Senegal soldiers arrive in Liberia

MONROVIA, Liberia -- A contingent of about 250 Senegalese soldiers arrived in Liberia on Saturday, increasing the size of the West African peacekeeping force to more than 2,000.

West African leaders hope the force will eventually grow to 3,500 troops before they hand over control in coming months to a U.N. peacekeeping mission.

The peace force -- with about 1,500 troops from Nigeria and 250 each from Mali and Senegal -- has yet to deploy far from Liberia's peaceful capital, Monrovia. Rural Liberians are pleading for peacekeeper help, as widespread hunger and scattered clashes persist in the countryside despite an Aug. 18 peace accord.

The soldiers from Senegal arrived at Liberia's international airport around sundown, said Odun Sanya, a spokesman for the peace force.

Ghana also is expected to send troops at some point, after which the West African force will begin spreading into the countryside. The force is buttressed by about 30 U.S. Marines on the ground acting as liaisons and 250 aboard warships off Liberia.

The first troops landed earlier this month, establishing a zone of control between government forces and rebels who led a siege on the capital that killed more than 1,000 civilians. The siege culminated a three-year rebel campaign to oust former President Charles Taylor, who fled into exile in Nigeria on Aug. 11.

Peacekeeping soldiers have stepped up their presence in the city, manning checkpoints, patrolling streets and pushing fighters from the bloodied city.

But turmoil has continued in the countryside. Frightened civilians still flow toward Monrovia, saying food is scarce. Humanitarian groups call aid distributions in the countryside impossible until security is reimposed.

Liberia's defense minister, Daniel Chea, had no reports of fighting Saturday.

Taylor, a former warlord, plunged Liberia into 14 years of civil war with a 1989-1996 rebellion. He was elected in 1997.

Before heading to Nigeria, Taylor handed power to his vice president, Moses Blah, who is scheduled in October to turn over power to a two-year interim government, which will arrange democratic elections.