Twelve out of an estimated 150 Liberian mercenaries retreating from Cote d'Ivoire have been arrested in Liberia and are now in police custody in the capital Monrovia, reported the dpa. The mercenaries allegedly fought alongside forces loyal to former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo, who had refused to relinquish power after a UN-certified run-off election was won by his bitter rival Alassane Ouattara. Law enforcement personnel paraded the men Sunday at police headquarters, saying the mercenaries confessed to dropping 13 AK-47 weapons in the river while crossing into Liberia. Police are currently investigating the men's role in the Ivoirian civil conflict. To date the number of Liberian soldiers of fortune who entered the Ivory Coast since the war commenced in 2010 is estimated to be more than three thousand.
