London Sunday Telegraph
August 18, 2003

'These Guys Just Think It's a Big Party'
US marines more used to rocks and abuse in Iraq are meeting cheering crowds in Liberia

By STEPHAN FARIS | MONROVIA

US marines more used to rocks and abuse in Iraq are meeting cheering crowds in Liberia, reports Stephan Faris in Monrovia

When the first jets tore through the sky, the crowds ducked, then cheered. Thousands of Liberians had gathered as Nigerian peacekeepers were deployed in rebel-controlled Monrovia under the cover of American air power last week. And neither the armed soldiers nor the low-flying Cobra helicopters would drive them away.

US marines arrive in Liberia

"Usually, when we fly attack helicopters, people move," said Staff Sgt Jacob Reiff, 28, a recent veteran of the Iraq conflict and one of the handful of American marines to join the Nigerians as they crossed the front line. "In Iraq, they understood it meant we don't want them here. But these guys just think it's a big party."

The crowds had gathered on either side of the bridge that, until that morning, had formed the front line between government and rebel soldiers.

The largest group was on the besieged government's side, where a blanket of civilians covered the approach and spilt down the banks of the Mesurado river, desperate to cross to where food was plentiful.

In rebel territory, where young men prowled with Kalashnikovs long after the deadline for withdrawal, most of the crowd had turned out to cheer on the Americans.

Liberians celebrate as they receive food in Monrovia

The marines were the first United States military force to engage in African peacekeeping in a decade, since the "Black Hawk Down" rescue mission to Mogadishu, Somalia, ended in a bloody debacle and 19 army rangers were killed.

To reach their positions on the bridge, Sgt Reiff and his two fellow marines had to push through crowds into the thickest of the throng. They had Black Hawk Down in their minds as an example of "something that could go horribly wrong - large crowds thronging, hard to get in and out", said Sgt Reiff.

But as the Americans drove through the crowd, the Liberians parted and began to chant "No more war". It became evident that they were welcome.

"In Iraq, we were dealing with a military power. We were very cautious of what they could do with us. You didn't know who everyone was," said Sgt Reiff, who served in Mosul, in northern Iraq. "Is this a soldier that yesterday was in a uniform? Over here, they all want us to be here. I didn't have a weapon pointed at me once."

All parties have called for American peacekeepers. When about 60 Americans landed to secure a piece of derelict land near the port, Liberians gathered to cheer: "Eh, marines. We love you, marines."

Nonetheless, at the bridges, with armed rebels still mingling in the crowd, Sgt Reiff and his men had some nervous moments. "We were pinned between two large groups with about 14 of us - three marines and some Nigerian soldiers," he said. "That'll make your heart skip a beat a little bit."

Still, he said, even the rebel fighters were friendly, helping with crowd control and joining in the celebration.

"It was hairy because there were so many people, but it wasn't hairy because we felt in danger.

"The people here are starving," he said. "They don't want to kill us. They want us to help them get food. And they know that if they do anything to hurt one of us, we may leave, and then they won't get the food."

The rebels' withdrawal came as part of a US-brokered peace initiative. The Americans were sent in to support the Nigerians as they took over, giving relief agencies access to the port and the supplies there for the first time in weeks.

Sgt Reiff, who was co-ordinating helicopter drops, was one of the few marines at the heart of the action. Most Americans were stationed at the out-of-town airport or securing a secluded area near the port. The checkpoints and most of the military vehicles were manned by Nigerians.

Their job is far from over. The rebels had agreed to pull out by noon on Thursday, but pick-up trucks loaded with armed men tore through the island throughout the afternoon. Next day, there were still young boys with Kalashnikovs searching pedestrians.

Looting was rampant and even late into the following day, businesses were being broken into and emptied.

On Friday, employees of the Cape Maritime shipping company, which had housed the rebel headquarters, returned to find their building gutted. The carpet had been cut from the stairs, and the desk and couches had been taken from the office where the rebels had joined the American ambassador and the Nigerian force commander to sign their declaration of withdrawal.

"There's no magic wand to make everything become ordinary at once, especially after weeks of occupation," said John Blaney, the US ambassador.

"But keep in mind that this is being done non-violently. One of the big points is that now, the two sides are no longer within rifle range."

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