Government in control of all main towns except Voinjama

The Liberian information minister, Joe Mulbah, told IRIN on Thursday that the government was in control of all the main towns in Lofa County except Voinjama. "We are crushing the rebellion and the situation in Voinjama is significantly under control," he said. "A mopping-up operation is underway." Mulbah confirmed reports earlier this week that retreating rebels were conducting a scorched-earth policy. "Heavily armed men with weapons such as RPG's (rocket propelled grenades) are retreating towards Guinea and burning surrounding villages," Mulbah said. The defence minister, Daniel Chea, flew by helicopter to the front line in Voinjama on Thursday to assess the situation, he added. Civilians and refugees move south According to Mulbah, the districts of Zorzor and Salayea have been flooded with refugees and civilians fleeing the fighting. The BBC reported on Thursday that the Sierra Leone Embassy in Liberia has asked the UN to investigate reports that refugees had been shot and were suffering acute food shortages. The Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission told IRIN on Wednesday that some 11,000 civilians had arrived in Zorzor and that it was conducting an assessment mission in the town. Situation in Vahun calm, UNHCR compound looted According to reports sent to UNHCR in Abidjan the situation in Vahun was "calm" although there was concern that since the evacuation of UNHCR staff at the weekend there was no-one there to monitor the situation. Vahun hosts some 12,000 Sierra Leonean refugees who fled to Liberia early in 1998. For the second time since the evacuation, the head of the UNHCR office returned to Vahun by helicopter on Wednesday and reported that everything had been looted in the UNHCR compound except for the base radio, the generator and a refridgerator. Some 13 UNHCR vehicles have also been looted, 10 from Vahun, including two that were transferred from Kolahun, and three from Voinjama. There were unconfirmed reports that looting was carried out in Voinjama and Kolahun by the invading forces, who call themselves the Joint Forces of Liberation for Liberia (JFFL), by members of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) who crossed over from Sierra Leone and also by Liberian armed personnel. The north-western region of Liberia is an insecure and volatile region close to the borders with Sierra Leone and Guinea, where several dissident groups and factions are based. The Liberian government has said that the invading dissidents came from Guinea. The Guinean government has denied this and any involvement in the situation. The UNHCR said its priority now was to have high-level meetings in Liberia between the United Nations, the Liberian authorities and NGOs to define the next course of action. The UNHCR Regional Director for West Africa, Abou Moussa, is to travel there on Monday.