Group calls for international stabilization force

A group calling itself the Coalition of Internally Displaced Camps around Monrovia has called for the deployment of an international stabilization force to disarm all illegal armed groups in Liberia, where fighting between pro- and anti-government forces has escalated in recent weeks. The group, which purports to represent more than 50,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), said in a statement issued on Friday that the deployment of the force and an immediate unconditional ceasefire among the warring parties would pave the way for the restoration of peace in Liberia. It appealed for the intervention of the United States and the United Nations to end Liberia's conflict. "We want the US government and the United Nations to prevail on the [rebel] Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) to lay down their arms," the statement said. However, the Liberian government is on record as rejecting the deployment of an international stabilization force despite appeals from civil society groups, religious leaders and opposition politicians. The government has said it would only accept a "capacity building force", whose role, it indicated, would be to help to train its security apparatus. Women continue peace protests In a related development, about 100 women bearing placards calling for an end to the conflict marched in silence through the main streets of Monrovia on Monday under the banner of the Women in Peace Building Network (WIPNET). The placards read: "We are tired of war". "Our children must live in peace". "We are tired of running around." Monday's march, the women said, was part of a series of actions for peace in Liberia. On 17 April, the women staged a sit-in at the Liberian parliament and presented a statement to the legislators. "Because of the continuous occurrence of this violence, it has become compelling on us, the women of Liberia, to raise our voices calling on the fighting forces to stop the destruction of our country and its people," they said in the statement. Meanwhile, an unspecified number of IDPs abducted during attacks on Jahtondo and Wilson camps near Monrovia earlier this month were reported to be returning to the camps, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Liberia said in its weekly update covering 14-20 April. Health care needs - OCHA OCHA also reported that in spite of the establishment of a military training base at another IDP camp near Monrovia, the Rick's displaced centre, 370 families were still staying there. Most of the IDPs come from the northern county of Lofa and appeared to have had nowhere to go after rebels attacked the camp in March. OCHA reported that there was a shortage of ambulances in IDP camps. It cited the example of Montserrado county, just outside Monrovia, where there was only one ambulance for 150,000 people in eight IDP and four refugee camps. Due to insecurity, humanitarian organisations were running mobile clinics and there was no 24-hour health service in any of the camps, OCHA said, adding that the situation had been compounded by the theft of medical supplies from health centres. It reported that while Medecins sans Frontieres was supporting clinics and providing health care in various parts of the country, including the northeastern border town of Zwedru, the insecurity was preventing the NGO from replenishing its dwindling medical supplies in these areas. Humanitarian agencies were also concerned that food had become a contributing factor to armed attacks on IDP camps, it said. The World Food Programme (WFP) was to meet implementing partners this week to explore ways of distributing food assistance without putting the IDPs at risk.