Liberian curfew ordered after churches, mosque set ablaze

An immediate daylight curfew was ordered in the Liberian capital Monrovia today after violence and sporadic gunfire broke out the war-shattered city.

UN peacekeepers struggled to restore calm in the city, as witnesses said five churches and one mosque were set ablaze in what appeared to be a rare outbreak of religious violence.

“The curfew starts now,” said the West African nation’s interim head of state, Gyude Bryant. “The United Nations mission has been instructed to use every force to put the situation under control.”

It was not clear what started the violence or who was behind it, and officials were unavailable for comment.

Locals said Muslims had torched five churches and Christians responded by setting one mosque in Monrovia ablaze.