Liberia under fire from UN

The UN refugee chief blamed Liberia and warlord-turned-president Charles Taylor on for the conflicts and refugee crises in West Africa, and said in unusually blunt terms that Taylor should be forced out.

Ruud Lubbers, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, also urged the US to act on what he said was its responsibility toward Liberia, a timber-rich country founded by freed American slaves in the 19th century.

Internationally, “Saddam Hussein had more stature than Taylor. Milosevic did too. But it’s too selective” for the world to act against the Iraqi and Yugoslav dictators and do nothing against Taylor, Mr Lubbers said.