Liberia
Current Operations
UNMIL
UN Mission in Liberia (UN-led)
Since: 10/03
More Information
Bush Hints at US Involvement (14.07.2003)
(Quelle: New York Times) President Bush today gave his strongest indication yet that he would send a small force of American troops into Liberia to help enforce the cease-fire there. But he said that he was waiting for further information from military teams in the region before deciding, and that the peacekeeping operation would ultimately be taken over by the United Nations.
AU will eigene Eingreiftruppe (12.07.2003)
(Quelle: NZZ) Die Mitglieder der Afrikanischen Union haben am Ende ihres Gipfels in Maputo beschlossen, eine afrikanische Eingreiftruppe für die Beilegung von Konflikten auf dem Kontinent zu schaffen. Zudem soll auch ein Friedens- und Sicherheitsrat nach Vorbild der Uno geschaffen werden. … Afrikas Verteidigungsminister sollen an einem Sondergipfel die Basis für eine kontinentale Eingreiftruppe schaffen.
LURD Wants Taylor out before Peacekeepers Arrive (11.07.2003)
(Quelle: Irinnews) The main Liberian rebel group, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), has warned against the planned deployment of 1,500 ECOWAS peacekeepers in the war-torn country prior to the departure of President Charles Taylor into exile. … Despite LURD's declared commitments to the peace process mediated by the West African regional body, ECOWAS, the rebel group appears to have developed a strong mistrust for West African leaders, who they allege seem to be backing Taylor.
Powell: US Will “Facilitate and Support” West African Force (11.07.2003)
(Quelle: Washington Post) 'Whether that is just with logistics units or command-and-control units or communications facilities or support of that kind, or whether there would actually be U.S. troops on the ground, the intention right now is to lead ' the mission with troops from West Africa. … He said that Bush 'hasn't made any specific decisions.'
Taylor Wants US Forces (11.07.2003)
(Quelle: BBC World) He told the BBC that American troops would face no danger in Liberia. In a separate interview, the embattled president said he would not leave office until international peacekeepers were on the ground.
US Military Team to Meet with ECOWAS (10.07.2003)
(Quelle: Irinnews) A United States military team arrived on Thursday in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, and was due to meet officials of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to discuss US support for a West African peacekeeping force in Liberia. A diplomatic source in Accra told IRIN the team would assess the requirements for a proposed initial deployment of 1,000 ECOWAS troops to enforce a fragile ceasefire between government soldiers and rebels in the war-torn country. ECOWAS plans initial deployment in two weeks time, the source added.
AU Summit Discusses Liberia (09.07.2003)
(Quelle: UN-News) United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today discussed Liberia with various leaders at the African Union Summit in Mozambique, focusing on the transitional arrangements for the peaceful transfer of power and the role of a possible multi-national peacekeeping force there. Mr. Annan's first meeting was with leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), including Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, John Kufuor of Ghana and Ahmed Tejan Kabbah of Sierra Leone.
Security Council Mission Calls for Intervention (09.07.2003)
(Quelle: UN-News) The report of the United Nations Security Council's recent special mission to West Africa … recommends that the 15-nation body urgently consider authorizing an international stabilization force to quell the violence in Liberia. … The report urges the Council to consider the deployment of a stabilization force on the basis of current ECOWAS plans - including that it be led by a State outside the region and be comprised of over 5,000 troops.
Who Will Replace Taylor? (09.07.2003)
(Quelle: Irinnews) Delegates to the Liberian talks in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, have shifted focus from discussing a peace agreement between the country's warring parties, to intense negotiations over who should be in a transitional government that is to replace President Charles Taylor. … Up to 42 names have been floated as possible replacements for Taylor, diplomats at the talks told IRIN. … Some 18 political parties and civil society groups, two rebel groups and the government are attending the talks.
ECOWAS Troops to Arrive in Monrovia (09.07.2003)
(Quelle: BBC World) The first contingent of 1,000 West African peacekeepers are to be deployed in Liberia within two weeks. The decision follows a meeting of West African leaders and United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan in Mozambique ahead of a summit of African Union leaders.
Annan Names New Envoy for Liberia (09.07.2003)
(Quelle: Irinnews) The United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed Jacques Paul Klein, a senior United States diplomat and former head of the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as his new special envoy to Liberia, the UN reported on Wednesday. 'The consequences of allowing the situation to spiral out of control are too terrible to contemplate,' Annan said in a strongly worded letter that called attention to the danger posed not only to Liberia, but other West African States, especially neighbouring Sierra Leone and Côte d'Ivoire.
Taylor Promises to Return to Politics (07.07.2003)
(Quelle: New York Times) President Charles Taylor, in an interview, accused the United States today of supporting his rebel enemies and pressed Washington to prove its commitment to Liberia by sending peacekeepers. He also added a surprising coda to his promise to step down, calling his exile a brief 'cooling-off period' before a return to Liberian politics.
Peace Talks Restart in Accra (07.07.2003)
(Quelle: UN-News) Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) mediator for Liberia, held a series of meetings with representatives of the various groups to discuss their views on a comprehensive peace plan for the country, spokesperson Hua Jiang said in New York. The groups include the Government of Liberia, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), the Movement for Democracy and Elections in Liberia (MODEL), political parties and civil society, she said, adding that Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Representative for Liberia Abou Moussa has been in Accra. In addition, Mr. Annan has dispatched his Special Representative for West Africa Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah.
US Team Arrives in Monrovia (07.07.2003)
(Quelle: Irinnews) A 32-member United States government military assessment team arrived in Liberia on Monday morning. … US ambassador to Liberia John William Blaney told reporters the team consisted of both military and civilian personnel. … But asked if the arrival of the team marked the beginning of a US peacekeeping operation in Liberia, he added: 'The decision on a larger deployment of a peacekeeping force will be made by President Bush.'
Taylor bereit zu gehen (06.07.2003)
(Quelle: FAZ) Der liberianische Präsident Charles Taylor hat ein Angebot auf Asyl in Nigeria angenommen. Das sagte er am Sonntagabend auf einer gemeinsamen Pressekonferenz mit dem nigerianischen Präsidenten Olusegun Obasanjo in der liberianischen Hauptstadt Monrovia. Wann er sich nach Nigeria absetzen werde, sagte Taylor nicht. … Die Machtübergabe müsse aber geordnet ablaufen. Diese könne in „äußerst kurzer Zeit stattfinden“, sagte Obasanjo.
ECOWAS Plans to Send 3,000 Troops to Liberia (04.07.2003)
(Quelle: Irinnews) Military chiefs of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) pledged on Friday to raise 3,000 troops from member countries for an intervention force to restore peace in Liberia. … Last week, President John Kufuor of Ghana, the current chairman of ECOWAS, said the 15-nation body was ready to send a 5,000 strong intervention force to police a fragile cease-fire in Liberia. ECOWAS has since appealed to the United States to lead the force, but has also sought troops from South Africa and Morocco.
Charles Taylor lenkt ein (03.07.2003)
(Quelle: Die Welt) Unter zunehmendem Druck der USA hat der liberianische Präsident Charles Taylor angeboten, sein Land in etwa drei Monaten zu verlassen. „Ich bin mir nicht sicher, ob es eine Lösung ist, den demokratisch gewählten Präsidenten zur Ausreise aufzufordern, aber ich werde gehen“, sagte Taylor dem Rundfunksender CBS. Er rief zugleich das UN-Kriegsverbrechertribunal auf, die Anklage gegen ihn fallen zu lassen.
ECOWAS Discusses Peacekeeping Force (03.07.2003)
(Quelle: Irinnews) Military chiefs of defence staff from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) began a two-day meeting in Ghana on Thursday to discuss the shape and size of an intervention force to monitor the fragile ceasefire in Liberia. A Joint Verification Team (JVT) was meanwhile expected to fly into the Liberian capital Monrovia to begin charting the positions on the ground of the government and two rebel movements following a 17 June ceasefire agreement.
US “All But Certain”to Send Peacekeepers (02.07.2003)
(Quelle: New York Times) Officials said they are considering sending 500 to 2,000 American troops, a number that will be determined after a decision is made about the force's precise mission. The White House said President Bush had yet to decide whether to send in United States forces. But one senior military official and one senior administration official said it was all but certain that American troops would join a number of African nations in trying to restore stability in Liberia.
An Easy Way Out for Charles Taylor? (02.07.2003)
(Quelle: BBC World) Senior UN diplomats in New York have been quoted as saying that President Taylor was secretly offered asylum in Nigeria but rejected it. … Sir Jeremy (Greenstock, British UN Ambassador) stressed that 'whatever choices are made, within the region or anywhere else, impunity for those who commit gross abuses of human rights in any situation, will not be allowed'. But he added that the UN recognises that 'the leaders of the region have to take their own decisions, because like us they feel strongly for the suffering of the people of Liberia'.
Liberian Warlord Arrested in Cote d’Ivoire (02.07.2003)
(Quelle: Irinnews) Roosevelt Johnson, a former Liberian warlord with close links to Nigeria, was picked up by armed men from a hotel in Cote d'Ivoire's economic capital, Abidjan, earlier this week. … Earlier this year, Liberian President Charles Taylor named two of Johnson's former associates in ULIMO-J, Edward Slanger and Paulson Garteh, as leaders of the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL).This is one of two rebel groups fighting Taylor's government.
US Considering Intervention in Liberia (01.07.2003)
(Quelle: New York Times) The Bush administration said today that it was considering whether to intervene to halt fierce fighting in Liberia between rebel groups and the government of President Charles Taylor. The White House also declared that it had not ruled out sending in American troops as part of an international peacekeeping force. … The White House later directed the Pentagon to refine the proposals being discussed, especially the possibility of having the United States lead a peacekeeping force that would also draw from a number of African countries.
Annan Calls for US Commitment to Liberia Effort (01.07.2003)
(Quelle: Washington Post) For a second straight day, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan urged the United States today to lead an international peacekeeping force in Liberia as the Bush administration came under increasing pressure from Britain, France and some West African countries to send U.S. troops to the country to halt a worsening civil war. U.N. officials estimate that as many as 5,000 troops, including 2,000 Americans, would be required to restore order in Liberia.
Annan fordert Friedenstruppe für Liberia (30.06.2003)
(Quelle: Die Welt) Angesichts der anhaltenden Gewalt in dem westafrikanischen Land werden die Rufe nach einer internationalen Eingreiftruppe immer lauter. Nach dem französischen Außenminister Dominique de Villepin sprach sich auch UN-Generalsekretär Kofi Annan für die Entsendung einer 'gut trainierten und gut ausgerüsteten' internationalen Truppe aus. In einer in Genf veröffentlichten Erklärung forderte Annan den UN-Sicherheitsrat auf, die Stationierung zu beschließen.
UN Puts Pressure on US to Intervene in Liberia (30.06.2003)
(Quelle: Washington Post) There is particular pressure on the United States because of historic ties to a country founded by freed American slaves more than 150 years ago, although President Bush will keep well away next week on his first tour of Africa. Western diplomats said the battle for support for intervention in Liberia was far from won in Washington. Even though some State Department officials appeared in to be favor, the Pentagon was still generally uneasy.
ECOWAS Chairman Unhappy with Taylor Indictment (30.06.2003)
(Quelle: Irinnews) The chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), President John Kufuor of Ghana, has urged the United Nations to consider setting aside the indictment of Liberian President Charles Taylor for war crimes in order to facilitate a negotiated settlement to Liberia's civil war. … The Ghanaian president said although ECOWAS foreign ministers were meeting to consider the deployment of an Intervention Force in Liberia, 'that decision at best remains shaky if the fighting does not stop and if we do not get the support of the UN and the Security Council.'