Liberia Death of a President

As the regional peacekeeping force dawdles, rival rebel forces brace for a showdown

Like vultures fighting over a corpse, the various factions in Liberia's bloody civil war vowed to continue their armed struggle despite the death of President Samuel K. Doe last week. Since removing Doe was a common goal of the rebels, there was a faint glimmer of hope that his death might open the door to peace. But instead of signaling the end of the carnage, Doe's demise only set the stage for a new contest for military dominance between Prince Yormie Johnson, leader of a several-hundred-member force that captured and killed Doe, and Charles Taylor, head of the 10,000-member National Patriotic...

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