Liberian Troops Ambushed in Lofa
August 11, 2000

A spokesman for Liberian resistance group fighting Government troops says they have killed a number of soldiers, many of them from Burkina Faso, and captured arms, ammunition along with food supplies.

Other sources from the dissident organization, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), say about 245 soldiers were ambushed around the town of Zorzor, close to the town of Gbarnga, President Charles Taylor's wartime headquarters.

Gen. Wylie told the BBC that a number of Government officers have surrendered to the dissidents. He claimed that many of Taylor's soldiers are unwilling to fight and that the President has hired mercenaries from Burkina Faso to fight for him.

The Government ultimatum to its Army to flush out the dissidents within 72 hours expires Friday, but the dissidents vowed it would take Mr. Taylor 100 years to flush them out. "We are in Liberia to stay," Gen. Wylie said. The dissidents accused President Taylor of creating insecurity that has kept hundreds of thousands of Liberians in refugees camps and exile.

Gen. Wiley said, "Ever since Mr Taylor was inaugurated as president, he has slaughtered and killed more than 100 Liberians." Adding, "Any government that does not protect its people is illegitimate."

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