Liberians break barricades to reunite war-divided city

DESPERATE for food, tens of thousands of civilians broke through barricades on Monrovia’s front-line bridges yesterday, reuniting Liberia’s war-divided capital after 10 weeks of rebel siege.

Carrying empty sacks, baskets and even wheelbarrows on their heads to tote back food, throngs poured across from the cut-off government side of the city to reach stockpiles of rice, oil and other vitally needed goods. US Marines and West African peacekeepers stood guard as the first ship carrying aid docked at the heavily shelled port.

Elated, women sang gospel songs as they surged across bridges littered with bullet casings and shrapnel to find food for their families.

One who’d already made the trip stopped to give bags of raw cornmeal to a pressing crowd of hungry children.

“I haven’t eaten in four days,” said one of the children, 14-year-old Soleh Fando, scooping up the raw meal by the handful and shoving it into her mouth.

All around, men and women embraced loved ones separated by the deadly siege, which killed at least 1,000 civilians.

In the refugee-crowded shantytown of Blamo Town, Musu Daffah, aged 30, dropped a bowl of cornmeal she was mixing and ran, screaming and crying, into the arms of 24-year-old sister Memma, who’d survived repeated mortar attacks in the government-side of town.

Breaking of the barriers between government and rebel-held sides followed President Charles Taylor’s resignation and departure from Liberia on Monday under international and rebel pressure.

Rebels, keeping their word to pull out when Taylor fell and peacekeepers deployed, withdrew from the city on Thursday, opening the port and its wealth of goods from commercial and aid warehouses.

US forces moved in as well, a 200-strong deployment landing by helicopters at Liberia’s main airport Thursday.