“Each day of delay brings only more dead and wounded in Liberia,” said Peter Takirambudde, executive director of the Africa division of Human Rights Watch. “The time for rhetoric has passed. Troops need to be on the ground as soon as possible.”

The current rebel offensive on Monrovia is the third attack in the past six weeks. The fighting has left hundreds of civilians dead or wounded and made it impossible for humanitarian agencies to provide medical care or other aid to the imperiled civilian population. Civilians have fled to Monrovia to escape fighting and abuse in the rebel-controlled countryside and, reportedly, nearly half of Liberia’s civilian population is now in the capital.

The international forces should be deployed to maintain law and order in Monrovia; to protect civilians from indiscriminate and targeted attacks by rebel and government forces; and to help ensure that humanitarian assistance can reach civilian populations in need. The forces should ensure that all parties, including the peacekeeping troops, must respect international humanitarian and human rights law.

Nigeria has offered to deploy two battalions, including a large number of American-trained soldiers, to Monrovia in the coming days, as a first step toward deployment by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

But the United States, with its historical links to Liberia and its rapid response capability, must ensure that any international deployment gets underway as quickly as possible, Human Rights Watch said.

“President Bush committed U.S. support to peace in Liberia, both before and during his recent trip in Africa,” said Takirambudde. “The United States should not continue to waffle on intervention.”