West African peacekeepers beefed up their force in Liberia's capital today as wrangling between warring factions dimmed hopes of a quick peace deal to end nearly 14 years of war.
With almost all the rebels out of Monrovia since the deployment of Nigerian troops backed by US Marines, hundreds of thousands of people started to rebuild their lives. A trickle of relief aid helped staunch widespread hunger.
A plane brought 110 troops from Nigeria to Monrovia, where peacekeepers have stopped weeks of fighting that left 2,000 dead and allowed pariah leader Charles Taylor to fly into exile. A second battalion of nearly 800 Nigerian soldiers is due.
The departure of Taylor on Monday has raised hopes of an end to years of strife that spilled chaos into the impoverished region.
But there was no sign of a breakthrough at peace talks in Ghana, where new president and Taylor's former deputy, Moses Blah, has been meeting the leaders of rebel factions holding at least three-quarters of the country.
Mediators had hoped to sign a deal today providing for an interim government that would take over from Blah in October and then run the broken country for two years until elections could be held.
Sources close to the talks said the sticking point was rebel demands for top jobs they insist on having if they are to persuade their forces to disarm.
"They are still talking. It is unlikely they will sign a peace agreement today, but in these things you never know," Ghana's Foreign Minister Nana Akufo-Addo told Reuters.