Rebels punched back into Liberia's frightened capital Monrovia today, sending tens of thousands fleeing for their lives as they gave President Charles Taylor 72 hours to step down.
Refugees said rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) advanced under heavy fire to recapture the key Saint Paul river bridge just hours after the defence minister had vowed to root out pockets of resistance.
A tide of people fled the fighting under pouring rain, fearing a repeat of tribal factional warfare that left bodies scattered in the streets during the 1990s and ruined buildings that nobody since has had the money to demolish or repair.
President Taylor's forces headed the other way in pickup trucks bristling with guns.
Speaking from Ghana, where the rebels are attending peace talks which have been put on hold since the fighting broke out, a senior LURD member gave Taylor a 72-hour ultimatum to quit. "This man cannot continue to blast the country. We mean what we have said," the spokesman said, adding LURD would make an "appropriate decision" if Taylor refused to step down.
Defence Minister Daniel Chea said government forces were making some progress in driving the rebels back, but the sound of gunfire crackled from the coastal capital's northern suburbs.