The world should know that these actions against us are unjust

President Taylor

UN sanctions will be put in place because of Monrovia's apparent failure to sever ties with rebels in Sierra Leone.

The sanctions include a ban on diamond exports and travel restrictions on senior officials. They will remain in effect for 12 months.

Mr Taylor said that Liberia has done everything to sever ties with the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) but the international community has not checked this.

Thousands of people took to the streets of Monrovia on Saturday to protest against the sanctions.

Second chance

The UN authorised the sanctions on 7 March but delayed their implementation for two months to give President Charles Taylor a chance to comply with its demands.

West African UN ambassadors argued that they wanted the delay in order to monitor Mr Taylor's willingness to co-operate.

The RUF has been fighting to take control of diamond fields in Sierra Leone since 1991.

Not enough evidence

The original resolution was based on a report from December last year by an independent UN panel that accused Liberia of training the rebels, giving them logistical support and providing a staging ground for warfare against the Sierra Leone Government.

Monrovia says it has been expelling RUF leaders, freezing the organisation's assets and has banned the import of all diamonds without proper certification.

But UN Security Council members say there is not enough evidence that Liberia has cut ties with the RUF.

Liberia is already under an arms embargo stemming from its 1989-1996 civil war.