Siege of Monrovia

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict= Siege of Monrovia


caption=A government soldier defends a bridge in central Monrovia.
partof=the Second Liberian Civil War
date=July 18 - August 14 2003
place=Monrovia
result=Charles G. Taylor resigns, peacekeepers arrive and rebels lift the siege
combatant1=Armed Forces of Liberia
combatant2=LURD rebels
commander1=Charles G. Taylor
commander2=Unknown
casualties3=1000 civilians killed [ [http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/14811/rebels_lift_siege_of_starving_monrovia/ Rebels Lift Siege of Starving Monrovia - General - redOrbit ] ] The Siege of Monrovia, which occurred in Monrovia, Liberia between July 18 and August 14 2003, was a major military confrontation between the Armed Forces of Liberia and LURD rebels during the Second Liberian Civil War. The shelling of the city resulted in the deaths of some 1,000 civilians. Thousands of people were displaced from their homes as a result of the conflict. By the mid-August, after a two-month siege, the Liberian president Charles Taylor went into exile and peacekeepers arrived as a result of the siege.

Background

In early 2003, a rebel group, the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), emerged in the south, and by the summer of 2003, Taylor's government controlled only a third of the country. Despite some setbacks, by mid-2003 LURD rebels controlled the northern third of the country and was threatening the capital.

Timeline

On July 18, 2003 rebels began their onslaught on Monrovia. The government said that more than 600 civilians had been killed in the next few days, six times the number of dead calculated by relief workers. [ [http://allafrica.com/stories/200307220474.html allAfrica.com: Liberia: Desperation in Monrovia as Death Toll Soars (Page 1 of 1) ] ]

On July 21, United States marines flew into the American embassy complex, to provide additional security and protection after it was hit by a mortar bomb. The move prompted a furious response from city residents and displaced people in the capital, who besieged the embassy in another spontaneous demonstration, alternately pleading for American military assistance to help save Liberian lives and hurling abuse at the US mission for not taking action to end the fighting. They dragged bodies of some of those killed on July 21 and piled them up outside the American Embassy, in protest. [ [http://allafrica.com/stories/200307220474.html allAfrica.com: Liberia: Desperation in Monrovia as Death Toll Soars (Page 1 of 1) ] ]

On August 14, Rebels lifted their siege of Liberia's capital Thursday and 200 American troops landed to support a West African peace force. Thousands of people danced and sang as American marines and the Nigerian-led west African troops ECOMOG [ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECOMOG/ Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group - General - ECOMOG ] ] took over the port and bridges which had split the capital into government and rebel-held zones. [ [http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/14811/rebels_lift_siege_of_starving_monrovia/ Rebels Lift Siege of Starving Monrovia - General - redOrbit ] ]

References