On the Klay situation, there was no such thing like an attack by LURD on Klay. It was purely something organized by Mr. Taylor with the usual support of the LURD to accept that fighting did indeed go on in Klay. A WFP worker left Cape Mount on the day of the alleged attack and passed through Klay Junction at about 3:30 pm. He said that everything at the junction was calmed. The government and LURD claimed that fighting in Klay began at 5:00 pm. But CARITAS distributed food in Klay that afternoon for the displaced people. All of the food was looted by the government security. Additionally, Chuckie, Taylor's son, who is now head of the dreadful ATU was seen in Bomi Hills that very day at about 5pm. How possible was it for LURD to fly over Bomi Hills from Bopolu to Klay?
There is heavy concentration of government troops in Bomi Hills. By Saturday afternoon, we were told that government had cleared the dissidents out of Klay. The same old story! There is no rebel group that would wish to launch any serious attack on Klay, while Bomi remains in the hands of government security.
Despite the fact that several people, including BBC Mark Doyle, have visited Klay since Friday and reported that the area is calm and deserted, LURD claimed in its press release issued yesterday, "LURD's forces are maintaining all of their positions throughout Northwestern Liberia. At the moment, Klay, Suehn, and surrounding towns very close to the capital Monrovia at about some thirty-five (35) miles, are frontlines. In a long running intensive combat on Sunday, February 10, 2002, LURD's forces arm bushed two of Taylor's military pick-ups, killed several soldiers including a senior commander, captured some of them along with many arms and ammunitions."
Charles Bennie and lately one Sekou Konneh are causing problems for ordinary Liberians by giving credence to what Mr. Taylor has designed. He wanted a pretext for a state of emergency. He got one with the help of LURD. Sekou Konneh does not realize the sort of damage that he has done to his tribal people.
Mandingo people are as usual being attacked. According to some realible sources, there is a death squad now operating in the city freely. Saa Gborlee, Col. Jerbo, Coocoo Dennis, etc. sound familiar?
As long as LURD continues to give false credence to Mr. Taylor's claim of attack, more innocent people will continue to be killed, tortured, jailed, displaced, etc. The major international media also give the impression that there is indeed severe fighting going on near Monrovia. Someone has to put things in perspective especially with the electronic media.
After two years of existence if LURD is not capable of holding one county, how can any one expect it to dislodge an entrenched army? The best one can do is to let Mr. Taylor play himself out so that the Liberian
people may go to elections and beat him on the basis of his poor performance.