Charles Taylor, President of Liberia, Resigns from Office

Charles Taylor, the President of Liberia, announced his resignation in a farewell speech, stating that he has been forced into exile. Mr. Taylor promised to resign on Monday and hand over power to Vice President Moses Blah. He mentioned that he would accept an offer of asylum from Nigeria. In his speech on Sunday, the President of Liberia said he was stepping down to end the bloodshed in Liberia. He also accused the United States of supporting Liberian rebels and forcing him to leave his country. The United States and West African countries have insisted that Mr. Taylor step down to provide hope for ending the four-year devastating civil war in Liberia. A senior official in the Bush administration in Washington told the Associated Press that he was not aware of Mr. Taylor's claims regarding U.S. connections with Liberian rebels, but dismissed the assertion that the U.S. had provided financial or military assistance to the rebels as baseless. Mr. Taylor is also accused by international circles of involvement in the civil war in Sierra Leone. A new report from the United Nations indicates that since 1989, approximately 250,000 people have been killed in the civil war in Liberia, and about three million of the country's population have been displaced.