Thousands Flee New Fighting in Insurrection
LIBERIA
Panicked, wounded civilians struggled to flee one of the bloodiest outbreaks of fighting in a 3-year-old insurrection in Liberia, as government forces battled what they said was a rebel attack on Gbarnga, President Charles Taylor’s central stronghold.
Whole towns and refugee camps were emptying. Thousands fled into the bush or to the west and hoped-for safety in Monrovia, capital of the West African nation.
The attack on Taylor’s base in the heart of the nation marked a dramatic increase in hostilities between government forces and the shadowy rebels fighting them.
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