NEW YORK  Global humanitarian agency Church World Service paid tribute Nov. 4 to interfaith leaders in Liberia, for their instrumental work in helping to restore calm following a fresh round of violence in Monrovia that erupted last Oct. 28, according to a news release.
Initially reported as conflict between Muslims and Christians, following the burning of several churches, mosques and schools, Christian and Muslim religious leaders quickly met, then visited five area radio stations and in broadcasts called for calm and cessation to further violence and burnings.
The Liberian interfaith team also met Oct. 30 with United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) officials.
"UNMIL subsequently increased its patrol in the affected areas, posted security around churches and mosques in the area, and assigned a military escort to enable us to move around the area to help bring calm," said Liberian Council of Churches General Secretary Benjamin Dorme Lartey.
Despite a curfew imposed by Liberia's interim government, fighting resumed on Sun., Oct.31, the final day of the country's voluntary disarmament program. The violence and burnings produced 16 deaths and 208 reported injuries during the worst fighting since the end of Liberia's civil war a year ago.
But Nov. 3 Liberia's three former warring factions formally announced that they had disbanded their forces and had disarmed.
The source of last week's violence has since been pointed away from possible Muslim-Christian conflicts to a variety of other causes.
"We nonetheless commend the Liberian Council of Churches and the Inter-Religious Council of Liberia for taking the lead in helping end this unrest  and averting the development of future conflict between Muslims and Christians," said Moses Ole Sakuda, Associate Director, CWS Mission Relationships and Witness Program.
UNMIL spokesman James Boynton reported that the violence seemed to stem from a polyglot of property issues and disputes between rebel group and rebel splinter group members.
Working through indigenous faith groups and non-governmental organizations, CWS is a key supporter of conflict transformation, relief, displaced persons and development programs in Liberia. Liberia and surrounding Mano River Union countries are designated for special focus in the international agency's multi-year Africa Initiative.
