Rebels move towards border with Sierra Leone

Armed fighters of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) were reportedly heading for Kungbor town on the Sierra Leonean border area in an attempt to regroup, a government statement said on Sunday.

According to a Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism (MICUT) statement quoted by the pro-government Radio Liberia International (RLI), the fighters were in "disarray" and had been cut off from their supply base near Kolahun (on the border with Guinea). It further said the fighters "had nowhere to go and had made a bold attempt to reach the Sierra Leone border."

The BBC quoted the statement as saying: "Well-armed units of the LURD dissident group were spotted heading for the Sierra Leonean border."

"The intent of the fighters is to launch a bogus attack on Sierra Leone from Liberia so that it will appear like Liberia has attacked Sierra Leone. This is worrisome because Liberia enjoys good relations with Sierra Leone," BBC quoted Liberia's Defence Minister Daniel Chea as saying at the weekend.

He said government troops were being deployed at Kungbor "to cut off the fighters from the borderline with Sierra Leone". He had also noted that heavy fighting was still continuing in the northern town of Kolahun and the northwestern towns of Belle Fassama and Geingba, BBC said.

Liberian President Charles Taylor reacted to the development by calling in the Sierra Leonean ambassador in the capital Monrovia, Kemoh Salia-Bao, late on Saturday for consultations.

"The President has also made efforts to contact President [Ahmad] Tejan Kabbah to put the Sierra Leonean armed forces on full alert in order to prevent the LURD rebels from entering Sierra Leone," BBC added.

The fighters had in the recent weeks intensified their fight against government troops in the north and northwestern part of Liberia. There have been claims and counter-claims of control of the contested towns by the government and rebels. The Liberian Deputy Security Minister Emmet Ross was reported missing following an ambush in the northern couty of Lofa last week.