Violence on the increase in Monrovia

The Liberian capital Monrovia has been hit by a wave of security incidents and increasing police harassment. Travellers arriving from the city told IRIN today the situation was tense and as a result, movement had been severely restricted. Increasing lawlessness has led to a series of murders, the latest occurring in the Paynesville suburb, AFP reported. According to eyewitness accounts, a male resident was killed by “heavily-armed men wearing masks”. An identification card belonging to a member of the presidential Special Security Service was reportedly found at the scene of the murder, but no arrests have been made.