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CNN Live Sunday
Liberia Drowned In More Bloodshed
Aired July 20, 2003 - 16:34 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.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: Meanwhile, Liberia's capital city of Monrovia has been drowned in more bloodshed and flames. Thousands of people have fled their homes as rebel forces rapidly advance on the capital and battle it out with government troops. CNN's Jeff Koinange is there live with the very latest information -- Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Sean. Heavy mortar fire rocked the capital, Monrovia, into the afternoon Sunday as rebel forces increased their intensity on the capital. We can tell you some of the mortars were landing not too far from where I'm standing, and we are still inside the compound of the heavily fortified U.S. Embassy. Some mortars landing a little bit outside the compound. And we could hear the intensity.
We understand there's been several casualties from some of those mortars falling down. We can also tell you that Liberians have -- are fleeing in their thousands. As you'll recall, they had been fleeing into the capital to seek safe refuge. Now they're picking up what little they have of their belongings and fleeing outside the capital as the battle for Monrovia intensifies.
The main rebel group, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, they insist that this is not a military coup, what they're doing is applying pressure on beleaguered president Charles Taylor to vacate the presidency. President Taylor insists he's not leaving until peacekeepers arrive. In the meantime he is telling his troops to go house to house, street to street, and intensify the resistance against what he calls these hooligans in order to chase them out of the town.
What seems to be happening now, Sean, is the rebels are circling the capital. We know they control the sea route, the route to the seaport. Now what they're trying to do is control the only route to the airport so that they can command what's coming in and what's going on and effectively choking the entire city, Sean.
CALLEBS: A very fluid and dangerous situation in Monrovia. Jeff Koinange, thanks very much. Be safe out there with your crew.
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 July 20, 2003 - 16:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: Meanwhile, Liberia's capital city of Monrovia has been drowned in more bloodshed and flames. Thousands of people have fled their homes as rebel forces rapidly advance on the capital and battle it out with government troops. CNN's Jeff Koinange is there live with the very latest information -- Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Sean. Heavy mortar fire rocked the capital, Monrovia, into the afternoon Sunday as rebel forces increased their intensity on the capital. We can tell you some of the mortars were landing not too far from where I'm standing, and we are still inside the compound of the heavily fortified U.S. Embassy. Some mortars landing a little bit outside the compound. And we could hear the intensity.
We understand there's been several casualties from some of those mortars falling down. We can also tell you that Liberians have -- are fleeing in their thousands. As you'll recall, they had been fleeing into the capital to seek safe refuge. Now they're picking up what little they have of their belongings and fleeing outside the capital as the battle for Monrovia intensifies.
The main rebel group, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, they insist that this is not a military coup, what they're doing is applying pressure on beleaguered president Charles Taylor to vacate the presidency. President Taylor insists he's not leaving until peacekeepers arrive. In the meantime he is telling his troops to go house to house, street to street, and intensify the resistance against what he calls these hooligans in order to chase them out of the town.
What seems to be happening now, Sean, is the rebels are circling the capital. We know they control the sea route, the route to the seaport. Now what they're trying to do is control the only route to the airport so that they can command what's coming in and what's going on and effectively choking the entire city, Sean.
CALLEBS: A very fluid and dangerous situation in Monrovia. Jeff Koinange, thanks very much. Be safe out there with your crew.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
