Liberia

LIBERIA

 

Liberia is unique among African nations, not only because it is the oldest rebublic on the continent, but because of its relationship with the United States.  Founded as a colony in 1821-22, it was created as a place for slaves freed in the United States and the Caribbean to emigrate to, on the premise that they would have greater freedom and equality.  In 1847 the Republic of Liberia was founded, establishing a government modeled on that of the United States and naming their capital city Monrovia after the fifth U.S. president James Monroe, who had been a prominent supporter of the colonization.

 

The West African nation was relatively calm until 1980 when a military coup, led by Sergeant Samuel Doe, overthrew the then-president William R. Tolbert, marking the beginning of a period of severe instability.  By the end of the decade, arbitrary rule and economic collapse culminated in civil war when the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) militia led by Charles Taylor, which overran much of the countryside, entered the capital, whereupon Samuel Doe was captured and executed.

 

Fighting intensified as the rebels splintered and battled one another.  In 1995 a peace agreement was signed, leading to the election of Charles Taylor as president.  The break in violence was brief, and in 1999 anti-government fighting broke out in the northern part of the country.  Taylor accused Guinea of supporting the rebellion, meanwhile Ghana, Nigeria, and others accused Taylor of backing rebel invasions into nearby Sierra Leone.  Matters came to a head in 2003 when Taylor--under international pressure to quit and hemmed in by rebels--stepped down and entered exile in Nigeria.  A transitional government steered the country towards democratic elections in 2005.

 

It is estimated that close to 250,000 people were killed in Liberia's civil war and many thousands more fled the fighting.  The conflict left the country in economic ruin and overrun with weapons.  Monrovia remains without electricity and running water in most of its districts.  Unemployment and illiteracy are endemic as nearly 20 years of dictatorial rule and violence has prevented nearly an entire generation from acquiring an education or the means by which people can safely provide for their families.