Liberia’s government said on Sunday rebels had attacked its forces on two fronts in a breach of a newly signed ceasefire deal and were massing troops in preparation for a fresh assault on the capital Monrovia. The ceasefire was agreed last week in Ghana by President Charles Taylor’s government and two rebel factions to end a war that has spilled chaos into West Africa. But the truce has been looking ever more shaky since Taylor said on Friday that he would not go before his presidential term ends in January, which rebels say violates the ceasefire accord. Taylor’s spokesman said loyalist positions had been attacked late on Saturday by the main rebel faction LURD at Klay, some 35 km (22 miles) north of the capital Monrovia, and by another rebel group known as Model in the southeast. “These were very heavy attacks and a serious breach of the ceasefire,” Vaani Passawe told Reuters. “We will keep respecting the ceasefire, but we will defend our positions when they are attacked.” A defence ministry statement also said LURD had been massing 2,000 fighters near the border with Sierra Leone in preparation for a new attack on Monrovia, warning that could jeopardise the peace talks and trigger more bloodshed. Full Story
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