WORLD IN BRIEF : LIBERIA : Rebel Leader Taylor Announces Truce

Rebel faction leader Charles Taylor, the man accused of prolonging Liberia’s civil war, announced a unilateral cease-fire and said he hopes that all warring parties would comply, according to a news report. The French news agency Agence France-Presse said Taylor announced the cease-fire at a news conference in the Liberian town of Kakata. His announcement came as Nigeria said that it was taking command of the five-nation peacekeeping force in Liberia and would send a general with orders to fight until the nine-month civil war is over.