Monrovia, June 13: Up to 400 people have died in recent fighting between Liberian government forces and rebels in and around the capital city of Monrovia, health minister Peter Coleman said today. "Between 300 and 400, most probably 400, lives have been claimed by the latest fighting, including civilians, government soldiers and attackers," he said.
"In the hospitals, we have received a lot of civilian casualties hit by shells, stray bullets, and a lot of civilians died," he said. "We have already collected 150 bodies in New Kru town and Duala," he said, referring to two districts on Monrovia's fringes, which were taken by rebels before they retreated on Wednesday to pave the way for a West African mediated truce, expected to be signed by the weekend.
A humanitarian crisis looms over Monrovia where up to one million people are living rough, according to aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF, doctors without borders). MSF workers say up to 25,000 people could be holed up in Monrovia's 35,000-seat Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Auditorium where only 16 toilets are currently functional. Some 100 cases of malnutrition have been diagnosed there. Bureau Report