Liberia rebels break pledge

Liberia's rebels yesterday shattered a day-old pledge to cease fire, lobbing mortars at neighbourhoods crowded with refugees and briefly capturing a key bridge in the war-ruined capital - a city running desperately short of food, water and shelter.

With no letup in fighting, West African leaders pledged to send two Nigerian battalions to Liberia within days - the vanguard of what they say should be a 3250-strong international force to bring peace to the devastated nation.