B4-0498, 0510, 0523, 0527, 0530, 0532 and 0541/96

Resolution on the situation in Liberia

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the European Union's declaration of 11 April 1996 on the situation in Liberia,

A. concerned at the recent outbreak of fighting in Monrovia which threatens a resumption of the six year-old civil war which has left more than 150 000 people dead and forced some 80% of the population to flee their homes,

B. deeply concerned at the resumption of fighting in Monrovia, started by Khran factions who are supporters of Roosevelt Johnson, which has caused more deaths and created tens of thousands of new refugees and is a direct threat to the safety of the Liberian population, including international representatives,

C. noting with indignation that the various ceasefire agreements have all been broken by the warring parties,

D. whereas in August 1995 a peace agreement was brokered in Abuja among the seven rival factions under which all factions were to be disarmed under ECOMOG supervision and elections held within a year,

E. deeply concerned that the peace process in Liberia may collapse due to the ongoing fighting,

F. alarmed at the way in which the food and health situation has deteriorated owing to the influx of displaced persons and the fact that it is impossible for the NGOs to distribute international aid; stressing that World Food Programme officials in Monrovia have stated that five people a day are dying of malnutrition in Capa Morni County,

1. Strongly condemns the events which have produced the latest military clashes and calls for a new effort by the United Nations, backed by the international community, to restore peace and stability in Liberia;

2. Condemns the taking of hostages by any of the warring parties and the looting taking place all over Monrovia, calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all the hundreds of people taken hostage by the various Khran armed factions, and demands that international humanitarian legislation concerning civilians and guarantees of personal safety for members of international organizations be respected;

3. Appeals to the factions to cease hostilities immediately and to respect the ceasefire agreed on 12 April 1996, in accordance with the joint appeal made by the UN, the ECOMOG and all foreign diplomats stationed in Monrovia;

4. Reiterates its firm commitment to the peace agreement signed on 20 August 1995 in Abuja, which should be applied by the Liberian Council of State, particularly with regard to holding free multi-party elections under international supervision and setting up new institutions representing the different groups which make up Liberian society;

5. Calls on the international community and the EU in particular to speed up and increase their support to ECOMOG in order to enable it to mediate in the current crisis and subsequently carry out the disarmament of all rival factions and to promote the demobilization of the soldiers and their reintegration into civilian life;

6. Notes the outcome of the mediation mission by the Government of Ghana, which has made it possible to begin deploying the ECOMOG troops and commence withdrawal of the forces besieging the Barclay camp;

7. Calls on the Inter-African Peace-keeping Force to step up its presence in Liberia with a view to helping create the conditions for national reconciliation; calls on the ECOMOG to begin disarming the various factions' 60 000-odd combatants;

8. Calls on the international community to ensure that the embargo on the sale of arms to Liberia is strictly respected, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution No 788/92;

9. Voices its deep concern at the serious humanitarian situation facing hundreds of thousands of Liberian refugees in Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea and Sierra Leone, and calls on the Commission to maintain humanitarian aid to Liberia and to step up its aid programmes for these refugees;

10. Appeals also to international donors to step up humanitarian assistance to the population groups in need that are threatened by the current crisis;

11. Calls on UNICEF and the EU Member States in particular to implement special programmes to rehabilitate the thousands of Liberian child soldiers, by means of education and vocational training and, where necessary, psychiatric assistance;

12. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Liberian Council of State and transitional government, the governments of Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria, the Secretary-General of the OAU, the ACP-EU Joint Assembly and the Secretary- General of the United Nations.