LIBERIA: Monrovia is still a city of stray bullets with the arrival of the advance party of the Nigerian peacekeeping mission, writes Declan Walsh
On the streets outside, the first Nigerian peacekeepers were touring the battle-scarred streets. Soon they would be knocking on the door of the Red Cross hospital.
But, for Helen Welleh, they were already too late.
A stained bandage taped to her face, the mother-of-five moaned and writhed in pain.
There was a bullet inside her head, explained Dr Mohammed Sheriff, holding an X-ray to the light. The image showed a neat, hard projectile lodged inside her ear.
"Very lucky. She must have been praying," he said.
Monrovia is a city of stray bullets.
Thirteen days of battle killed over 1,000 civilians, aid workers estimate - mostly from shelling and stray gunfire. Liberians refer to it as "World War Three".
But, yesterday, the guns paused and there was a glimmer of hope for peace.
The advance party of a planned 1,500-strong Nigerian peacekeeping mission toured the city, causing thousands of cheering civilians to pour on to the streets.
Fighting between rebels and government forces lulled, apparently to facilitate the visit, as jeeps carrying the 10-man team sped through the bullet-pocked streets.
But Liberians have had their hopes dashed before.
Two weeks ago, a delegation of US military specialists toured Monrovia's hospitals and aid agencies.
They brought the promise of intervention but delivered nothing, Dr Sheriff said.
However, 2,000 US troops are steaming towards Liberia, and are due to arrive tomorrow. It is not clear whether they will engage in onshore peacekeeping.
As he waited for the Nigerian-led delegation to arrive, Dr Sheriff said Liberians couldn't take any more broken promises.
"This isn't just a photo opportunity. We are asking them to please act instead of just using words," he said. "Please listen to our cries."
As he spoke, the latest casualties continued to arrive. In the operating theatre, a shelling victim lay on the first table. From the door, we could see a leg blasted open to the bone.
A Red Cross surgeon worked quietly, slicing off the dead flesh.
The hospital was swamped, said Dr Sheriff.
Wounded patients slept in the corridor. There was little food. Medical supplies were perilously low.
"We are going to run out of everything you can think of within two weeks," he said. Doctors from the city's three other hospitals stood beside him, nodding in agreement.
Liberians are pinning their hopes on the Nigerian-led deployment.
Tens of thousands thronged the streets to welcome the advance party, led by Nigerian Brig Gen Festus Okonkwo.
Crowds cheered, danced and flashed two-fingered salutes on streets that are normally deserted due to the hail of stray bullets.
Outside the US embassy, the crowd chanted "No more war! We want peace!" as marines watched impassively from armed sandbag positions on the roof.
The delegates also stopped briefly at the Ministry of Defence in downtown Monrovia, an area that has been repeatedly pounded by rebel shells over the past two weeks.
"The mission is delayed but it's never too late," said Arpha Daouda, standing on the far side of Benson Street.
"We want them to stand between the force and set up a buffer zone. Then they will talk." Across the street, a soldier peered down a drain where an unexploded shell lay at the bottom.
Taking advantage of the lull in shooting, markets swelled as people emerged from their hiding places to seek food.
But what little was available was beyond the price range of most.
A cup of rice - the Liberian staple - that once sold for L$15, now sells for L$75. Most families eat a meal of cooked leaves, if anything at all.
"I came here to get food," said one man, pointing to a plastic bag. "But all I could afford was charcoal." Others pleaded for rapid foreign intervention.
"Every second is like a day, or a year," said Roland Frederick, a refugee who fled his home in New Georgia, on the city outskirts.
Many feel the United States has a moral obligation to intervene in a country founded by freed American slaves more than 150 years ago. There is also some reluctance to trust Nigerian peacekeepers who, during a previous mission, participated in the robbing of civilians.
"That's why we want the Americans to lead. If they are in the forefront, they can stop the irregularities," said Lassana Kamara.