SLV LARGE CROWD (APPROXIMATELY 1,000 PEOPLE) GATHERING AT BRIDGE; MV CELEBRATING LIBERIANS IN CROWD; AV HELICOPTER HOVERING OVERHEAD (3 SHOTS) 1.37 (W5)MONROVIA (AUGUST 14, 2003) (REUTERS) 7. MV U.S. AMBASSADOR TO LIBERIA, JOHN BLANEY, SOLDIERS AND OTHER OFFICIALS ON BRIDGE BEFORE HANDOVER CEREMONY; MV BLANEY SHAKING HANDS WITH SEKOU FOFANA, REBEL LEADER, THANKING HIM FOR HIS CO-OPERATION AND SAYING IT IS APPRECIATED, THAT THE TROOPS WANT TO BE NICE TO PEOPLE AND THAT HE LOOKS FORWARD TO MEETING HIM AGAIN (3 SHOTS) 1.58 8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FOFANA SAYING "We will comply with this, without a doubt. We have no reason to doubt the credibility of the Americans, and we have no reason to doubt the credibility of the peacekeepers, so we will leave as we have said." 2.17 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BLANEY SAYING "OK, I think we're in business, let's do this completely peacefully. Thank you again." (BLANEY AND FOFANA SHAKE HANDS AND SAY GOODBYE) 2.23 10. AV U.S. CHOPPER FLYING OVERHEAD, DROPPING SUPPLIES ON BRIDGE (IN ORDER TO HELP ECOMIL TROOPS HOLD THE BRIDGE); SLV U.S. CHOOPER LANDING AS TROOPS LOOK ON 2.30 11. MV BRIGADIER-GENERAL FESTUS OKWONKWO, NIGERIAN HEAD OF ECOMIL PEACEKEEPING FORCE, TALKING TO MAJOR-GENERAL SEYEA SHERIFF, CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE LIBERIANS UNITED FOR RECONCILIATION AND DEMOCRACY (LURD) REBEL GROUP 2.37 12. (SOUNDBITE) BRIGADIER-GENERAL OKWONKWO SAYING "So we'll continue to peace, as I said, soldiers will be free of arms. At any time your men are coming, I can assure you that they will meet nobody with arms here." (SHERIFF THANKS HIM) 2.50 13. SLV CELEBRATIONS BY REBELS ON OTHER SIDE OF BRIDGE; MV PEOPLE IN CROWD HOLDING A BANNER WHICH SAYS 'WELCOME TO LIB. ECOMIL. WE WANT PEACE.'; MV CELEBRATING CROWD CHANTING AND DANCING; MV PEOPLE STANDING BESIDE PLACARD, CHEERING (4 SHOTS) 3.05 14. MV BRIGADIER-GENERAL OKWONKWO, SMILING AND TRYING TO CALM THE CHEERING CROWD AS HE WALKS INTO REBEL TERRITORY; REAR SHOT OF OKWONKWO WALKING AWAY DOWN STREET (2 SHOTS) 3.14 15. SLV MILITARY VEHICLE FULL OF ECOMIL TROOPS DRIVING DOWN STREET, IN PORT AREA BEING STOPPED BY CROWDS OF PEOPLE REACHING UP TO SHAKE THEIR HANDS; SLV ECOMIL TROOPS ENTERING PORT AREA; SCU U.S. SOLDIER TELLING CROWD TO STAND BACK; AV U.S. CHOPPERS WITH SUPPLIES FLYING OVER MONROVIA AND PORT AREA (5 SHOTS) 3.46 (U6)MONROVIA, LIBERIA (AUGUST 14, 2003) (REUTERS) 16. SLV U.S. MARINES PATROLLING PORT AREA; SLV U.S. MARINES PLACING BARBED WIRES ACROSS ENTRANCE TO PORT; MV U.S. MARINES HOLDING THEIR WEAPONS; SLV LARGE GUN AND CROWDS LOOKING ON (5 SHOTS) 4.08 17. SLV U.S. AMBASSADOR TO LIBERIA JOHN BLANEY AT THE PORT WEARING MILITARY HELMET; MV SOLDIERS (2 SHOTS) 4.14 18. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BLANEY SPEAKING ABOUT THE MARINES' DEPLOYMENT, SAYING "Their agreement stipulates that they will move to the North bank of the River Pearl and, so far, they're moving in that direction, and then we're going to make this into a weapons free zone." 4.26 19. SLV REBELS LEAVING IN VEHICLES; LV FROM BRIDGE LEADING TO MONROVIA (4 SHOTS) 5.08 20. SLV PEOPLE SWIMMING IN WATER; PEOPLE DROWNING / ONE MAN BEING RESCUED; WIDE VIEW OF RIVER (3 SHOTS) 5.22 21. SLV RIVER; SLV MAN STRUGGLING IN WATER; SLV DEAD MAN'S BODY ON GROUND, PEOPLE WAKING PAST; WIDE VIEW OF LARGE CROWD OF PEOPLE ON BRIDGE ABOVE RIVER (6 SHOTS) 5.49 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 31st August 2003 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: ROBERTSFIELD AIRPORT AND MONROVIA, LIBERIA
- Country: Liberia
- Reuters ID: LVA4V8DANUH2ESNYPE4VVIASFHYY
- Story Text: Rebel officials have handed over control of their
territory to ECOMIL troops in a ceremony in Monrovia.
U.S. Marines, helicopters and screaming jets backed
up West African peacekeepers as they pushed into rebel-held
areas of Liberia's battle-worn capital Monrovia on Thursday
(August 14, 2003) to a riotous heroes' welcome.
The U.S. Marines who flew into Monrovia's airport on
Thursday morning are part of a 2,300-strong task force
floating offshore to back up the peacekeepers.
After landing, some dashed to airport buildings, others
took up positions in the grass.
In Monrovia, thousands of people surged out, cheering,
dancing and punching the air, as Nigerian troops of the
Ecomil force crossed key bridges to take up positions from
ragtag fighters pulling out now pariah leader Charles
Taylor has flown into exile.
Bursts of gunfire, joyful blasts from the rebels
rang out when the peacekeepers moved into the port, vital
for getting aid to hundreds of thousands of refugees from
recent fighting that left at least 2,000 dead.
President Moses Blah arrived in Ghana for a meeting
with leaders of rebel factions to try to bring an end to
nearly 14 years of strife that have spread turmoil through
West Africa and cost at least a quarter of a million lives.
Rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy
(LURD) pledged to pull out of Monrovia on Thursday as the
West African forces moved in. They officially handed over
the port at a brief ceremony on a bridge that marked the
front.
"We have no reason to doubt the credibility of the
Americans, and we have no reason to doubt the credibility
of the peacekeepers, so we will leave as we have said,"
said rebel official Sekou Fofana, shaking hands with U.S.
Ambassador to Monrovia, John Blaney.
Aid workers say reopening the port will allow them to
ship in badly needed humanitarian aid to relieve hundreds
of thousands of people who have been surviving on little
food and water since the rebels attacked Monrovia three
weeks ago.
Brigadier-General Festus Okonkwo, the Nigerian head of
the peacekeeping force, shook hands with Major-General
Seyea Sheriff, chief of staff of the Liberians United for
Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) rebel group, who
arrived at the ceremony from the rebel-held side of the
bridge.
Okonkwo said it would take two days for his troops to
secure Bushrod Island, where the port is situated.
After that he said he hoped to conduct a similar
handover of territory held by another rebel group, MODEL,
at the weekend or early next week.
Okonkwo's convoy then began to make its way slowly
through swarms of civilians who turned out to welcome his
force's deployment, which was welcomed by cheers and
celebratory gunfire.
Later on Thursday, U.S. marines continued their deployment in Monrovia's port, moving into areas once held by the rebel forces.
A few dozen Marines, from a 2,300-strong force waiting
aboard warships offshore, waded through swamp to stake
razor wire around the port.
U.S. ambassador to Liberia, John Blaney, said the
rebels were complying with the agreement to withdraw from
areas they previously held.
"I do know they are moving out, as per their agreement.
Their agreement stipulates that they will move to the north
bank of the River Pearl and, so far, they're moving in that
direction, and then we're going to make this into a weapons
free zone," he told Reuters.
He said relief aid should soon start flowing to replace
looted stocks of rice, beans and cornmeal.
Desperation for food is greatest on the government side
and thousands of people charged towards the front line
bridges after rebels left. Finding themselves blocked by
barricades, a few leapt into the muddy current to swim. At
least one person drowned.
Liberians would dearly love to have a large American
force on the ground. But Washington, with heavy commitments
elsewhere and mindful of the bloody debacle its forces
suffered in Somalia a decade ago, is reluctant to get
sucked into another potential African mire.
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