“Today it’s one week since the start of what we call Monrovia War III and fighting is raging on around us. There is no military solution to this madness. Just a while ago the BBC were reporting that 30 mortars had landed in succession in the Mamba Point area where the US embassy, the United Nations, and NGOs like Oxfam are based. My colleagues there are OK but we expect increased fatalities.
People are getting increasingly angry with the US reluctance to intervene. They say Liberians have always stood up for the US. It’s true - Liberia declared war on Germany in the Second World War and provided a million acres of land for Firestone to grow rubber to support the US war effort. Our constitution was written by a professor from Cornell University and our flag is modeled on the American flag. When you want to call the police in Liberia you dial 911, and their uniform is a replica of the NYPD’s. The list just goes on and on. There is no way that America can run away from its moral responsibilities here. History would judge it harshly. For now we’re waiting and hoping, and not knowing what tomorrow may bring.”
Read his continuing diaries on: www.oxfam.org.uk