Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Avarice fuels Liberia's war Date: Tue, 3 Nov 92 15:19:55 EST Message-ID: \SE A;WORLD;NEWS ANALYSIS \SS (WS) \HD Avarice fuels Liberia's war \SH Prelate puts nuns' killing on Taylor \BY Michelle Faul \CR ASSOCIATED PRESS \DT MONROVIA, Liberia MONROVIA, Liberia - Liberia's civil war, a conflict in which five American nuns were brutally slain, is fueled by personal grudges, political rivalries and competition for mineral and timber wealth. Most of the estimated 20,000 victims of tribal fighting in the 3-year old war - and another 40,000 who died of starvation in Monrovia - were civilians. But even with savagery as the norm, the slayings of the nuns last week shocked Liberians and the world community alike. "To see them brutally murdered, one wonders what is the sense in all this killing of our people," Archbishop Michael Francis said in an interview. The archbishop condemned rebel leader Charles Taylor yesterday for artillery attacks on the besieged capital and blamed him for the killing of the five nuns. Four persons were reported killed by a mortar shell an hour before a requiem Mass for the nuns began and three others died in a rocket attack later in the day. A refinery also was ablaze two days after being hit by artillery fire. The seven-nation West African military force that has been defending Monrovia for two years announced it would clear the city of armed Liberian factions that have been helping fend off Mr. Taylor's fighters. Gunmen in the groups have been accused of robbing and terrorizing people in the city, which has been swollen by refugees to twice its pre-war population of 400,000. At the Mass, Archbishop Francis lamented the rebel attacks that began in mid-October. "It doesn't make sense that people will take rockets and rain them on our city," he said. As he spoke, nearly 20 nuns wept, their heads bowed and shoulders shaking. Many parties have a stake in the war's outcome. The conflict has dragged in other West African countries and inflamed already existing regional rivalries. Important players include Nigeria and France, which is seeking to extend its influence in Anglophone West African countries like Liberia. Mr. Taylor is accused of prolonging the war while he enriches himself by exporting the country's rich resources in minerals, precious stones, timber and rubber. In the capital, Monrovia, members of a West African-backed interim government led by Amos Sawyer also are accused of pursuing mercenary ends. One Cabinet minister after another has been accused of embezzling funds. And one of Mr. Sawyer's first moves was to secure, through U.S. courts, the rights to the $1 million-a-month fees for registering ships. Hundreds of ships fly the Liberian flag because administrators are notoriously lax on ensuring the ships meet international safety and employment standards. Nigerian Ambassador Ayo A. Ajakaiye said both the government and the rebels are "exploiting the war to their advantage." But Nigeria has its own ax to grind. Nigeria's president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, was a personal friend of Samuel Doe, who took power in Liberia in a 1980 coup. Nigeria played a leading role in sending in a seven-nation West African army that bombed Mr. Taylor's forces out of Monrovia in 1990. Mr. Taylor apparently sees Nigeria's actions as a vendetta. In a radio broadcast last week, he accused Mr. Babangida of using the war to divert attention from troubles at home. He also said Mr. Babangida is using the war to bolster Nigeria's position as a regional power, perhaps with the aim of securing a seat on the U.N. Security Council. Nigerians, in turn, denigrate President Felix Houphouet-Boigny of Ivory Coast, Nigeria's traditional financial and political rival in west Africa. The Ivory Coast government denied charges it supports Mr. Taylor. But it was from there that Mr. Taylor launched his invasion of Liberia on Christmas Eve 1989, and the country has been used to transport arms to him. And Mr. Houphouet-Boigny also had a grudge against Mr. Doe. His son-in-law was shot when Mr. Doe took power. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM