Although the civil war is over, many of the 60,000 former fighters are still armed. These men are also frequently jobless, and often they turn to crime. The countryside is rife with banditry. In the towns, robberies take place in broad daylight. In the last week, the home (in Gbarnga, 160 kilometers northeast of the capital) of president Charles Taylor was robbed during the day by ten of his former soldiers. The men were armed with AK-47s, cleaned the place out and got away.

December 29; Liberia has appointed Brigadier General Kpenkpah Kona as Armed Forces Chief of Staff, and Brigadier General Samual Varney (who served with a rebel faction) as Deputy Chief of Staff. The new Army commander will be Colonel John Tarnue. --Stephen V Cole