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Taylor declares state of emergency in Lofa

[DRC] Ketumile Masire, Inter-Congolese Dialogue Facilitator Cape Argus
Ketumile Masire, inter-Congolese dialogue facilitator

President Charles Taylor declared a state of emergency on Wednesday in Voinjama, the northern Liberian town where his troops are battling dissidents, PANA reported.

In a nationwide radio and television broadcast, Taylor said the emergency applied to all areas of Lofa County within the conflict zone, PANA reported. Voinjama is the main provincial town in Lofa, some 220 km north of Monrovia.

Calling for more militiamen to push back the dissidents, Taylor said: “I will take personal charge of the situation and I intend to use every means at my disposal to act against the invading force.”

Taylor has claimed that the dissidents came from Guinea, whose government has denied the allegation.


This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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