Liberian peace accord secured
Two rebel groups in Liberia have embraced a peace accord aimed at building an interim government to end three years of civil war in President Charles Taylor’s former dictatorship.
The accord was signed in Accra, Ghana, by the government, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia.
It paves the way for a two-year power-sharing government, the basis on which Liberia will be led to democratic elections.
Both rebels and government will have no claim to the top posts in the interim government.
Taylor went into exile in Nigeria a week ago.
He left a country on its knees, ravaged by civil war, with thousands of its citizens starving and homeless.
The civil war killed at least 150,000 Liberians.
The new government is set to take over from the transitional leadership of Moses Blah on October 1st.
Chief mediator in the talks, Abdulsalami Abubakar, a Nigerian General, said: “I want to believe that with the signing of this agreement today, Liberia will never be plunged into another spiral of violence in the quest for political power, or under the false pretense of liberating the people.”
