March 28, 2005

The UN may move soon to secure the port facilities in the capital, Monrovia, in order to reduce smuggling (of arms, people, diamonds, drugs, etc.), and thus further stabilize the situation. This is likely to tick-off some of the domestic factions, who control portions of the port and profit greatly from this. Some of these factions are basically "legitimate" (they were not part of any rebel force or pro-government militia), but this no-questions-asked type trade fueled the violence for over a decade. The gunrunners and money launderers are still in business, and the UN is having a hard time sorting out who is naughty and who is not.