ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, May 4, 1996 TAG: 9605060039
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: MONROVIA, LIBERIA
SOURCE: Associated Press
A warlord whose standoff with militia leaders plunged Monrovia into a month of chaos and bloodshed was secretly airlifted out of the country Friday in a move that could finally end the fighting.
A high-ranking official of the African peacekeeping force deployed in Liberia said his troops, in a convoy of tanks and armored vehicles, sneaked Roosevelt Johnson out of the army barracks where he had been holed up and put the rebel leader on a helicopter to neighboring Freetown, Sierra Leone.
A U.S. diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Johnson's departure. ``He flew out this afternoon,'' said the official, who said details of the evacuation would be released later.
Government officials in Sierra Leone said Johnson was expected to arrive later Friday.
From Freetown, he planned to travel to Accra, Ghana, for a summit next week on Liberia's six-year-old civil war. U.S. officials in Washington said they expected Johnson to take part in the meeting.
It was not known right away whether Johnson planned to return to Monrovia or go into exile, an option he has rejected in the past.
There was no immediate reaction from Johnson's bitter rival, warlord-turned-government leader Charles Taylor, whose feud with Johnson sparked so much bloodshed in Monrovia that bodies littered the streets.
Johnson's flight came a day after Taylor vowed an all-out assault on him and his fighters, a threat that sent thousands of civilians rushing to the port Friday to try to escape the city by boat.
A day earlier, U.S. Ambassador William Milam, U.N. special envoy Anthony Nyakyi and leaders of the African peacekeeping army said they had a cease-fire promise from Johnson's side.
They said they were trying to reach Taylor, a rebel faction leader and also a member of the six-man government that has tried since April 6 to arrest Johnson on murder charges.
Johnson, a former Cabinet minister, was sacked by the government and charged with murder in connection with clashes in March that violated a 1995 nationwide peace accord.
Johnson's refusal to surrender sparked fighting that quickly spread into a citywide spree of looting, shelling and gunfire. The United States military began evacuating foreigners April 10, and by Friday about 2,100 people had been flown to neighboring countries from the American Embassy.
Overnight, 60 more Marines were flown into the compound from U.S. warships off the coast, bringing to 290 the number of troops protecting the Embassy and its 18 remaining personnel. Security concerns have increased since Tuesday, when three Liberians who fired their weapons toward the Embassy were killed by Marines.
There was scattered shooting Friday, but the city remained quiet for a second straight day.
Still, scenes of horror abounded: dogs chewing on corpses of war victims dumped on nearby beaches and fighters allegedly devouring dead rivals.
Unconfirmed reports from witnesses said fighters were roasting and eating the limbs of their victims in one area of combat. Cannibalism has often occurred in the civil war because some fighters believe they can increase their power by eating slain rivals.
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. A Liberian fighter loyal to Charles Taylor'sby CNBNational Patriotic Front of Liberia fires his assault rifle at rival
faction fighters in downtown Monrovia.