About twenty percent of the capital's population has fled their homes to escape the fighting. Over 100,000 additional refugees have fled to the city for safety. But these 300,000 homeless people have little access to food, or even water. Government services have broken down, with army troops pillaging as vigorously as the rebels. Aid groups have largely shut down because their staff are often attacked by rebel and government troops. Rebels, or someone, continue to fire mortar shells into the city. The government says the civilian death toll in the last week is about 600, but the real figure appears to be about half that. This probably includes many government troops and rebels, most of whom do not wear uniforms. When any of these lads are killed, their weapons disappear quickly. The fighting itself does not stress inflicting a lot of casualties, but making maximum noise and martial display. But the rebels are trying to take control of the port and key roads.

The US has not yet committed to sending troops to Liberia. The unsaid reason is that there is a civil war going on, and both sides have blood on their hands. Both sides are run by shady characters who are more interested in personal gain than what is best for all of Liberia. The factions are still based on tribes and tribal interests always come first. Once the US gets involved, the US losses, because whoever wins the civil war will behave badly and America will get blamed. This is nothing new. The cycle of civil wars and tribal infighting has been going on here forever.

Two battalions of African peacekeepers are expected next week. African peacekeepers have been here before, and were accused of behaving little differently than the rebels. The current peacekeepers have some training from American instructors on how to do peacekeeping properly.