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CNN Live Today
Liberia in Crisis
Aired August 04, 2003 - 09:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: West African peacekeepers have been arriving all morning in Liberia. Citizens of the war-ravaged nation are looking forward with hopes for peace after 14 years of fighting.
Our Jeff Koinange joins us now. He is live via videophone from the Liberian capital of Monrovia wit the latest.
Jeff, hello.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there, Daryn.
And there is a helicopter landing right here over my right shoulder. That is about the sixth or the seventh today. Now earlier on, scenes of mass jubilation and celebration as hundreds of Liberians came to welcome the West African peacekeepers.
In fact, once the first helicopter landed and stopped, the crowds broke through, ran towards the helicopter, and once the soldiers got off the helicopter, fully armed and in full combat gear, the crowds grabbed one of them and hoisted them up and went around the whole tarmac around him just to show their appreciation. They were chanting, no more war, we want peace, and they feel that these peacekeepers are their saviors. They have come to save a country that has been war ravaged, not just for the past few weeks, for the past 14 years. Helicopters have been coming more and more. We expected about 300 by the end of today, hundreds more by the of the week, and their plan is to secure the capital, make sure that the guns are silent, just so that much need aid to thousands, tens of thousands of suffering and starving Liberians can start calling -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Jeff Koinange in Monrovia, Liberia, thank you for that report.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 4, 2003 - 09:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: West African peacekeepers have been arriving all morning in Liberia. Citizens of the war-ravaged nation are looking forward with hopes for peace after 14 years of fighting.
Our Jeff Koinange joins us now. He is live via videophone from the Liberian capital of Monrovia wit the latest.
Jeff, hello.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there, Daryn.
And there is a helicopter landing right here over my right shoulder. That is about the sixth or the seventh today. Now earlier on, scenes of mass jubilation and celebration as hundreds of Liberians came to welcome the West African peacekeepers.
In fact, once the first helicopter landed and stopped, the crowds broke through, ran towards the helicopter, and once the soldiers got off the helicopter, fully armed and in full combat gear, the crowds grabbed one of them and hoisted them up and went around the whole tarmac around him just to show their appreciation. They were chanting, no more war, we want peace, and they feel that these peacekeepers are their saviors. They have come to save a country that has been war ravaged, not just for the past few weeks, for the past 14 years. Helicopters have been coming more and more. We expected about 300 by the end of today, hundreds more by the of the week, and their plan is to secure the capital, make sure that the guns are silent, just so that much need aid to thousands, tens of thousands of suffering and starving Liberians can start calling -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Jeff Koinange in Monrovia, Liberia, thank you for that report.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
