Security Council, Annan condemn Liberian rebel attempts to take power by force

Reacting to the fragile situation in Liberia, members of the United Nations Security Council and Secretary-General Kofi Annan today denounced rebel attempts to seize power by force in the country, and urged States in the region to prevent belligerence.

"The Secretary-General condemns all attempts by the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and any other armed factions to take power by force," a spokesman for Mr. Annan said in a statement.

Urging dialogue over violence, the Secretary-General called on all States in the region "not to allow their territories to be used to commit acts of aggression against neighbouring countries."

Mr. Annan voiced concern over the human suffering caused by the precarious situation in Liberia as well as the implications it might have for the sub-region. "The Secretary-General is also concerned for the safety of UN and non-governmental humanitarian workers, some of whom were forced to evacuate the town of Gbarnga and its environs on 9 May," the spokesman said, adding that recent fighting in Bong County and reports of rebel activity in the vicinity of the capital Monrovia have raised "grave concerns" about the well being of a large number of civilians.

The Secretary-General appealed to the international community to urgently provide adequate resources to relief agencies, to enable them to respond to vital needs of the rising number of internally displaced persons and other vulnerable Liberians.

The Secretary-General's position was echoed in a statement read to the press by the Security Council President, Ambassador Kishore Mahbubani of Singapore, who also said the members called on the donor community "to urgently provide adequate resources to relief agencies."

Through the statement, Council members voiced "serious concern at the grave humanitarian situation that the recent fighting has provoked, increased human rights violations and new displacement of population." They also "condemned all attempts to take power by force [and] urged the Liberian parties to resort to dialogue."

Members of the Council called on all States in the region to make every possible effort to improve the situation, in particular by taking action to prevent armed individuals and groups from using their territories to prepare and commit attacks on neighbouring countries.