Government declares state of emergency

Liberian President Charles Taylor declared a state of emergency with immediate effect on Friday after shooting was reported close to the capital, Monrovia, Information Minister Reginald Goodridge said. Speaking on CNN, Goodridge said the measure was taken because of "imminent danger" in Liberia as a result of the activity of armed rebels.

On Thursday, shooting had been heard at Klay Junction, a crossroads about 50 km north of the capital, on Thursday and internally displaced people (IDPs) fled the area, the head of delegation of Medecins sans Frontieres-France in Monrovia, Giuseppe Scollo, told IRIN on Friday. "We have no more access to the area," he said.

The IDPs had moved south to Klay following a rebel attack nearly two weeks ago near a temporary IDP camp at Sawmill, some 100 km north of Monrovia. Scollo said there were around 10,000 IDPs at Klay a few days ago, but "we have no idea how many there are now," he said.

Goodridge claimed on Friday that "the dissidents have received sanctuary and an unlimited supply of weapons in Guinea". Taylor has often accused the Guinean government of harbouring dissidents on their territory, a charge denied by Conakry.

Defence Minister Daniel Chea recently told reporters that government forces were hard pressed to defeat the rebels because of an international ban on weapon sales to Liberia, according to recent media reports. He was quoted as saying that unless the embargo was lifted, the rebels could defeat the army within one month.

There were media reports on Friday that some people were trying to leave Monrovia. However, Goodridge said the legislature was operating normally, while Scollo said it was business as usual in the city.