James Rupert in Abidjan
LIBERIANS who have fought a civil war for seven years hurried last week to hand over guns and bullets to a peacekeeping force before a deadline for warring factions to disarm. The last-minute rush raised some hopes – the most substantial in years – that a peace plan is making real progress.
Disarmament centres “have been quite busy today, the same as in recent days,” said an officer at the peacekeeping force’s headquarters last week. “Everything is calm, and we hope it will remain so,” he said.
For months, Liberian civilian leaders and the West African peacekeeping force have been trying to persuade the half-dozen factions that control most of Liberia’s gunmen to give up their arms. The latest of several Liberian peace plans called for the fighters to be disarmed by January 31, for political campaigning to start and for legislative and presidential elections to be held in May.
Until recently, the process appeared stalled. Peacekeepers guessed there were between 25 000 and 60 000 armed fighters in Liberia, and as of two weeks ago officers of the peacekeeping force counted only about 6 000 weapons handed in. But in the last week, Liberians have rushed to present arms and claim the food packages, tuition vouchers and consumer goods that are being offered by various citizen groups as incentives. Journalists at disarmament centres have reported emotional reconciliations among some fighters and a palpable sense of hope among Liberians.