From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS: LIBERIA: MAIN FACTION ANNOUNCES EARLY CEASE-FIRE
Originator: barnhart@gagme
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 05:44:44 GMT

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: LIBERIA: MAIN FACTION ANNOUNCES EARLY CEASE-FIRE


banjul, nov 10 (ips/peter da costa) -- liberia's main rebel
faction has declared a cease-fire in its current war against
west african peacekeepers, pre-empting a deadline set by leaders
of the sub-region.

according to foreign affairs spokesperson momolu sirleaf,
national patriotic front of liberia (npfl) forces engaged in a
three-week battle with the seven-nation west african
peacekeeping force were due to stop fighting at noon gmt
tuesday.

in a radio broadcast monitored here early tuesday, sirleaf
said that the npfl, which launched attacks on liberia's capital,
monrovia, on oct. 15, would cease hostilities as a last ditch
measure to ''bring the country from the brink of disaster''.

calling on other forces to do the same, he warned: ''our call
for a cease-fire should not be misconstrued as a breakdown of
our resolve to defend our sacred heritage''.

sirleaf said the next step would be to invite the united
nations, the u.s. government and ''distinguished african
leaders'' to liberia to make what he called a ''complete and
impartial investigation'' of the situation.

however, skirmishes were still reported to be taking place on
monrovia's outskirts until early tuesday.

if the npfl cease-fire holds as announced, it will pre-empt
by 12 hours a deadline imposed last weekend by the economic
community of west african states (ecowas).

the move is seen as an npfl climb-down to sustained military
and diplomatic pressure. in retaliation for the attack on
monrovia, ecowas peacekeeping forces (ecomog) launched bombing
raids and naval bombardment on strategic npfl sites, pushing the
faction further away from the capital.

ecowas leaders meeting saturday in abuja, nigeria, imposed
comprehensive sanctions against liberia's warring factions after
the breakdown of a two-year cease-fire policed by the west
african force.

an ecowas foreign ministers committee will now lobby the
u.n. for endorsement of the ecowas decision to impose global
sanctions against the npfl.

npfl leader charles taylor, whose december 1989 incursion
into northern liberia marked the start of the civil war, has
always rejected the neutrality of ecomog and called for a u.n.
peacekeeping force to replace it. (more/ips)


liberia: main (2)

npfl controls most of liberian territory outside monrovia,
which is surrounded by an ecomog-policed buffer zone and is home
to half the country's 2.5 million citizens as well as foreign
diplomatic missions and relief agencies.

leaders of the 16-member ecowas sent ecomog into monrovia in
september 1990 to impose a cease-fire after npfl's campaign to
oust former dictator samuel doe degenerated into an
ethno-religious bloodbath and caused a million liberians to flee
to neighbouring countries.

the abuja meeting reiterated an earlier community decision to
impose economic blockade on air, land and sea ports controlled
by the npfl.

the ecowas peace plan for liberia provides for disarmament
and encampment of all warring factions under ecomog supervision,
followed by repatriation, resettlement, voter registration and
internationally-monitored elections.

countries which contributed troops to ecomog are gambia,
ghana, guinea, mali, nigeria, senegal and sierra leone.
(end/ips/pdac/ar/92)