Liberian Factions Sign Peace Pact
Liberia’s warring factions signed a peace deal in Benin on Sunday, paving the way for multi-party elections early next year.
The signing ceremony came after three days of tough negotiations on details of an accord reached last weekend in Geneva.
At the ceremony, Vice President Enoch Dogolea of Charles Taylor’s rebel group said his faction will observe an immediate cease-fire.
The accord provides for a cease-fire to begin in seven days under the supervision of a West African intervention force and a U.N. observer mission and for buffer zones to be established to prevent cross-border attacks into Guinea, Ivory Coast or Sierra Leone.
Elections are scheduled to be held in seven months, and a five-member council of state is to run the country during the transition.
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