They said that once his departure becomes widely known to the rank and file in the struggling Liberian Army, the Government would probably collapse.

"And no one doubts that the Liberian Army is capable of doing that."

The Liberian Army retaliated against the whole population of the region, attacking unarmed civilians and burning villages.

He joined the Liberian Army in the early 1970's and quickly rose through the ranks as a military policeman and intelligence officer, ultimately attaining the rank of captain.

"We want to fight for the Liberian people," said Young Kadafile, 34, a 15-year veteran of the Liberian Army who said he had not been paid in two and a half years.

The rebels and Western diplomats reported that the Liberian Army had committed many abuses, killing unarmed civilians and destroying Liberian villages near the border.

Many Liberians who joined forces with Mr. Taylor appear to be reacting to repressive actions against civilians on the part of the Liberian Army.

Liberian Army bought two Caravans in 1986, one of which crashed in 1987.

"I had a brother in the Liberian Army, but he got killed," he said, speaking in the shade of a tree on a downtown street.

Meanwhile, Prince Johnson's breakaway rebel group and the Liberian Army of former President Samuel Doe remain armed on their bases in and around Monrovia.