Editor's Note: Liberian dissidents fighting to remove Charles Taylor from power issued a statement yesterday in which they said that Gbarnga, Chalres Taylor’s wartime stronghold, was “under sieged”. The statement, which was circulated on the Internet, advised residents of Gbarnga to remain in door. It is unclear how LURD intends to transmit the message to the residents of Gbarnga since they do not have Internet access. Below is the statement from LURD:

Office of the National Spokesman
Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy(LURD)
Voinjama,Lofa County,Liberia
Press Release
May 7, 2002

GBARNGA,CAPITAL OF BONG COUNTY IN CENTRAL LIBERIA UNDER SIEGED

As a result of recent intensive combat,the military forces of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy(LURD) have put the provisional capital -Gbarnga- of the central Liberian county of Bong under sieged. LURD's forces have captured the strategic towns of Weinsu, Zeinzu and Palala in central Liberia. Zeinzu is located between Gbokonima and Gbatala,which hosts Taylor's notorious sub terrorist base in the country from where mecenaries are trained and supported to distabilized the West African region under Libya's Muammar Ghaddafi sponsorship.Palala is a town between the frontier of Bong and Nimba counties in central Liberia.Both Zeinzu and Palala are also located on the main highway from Monrovia to Cape Palmas,Maryland county in eastern Liberia.

We call on all civilians to remain in doors in the provisional capital of Gbarnga and try as much as possible to avoid running into Taylor's ruthless ATU zones.LURD's forces are doing all to protect civilians in these areas. Civilians coming in LURD's position areas are being provided assistance and security.

Meanwhile,we are in no way in contact with the ECOWAS Secretariat as has been reported on the BBC"Focus on Africa" during an interview with ECOWAS Executive Secretary Mohamed Chambas yesterday evening,May 6, 2000 . We in LURD wish to have cordial relations with all international institutions, including ECOWAS,that wish to intervene in the Liberian question with the view of providing a peaceful solution to the numerous problems created,conducted and extended by Taylor.

We appeal to international relief organizations,human rights groups and media institutions to begin finding ways to assess the situation in LURD's control areas so as to recommend or provide needed assistance to civilians there. Although civilians in our control areas are going about their normal businesses in relative peace and security,medical relief and basic development assistance are very much needed in putting their lives back together.

As Taylor begins spreading another form of his killing and torture machine throughout and across the continent against perceived Liberian political oppositions, we in LURD urge all opposition Liberian politicians and activists to be on the alert. Gen.Alfred Glay of the AFL under President Samuel K. Doe was assassinated last month by Taylor's paidagents in Accra, Ghana (home of ECOWAS Chief Executive and Avocate of Charles Taylor's democratic government of torture,rape and loot). Also, a week ago, Taylor's paid Assassins again shot and seriously wounded the Chairman of the opposition Liberian Reformation Alliance Party(RAP) in the Ivory Coast. The intent as usual, was to kill this veteran Liberian political figure on Taylor's orders.

According to reliable intelligence sources, the assassination plan is financially coordinated by a number of foreign nationals,mostly Palestinian and Lebanese, posing as businessmen. One Mr. Captan,a Palestinian who is believed to be the biological father of Taylor's Foreign Minister, Monie R.Captan, is said to be financially supervising this evil plan in the Mano River Union basin countries under the guise of business.