Where Are Those Troops? : Liberia needs that West Africa multinational force now, not next year

The civil war continues unchecked in Liberia, largely because the peacekeeping troops promised recently by the Economic Community of West African States haven’t arrived. Where are they?

The African soldiers should intervene immediately. There is little more the U.S. Marines in Liberia can do. And let’s get the delayed peace talks in Gambia moving.

The civil war began eight months ago between Liberia’s brutal and corrupt President Samuel K. Doe and another criminal, Charles Taylor. Joined in battle by a second rebel leader, Prince Johnson, these murderous men have inflamed tribal rivalries for political gain.

The war has claimed 5,000 lives--primarily civilians, including unarmed women and children. Another 500,000 Liberians, one-fifth of the population, have fled to other countries. How many more must die or flee?

The brutality of the fighting--including the recent massacre of 600 refugees in a Lutheran church by Doe’s troops--prompted the West African nations to overturn, on humanitarian grounds, their noninterventionism. The unprecedented commitment by Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, Gambia and Sierra Leone to send troops represents the first African intervention in a civil war.

Getting into Liberia poses logistic problems. Doe and Johnson favor foreign intervention, but Taylor opposes outside help, and his troops control the airport. Rebel troops also control the roads. The foreign troops could arrive by ship because Johnson’s troops control the port. But would that raise questions about impartiality?

The multinational peacekeeping troops face many problems. The mission could cost a lot. The troops could get bogged down in a protracted conflict, and many could die. The human, economic and political toll could be high. But it offers the best chance of getting Doe, Taylor and Johnson out of the way and restoring peace in Liberia.