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W. Post reporter says Liberia's Taylor protected Al Qaeda, Hezbollah activities Washington Post Reporter Douglas Farah told the House Africa Subcommittee April 2 that two of the world's most violent terrorist networks -- al Qaeda and Hezbollah -- "have an interest in the regional diamond trade [in West Africa] that extends at least back to the mid-1990s." The illicit trade in what are called "blood diamonds" -- because they are used to purchase arms that fuel conflicts -- came naturally to West Africa, where instability and weak governments have long attracted criminals and terrorists, Farah told Subcommittee Chairman Ed Royce...

Taylor is accused of diverting Liberian funds from exile The United Nations Security Council has passed a unanimous resolution to freeze the assets of the exiled Liberian leader, Charles Taylor. It calls on all UN member states to locate and freeze funds owned or controlled by either Mr Taylor, or his wife or son. Mr Taylor resigned and fled to Nigeria last year after the Liberian capital Monrovia was surrounded by rebels. He faces war crimes charges at the UN-backed tribunal in Sierra Leone. His former residences in Liberia have been searched by investigators from the tribunal. Global assets...

The United States Friday introduced a U.N. Security Council resolution that would freeze the assets of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, his family members and close associates. Mr. Taylor is reported to have taken millions of dollars in government funds when he left Liberia for exile in Nigeria last year. The decision to sponsor the Security Council resolution came in response to a recommendation several months ago by a U.N. panel of experts, and reflects United States concern about the degree of influence Mr. Taylor may still have in Liberia. State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said the asset freeze would...

International police organisation Interpol says it has issued a notice for the arrest of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, indicted for war crimes in Sierra Leone. Interpol, based in Lyon, France, said the notice - which is not an arrest warrant but can be used by national police to make a provisional arrest - was issued at the request of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Mr Taylor has gone into exile in Nigeria. As with all its "red notices", a photograph of Mr Taylor appeared on Interpol's web site, accompanied by the caption: Taylor, Charles Ghankay. Born on 28...

Early last week, the nation woke up to the shocking and embarrassing news that the United States of America's Congress, in the course of approving a presidential bill sent to it, had appended a clause placing a ransom of $2 million on former Liberian President Charles Taylor. Bounty hunters are expected to be motivated by that handsome ransom to apprehend and deliver Mr. Taylor to the International War Crimes Tribunal in Sierra Leone to answer to charges of crimes against humanity following his role in the Sierra Leonean Civil War. The feeling of shock, anger and outrage by Nigerians at...

Abuja The [Nigerian] presidency yesterday said it will regard as violation of territorial integrity of the nation any attempt by the United States government to sponsor a kidnap attempt on the person of former Liberian President Charles Taylor. The reaction by presidential spokesperson, Mrs. Oluremi Oyo, followed a $2 million offer by the United States as ransom for any person who delivers the former Liberian president to face trial by the United Nation's War Crimes Tribunal. Taylor is currently on exile in Calabar, Cross River State of Nigeria following resolution reached towards ensuring peace in Liberia. Oyo noted that Nigeria...

LAGOS, Nigeria - Nigerian officials warned the United States on Sunday not to try to capture ousted Liberian leader Charles Taylor, thought to be the target of $2 million bounty posted by the United States. Taylor, a former warlord who was behind 14 years of bloodshed in Liberia (news - web sites), faces war crime charges for sponsoring a vicious 10-year civil war in neighboring Sierra Leone. Besieged by rebels, he resigned under international pressure in August after Nigeria offered him exile in exchange for a pledge to allow a peaceful handover of power in Liberia. Taylor now lives in...

LAGOS, Nigeria - Ousted and exiled Liberian leader Charles Taylor was reported under beefed-up security Friday, amid concerns that he's the target of a $2 million bounty posted by the United States. Taylor's supporters say that the reward, part of an $87 billion military funding bill for Iraq and Afghanistan, is for the former president. But the legislation mentions the reward only as incentive for the capture of an unspecified indictee of a U.N.-backed war-crimes court in Sierra Leone. Taylor is the court's most prominent fugitive, accused of backing rebels in a vicious 10-year terror campaign in Sierra Leone, bordering...

Congress has attached to the Bill approving President Bush's plan to spend $87 billion rebuilding and securing Iraq and Afghanistan, an unexpected $2m 'for the capture' of the former President of Liberia, Charles Taylor. Taylor left Liberia in August after prolonged negotiations, and is currently ensconced in a villa in the Nigerian city of Port Harcourt, provided to him by the country's President, Olusegun Obasanjo. With his whereabouts far from a secret, the US bounty has raised fears that mercenaries may take up the challenge to kidnap and bring in the exiled Liberian warlord. In June, Taylor was indicted on...

Charles G. Taylor, who was forced out as president of Liberia on Aug. 11 and flew to exile in Nigeria, took with him $3 million donated for disarming and demobilizing thousands of armed combatants, a senior United Nations official said today. The sum is roughly equal to six months of current government revenues in Liberia, by any measure one of the poorest nations on earth. The senior United Nations official here, Jacques P. Klein, the special representative of Secretary General Kofi Annan, described the theft and said the donor was an Asian nation. Other government officials said it was Taiwan....

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) -- Liberia's rebels and government picked a Monrovia businessman to lead the country's post-war transition government, and international mediators closed peace talks after 78 tumultuous days. The chief mediator, retired Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, officially announced selection of Gyude Bryant to head the two-year power-sharing accord, and sent warring parties home to implement it. "The first step of unifying the people starts from today,'' Abubakar said. "Do not let your people down.'' Selection of the transitional government's leaders follows Monday's signing of a peace accord, made possible by warlord-president Charles Taylor's Aug. 11 resignation and flight into...

Charles Taylor arrived at Calabar The bast former president Charles Taylor arrived by plane early Tuesday morning at Calabar, city of the south-east of Nigeria, country which offered the exile to him, brought back a correspondent of the AFP. Charles Taylor, accompanied members by his family, came from Abuja, the capital of Nigeria where it had arrived the day before after having left the capacity in Monrovia. It was initially to be taken along in the house of the governor, surrounded by forces of safety, indicated high persons in charge. In Calabar, city of the State Cross-country race To...

<p>The Liberian LURD rebels, a band of several thousand guerrillas known for kidnapping, torture, and rape of women and girls, reached a long-sought goal yesterday when President Charles Taylor stepped down and fled into exile.</p> <p>"The war is over," said Sekou Conneh, the group's leader who is now in Ghana, where he takes part in peace negotiations.</p>

<p>MONROVIA, Liberia &#8212; Charles Taylor, the warlord who brought 14 years of death and destruction to Liberia, yielded the presidency yesterday under pressure from rebels, the United States and West African neighbors &#8212; but not before vowing, "I will be back."</p>

Taylor needs "a few days" to prepare for exile: aide Liberian President Charles Taylor, who is due to hand over power later on Monday, needs a few days to ensure that his new home in exile in Nigeria is ready a press spokesman said. Mr Taylor, who has been indicted for war crimes by a UN-backed court in Sierra Leone, has accepted an offer of asylum from Nigeria. However Patrick Paasewe, a press liaison officer at the Liberian presidency, says Mr Taylor needed "a few days to put his affairs in order and for his new home to be completed"....

MONROVIA, Liberia, Aug. 11 — Liberia’s President Charles Taylor reluctantly gave up power on Monday under pressure from the United States to end slaughter that has gripped Liberia and West Africa for nearly 14 years. AFTER CEDING POWER, Taylor was expected to leave the broken shell of a nation founded by freed American slaves in the 19th century. At least 2,000 people perished in the most recent fighting with rebels for the capital Monrovia. The former warlord handed over power to Vice President Moses Blah, a former brother-in-arms from the Liberian leader’s days of bush war and in Libya’s guerrilla...

Charles Taylor on board an official plane of the Republic of Nigeria The outgoing president of Liberia, Charles Taylor, took seat Monday with 17h00 local and GMT on board an official plane of the federal Republic of Nigeria which must lead it in exile, noted a journalist of the AFP to the airport of Monrovia. Two girls of Mr. Taylor as his old carries word, VAnii Passewe, also took seat aboard Boeing. Mr. Passaweh indicated to the AFP that it had been appointed assistant ambassador of Liberia with Abuja and that it would leave on the same aircraft as...

One of Africa's most brutal regimes is due to end today when Charles Taylor steps down as president of Liberia, giving a war-ravaged region a fragile opportunity for peace. Mr Taylor has promised to hand over power at 11.59am and head into exile, raising hopes that west Africa can escape a decade-long cycle of violence and instability. The warlord-turned president has bowed to pressure from the international community as well as rebels who control most of the countryside and much of the capital, Monrovia. In a televised address last night he said he was the victim of a Washington-led conspiracy...

<p>Taylor gives farewell address in Liberia MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — In a farewell address to his wartorn nation, President Charles Taylor declared Sunday he would "sacrifice my presidency' to stop bloodshed in Liberia, but added "God willing, I will be back."</p>

<p>MONROVIA, Liberia, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- President Charles Taylor of Liberia has reneged on his promise to step down once peacekeepers arrived, a London newspaper reported Wednesday.</p> <p>Taylor said Tuesday night war crimes charges against him must be dropped before he accepts Nigeria's offer of sanctuary, the Telegraph said.</p>