SOME of the fiercest fighting to hit Liberia's capital abruptly ended two days of calm yesterday, one day after hand shakes and professions of peace between naval gunmen on a city centre front line.
Witnesses reported at least 16 bodies after a counter attack by ethnic Krahn fighters drove fighters loyal to the ruling Council of State vice chairman, Mr Charles Taylor, from front line and other positions, seizing control of the Mamba Point district.
The nearby US embassy, which is protected by marines, advised staff on its radio network to move around the sea front compound with extreme caution after fighting swirled up roads towards and beyond it.
The Liberia Peace Council deputy chief of staff, Mr Chris Farley, said on the front line that Mr Taylor's forces had attacked the LPC and their fellow Krahn before dawn on several fronts.
"We do not intend to capture territory. We do not intend to deploy all round Monrovia," he said, after the counter attack. "What we want is for Ecomog (West African peacekeepers) to take control of this city."
On Monday, Mr Taylor's fighters shook hands with front line rivals, saying that their high command had ordered a truce.
"Our forces should play a principal or key role in the security of the city," the council chairman, Mr Wilton Sankawulo, said yesterday in an interview given prominence on Mr Taylor's Kiss FM radio station. Mr Taylor is the dominant member of the council.
Witnesses said yesterday's predawn push by Taylor forces concentrated on the city centre Barclay Training Centre, barracks of the Armed Forces of Liberia, the former national army.
Krahn fighters fought back, driving them back up towards the Graystone Compound, which is adjacent to the US embassy and where more than 20,000 frightened civilians have gathered for protection. Witnesses said many of the bodies were outside.
The crackle of automatic weapons and the thud of rocket propelled grenades echoed around Mamba Point, the one area Farley vowed to hold. Witnesses reported further fighting around two major bridges in the city.
Mr Taylor has said government forces, which include his and Mr Alhaji Kromah's, want to restore security to the city.