Liberia's capital trembled in fear of a new bloodbath today after rebels smashed through a vital line of defence for President Charles Taylor's battle-worn forces.
The fall of the Po River bridge, just 12 km (eight miles) from Monrovia's outskirts, has punctured hopes that a West African force, and possibly US troops, could save the ramshackle city and let Taylor step down.
Last month, when rebels belonging to Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) captured the bridge, they were in Monrovia within a day.
Hundreds of people were killed and tens of thousands driven from their homes before Taylor's forces managed to push the rebels back.
The sight of fighters racing out towards the front sounded alarms again for civilians who know they are likely to be the main victims of unruly combatants after nearly 14 years of on-and-off violence.
Prices for fuel more than doubled yesterday as filling stations disconnected pumps to prevent looting. Shopkeepers battened their steel doors and people rushed for home.
Mr Taylor's government and rebels signed a ceasefire on June 17th, but the truce has repeatedly been violated.
Fears intensified over what Mr Taylor's troops might do if they were forced back - given that they are already worried about what will happen to them when the former warlord takes up a Nigerian asylum offer under US pressure.
Wanted for war crimes by Sierra Leone's international court and holding barely a third of the country, Mr Taylor has said he will only head into exile once foreign forces arrive.
Only after Mr Taylor leaves has the United States said it might send a small force to help restore stability to a country founded in the name of liberty by freed American slaves in 1847.