Koinange: Monrovia 'not safe at all'
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CNN correspondent Jeff Koinange
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MONROVIA, Liberia (CNN) -- Rebel forces advanced on the Liberian capital of Monrovia Sunday as thousands of citizens fled the increasing chaos and gunfire.
Amid the pandemonium, President Charles Taylor promised to fight on and insisted he wouldn't leave the country before peacekeepers arrived.
CNN correspondent Jeff Koinange talked to anchor Heidi Collins by phone after his and other television crews sought shelter at the U.S. embassy compound.
KOINANGE: We -- the CNN crew and several other TV crews -- are inside the heavily fortified U.S. embassy because it's been raining mortar fire for most of the night. In fact, there was a shell that landed maybe 20 meters from the compound of the U.S. embassy, so it tells you the entire city is very unsafe right now.
We've been told to all don our flak jackets and helmets right now while we're outside the compound because bullets keep being fired over the embassy compound and clipping the trees. So, it's not safe at all. People are fleeing all over the place. We heard the rebels are advancing toward the city center.
It looks like obviously the cease-fire has been broken, and all hell's breaking loose in the streets of Monrovia.
COLLINS: How coordinated do you think the rebel groups are at this point?
KOINANGE: You can't really tell how coordinated, but I'll tell you what, they are moving very fast. Yesterday we had reached the point where we thought the battle line was. Half an hour later, they were even closer to the city.
So they are moving very rapidly and obviously they have the momentum. They are launching these 81 and 82 millimeter mortars into the capital, into downtown Monrovia, so obviously they are advancing as fast as they can.
In terms of coordination, you can't really tell; but I think that the ultimate target is the executive mansion where President Charles Taylor is holed up.
