In spite of the weekend maneuvering and declaration that all was now well in the camp of the rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy(LURD), an apparent split in the movement seems to have deepened with a call for the total replacement of the leader, Sekou D. Conneh, Jr.

Sekou’s estranged wife, Mrs. Aisha Keita Conneh has arrived in country in the week to assume the leadership of the Movement.

This disclosure was made on the weekend at a press briefing by several fighters of the Movement at a local restaurant in central Monrovia.

Accordingly, the fighters among whom were several high ranking generals, charged the former leadership of Mr. Conneh with lack of vision and inability thus placing the Movement’s constitution into disrepute, and then escaping from the country to Guinea where he was later declared persona non grata by the authority.

The ex-fighters who referred to their new leader as "Iron Lady" told our reporter among other things that the objective of bringing in Mrs. Conneh were to change the Movement for a better future, bring in peace and stability and to also reinforce the process of the DDRR, etc.

On last Wednesday, a group of LURD fighters calling itself the "Military Wing" announced the replacement of Chairman Conneh, but a day later another group referring to themselves as the "Executive Members" of LURD told a news conference that the pronouncement by the "Military Wing" was "Subversive"and intended to create chaos and throw the Liberian peace process into dust.

While that news conference was in progress, LURD Chairman Conneh reportedly called from Dakar, Senegal, and told the BBC Focus on Africa program that he was still the legitimate leader of LURD.

Thereafter, another group of pro-Damate Conneh combatants from Tubmanburg stormed and effected an arrest order from their leader thus taking forcibly with them, the Director of Motor Vehicles at the Ministry of Finance, Mohammed Keita.

Up to press time, it is not cleared as to the fate of Mr. Keita but our investigation continues

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© 2003: This article is copyrighted by The Inquirer newspaper (Monrovia, Liberia) and distributed by The Perspective (Atlanta, Georgia). All rights reserved.

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