Taylor's Family Seek Refuge in Gambia





The Independent (Banjul)
August 1, 2003
Posted to the web August 1, 2003
Banjul
The Gambia is hosting the immediate family of Liberia's beleaguered
president Charles Taylor, as his government's grip on Monrovia hangs
precariously in the balance in the wake of the rebels' penetrating thrust
towards the city centre.
A West Coast chartered aircraft carrying Jewel Howard Taylor Liberia's first
lady, her children, and other Liberian refugees touched down at exactly 10
pm on Sunday (July 27) at the Banjul International Airport as observers
begin to ponder over the beginning of the end of Taylor's rule in West
Africa's oldest republic. 135 people were on board the aircraft, The
Independent can reveal
The airport terminal was a fleeting flurry of activities as security chiefs
converged there to meet Mrs. Taylor and her entourage, which also included
Gambian returnees and other refugees fleeing the humanitarian crisis in
Monrovia, where recent days have witnessed a protracted military stalemate
as rebel advance to capture the whole city had been halted by Taylor's
ragtag army dug in and around the city centre.
Jewel Taylor who is a trained economist and had worked in various
international institutions had always defended the integrity of her
embattled husband who faces an international travel ban and an indictment
for his widely publicised support for rebels in neighbouring Sierra Leone.
It is not clear whether the Liberian first lady and her entourage are using
The Gambia as a safe haven or a transit point as they sought refuge outside
war-ravaged Liberia. Mrs. Taylor was whisked off to the VIP lounge of the
airport, looking calm and serene despite the dreary report that her husband
was being hemmed in by the rebel advance. Jewel who is President Taylor's
third wife is being reportedly accommodated at the Paradise Inn along the
Senegambia highway.
Gambian returnees with her flight included notable dissidents allegedly
linked with the abortive November 8 armed attack on the second infantry
battalion in Farafenni.
They include Dodou Sanyang, Swandy Camara alias Swanby, Dawda Nyassi alias
Campaori and Almami Sabally alias John Rambo a native of Jangjangbureh.

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