Liberia
officially Republic of Liberia|
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republic of western Africa. It has an area of about 38,250 square miles (99,067 square kilometres). Liberia is bounded by Sierra Leone to the northwest, Guinea to the north, Cote d'Ivoire to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west. Monrovia, a port, is the capital.
Liberia is the only black state in Africa never subjected to colonial rule, and it is the oldest republic on the continent. In 1973 Liberia and Sierra Leone organized the Mano River Union for economic cooperation; Guinea joined in 1980.
The land
Relief
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The four physiographic regions of Liberia parallel the coast. The coastal plains are about 350 miles (560 kilometres) long and extend up to 25 miles inland. They are low and sandy, with miles of beaches interspersed with bar-enclosed lagoons, mangrove swamps, and a few rocky promontories—the highest being Cape Mount (about 1,000 feet [305 metres] in elevation) in the northwest, Cape Mesurado in Monrovia, and Cape Palmas in the southeast. Parallel to the coastal plains is a region of rolling hills some 20 miles wide with an average maximum elevation of about 300 feet; a few hills rise as high as 500 feet. It is a region suitable for agriculture and forestry. Behind the rolling hills, most of the country's interior is a dissected plateau with scattered low mountains ranging from 600 to 1,000 feet in elevation; some mountains rise to 2,000 feet. A striking feature of the mountainous northern highlands along the Guinea frontier is Mount Nimba.
Drainage
The Mano and Morro rivers in the northwest and the Cavalla in the east and southeast are major rivers and form sections of Liberia's boundaries. Other major rivers are the Lofa in the north and, moving southward, the St. Paul, St. John, and Cestos, all of which parallel each other and flow perpendicular to the coast. The Farmington River is a source of hydroelectric power. Waterfalls, rapids, rocks, and sandbanks occur frequently in upstream sections of most rivers, inhibiting river traffic, and limiting navigation inland to short distances. During the rainy season there is often severe flooding in the coastal plains.
Liberia forms part of the West African Shield, a rock formation 2.7 to 3.4 billion years old, composed of granite, schist, and gneiss. In Liberia the shield has been intensely folded and faulted and is interspersed with iron-bearing formations known as itabirites. Along the coast lie beds of sandstone, with occasional crystalline-rock outcrops. Monrovia stands on such an outcropping, a ridge of diabase (a dark-coloured, fine-grained rock).
Soils
Four types of soil are found in Liberia. Latosols of low to medium fertility occur in rolling hill country and cover about 75 percent of the total land surface. Shallow, coarse lithosols, in the hilly and rugged terrain, cover about 16 percent of the land. Infertile regosols, or sandy soils, are found along the coastal plains. Highly fertile alluvial soils represent only about 3 percent of the land area and are utilized largely for agriculture.
Climate
The climate, especially on the coast, is warm and humid year-round, dominated by a dry season from November to April and by a rainy season from May to October. The dusty and dry harmattan (desert winds) blow from the Sahara to the coast in December, bringing relief from the high relative humidity. Deforestation and drought in the Sahel have affected the climate, lengthening the dry season by almost a month in some areas.
Mean annual temperatures range between 65° F (18° C) in the northern highlands to 80° F (27° C) along the coast. Rainfall is irregular, and the rainy season varies in intensity and begins earlier at the coast than in the interior. The greatest amount of rainfall, 205 inches (5,200 millimetres), occurs at Cape Mount and diminishes inland to about 70 inches on the central plateau. The interior has hot but pleasant days and cool nights during the dry season.
Plant and animal life
Liberia has year-round evergreen vegetation. Many trees—such as red ironwood, camwood, whismore, teak, and mahogany—are valuable, but occur with other species, preventing easy harvest. Other trees of value are rubber, cocoa, coffee, and the raffia palm.
Liberia's rain forest abounds with animals such as the monkey, chimpanzee, small antelope, pygmy hippopotamus, and anteater. Elephants, bush cows (short-horned buffalo), and leopards are gradually disappearing. There are many reptiles, including three types of crocodiles and at least eight poisonous snakes. There are several unique species of bats and birds, and scorpions, lizards, and fish are numerous.
Settlement patterns
The present pattern of population distribution in Liberia is both a reflection of its migration history and a response to such social, economic, and cultural factors as war, employment, and superstition.
Migrants from north-central Africa, who began to arrive in the 13th century, originally settled in the hinterlands but were driven by overcrowding to the coast. Immigrants from the United States and the West Indies, and from neighbouring African countries, also settled on the coast. The former migrated mostly to selected areas such as Monrovia (the oldest immigrant settlement), Buchanan, Edina, Greenville, Harper, Robertsport, and Marshall. Scattered settlements were created along newly constructed or improved roads, while plantation and mining activities encouraged larger settlements in a few interior and coastal areas. There are more than 2,000 villages, the majority of which are concentrated in central Liberia, in the northwest, and in the coastal region near Monrovia. The predominantly forested regions of south-central and northern Liberia have remained sparsely populated. The trend toward urbanization has had little impact on these villages. The result has been the segmentation of Liberian society into two coexisting subsystems—traditional-rural and modern-urban.
Monrovia, founded in 1822, is the focal point of political, economic, and cultural activities. Situated on the left bank of the St. Paul River on the ridge formed by Cape Mesurado, it commands an imposing view of the Atlantic Ocean and the coastal plains. The city and its outlying districts and suburbs occupy five square miles. The old style of architecture that once characterized it, reminiscent of that of the southern United States before 1860, is giving way to contemporary styles. All of the ethnic groups of Liberia are represented in its population, as are refugees, African nationals from other countries, and Europeans.
The people
Ethnic and linguistic composition
The people of Liberia are classified into three major groups: the indigenous people, who are in the majority and who migrated from the western Sudan in the late Middle Ages; black immigrants from the United States (known historically as Americo-Liberians) and the West Indies; and other black immigrants from neighbouring western African states who came during the anti-slave-trade campaign and European colonial rule. The Americo-Liberians are most closely associated with founding Liberia. Most of them migrated to Liberia between 1820 and 1865; continued migration has been intermittent. Americo-Liberians controlled the government until a military coup in 1980.
The 16 ethnic groups may be classified into three linguistic groups: the Mande, Kwa, and Mel (southern Atlantic). The Mande are located in the northwest and central regions of Liberia and also in Senegal, Mali, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. Prominent among them are the Vai, who invented their own alphabet and who, in addition, use Arabic and English; the Kpelle, the largest Mande group, who are also found in Guinea; Loma (also found in Guinea); Ngbandi; Dan (Gio); Mano; Mende; and Malinke. Kwa-speaking peoples include the Basa, the largest group in this category and the largest ethnic group in Monrovia; the Kru and Grebo, who were among the earliest converts to Christianity; the De; Belleh (Belle); and Krahn. The Kwa-speaking group occupies the southern half of the country. The Mel group includes the Gola and Kisi, who are also found in Sierra Leone and are known to be the oldest inhabitants of Liberia. These people live in the north and in the coastal region of the northwest.
Religion
Liberians are a religious people. About one-fifth of the people are Christian, about 15 percent are Muslim, and almost two-thirds profess other religions, primarily traditional beliefs. The largest number of Christians are the Kpelle, followed by the Basa. The Muslims are found predominantly among the Mande peoples in the northwest region of the country.
Demographic trends
More than two-fifths of the population of Liberia is under 15 years of age; less than 5 percent is older than 65. The annual rate of natural increase is one of the highest in sub-Saharan Africa, and, because emigration is negligible, the country's annual rate of population growth is one of the highest in the world. Life expectancy, about 50 years for males and 53 years for females, is high by African standards. About 45 percent of the population lives in urban communities, and there is a high rural-to-urban movement, especially to Monrovia. Other destinations include enclaves around rubber plantations and mines.
The economy
The Liberian economy is predominantly agrarian, and raw materials, equipment, and consumer goods are imported. Production for export is carried out on a large scale through foreign investment in rubber, forestry, and mining. Foreign ships registering under a Liberian “flag of convenience” have made Liberia the world's foremost nation in registered shipping tonnage. Liberia nevertheless remains a primarily agricultural and underdeveloped country. The distribution of wealth is uneven, the coastal districts receiving a greater share of economic benefits than the hinterland, after which the administrative centres are the next beneficiaries.
After the mid-1970s the once-vibrant economy took a sharp downturn. Between 1976 and 1980 sluggish demand and low prices stagnated the economy and the annual growth rate plunged. But gradual signs of recovery appeared, especially in agriculture and forestry. In the early 1990s, however, civil war disrupted Liberia's economy.
Liberia's economy is mixed and there is no nationalization of industry. The government, which is the largest single employer, operates several public corporations. There is a national Federation of Labour Unions, a federation of trade unions, and several other employees' unions, but no employers' association.
About 70 percent of the work force is employed in agriculture; the rest work in manufacturing, sales, services, and administration and management. About 40 percent of the total labour force is made up of women. More women than men are employed in agriculture.
The U.S. dollar, previously legal tender in Liberia, is no longer in circulation. The value of the local Liberian dollar retains parity with the U.S. dollar, however. Government revenues are derived from income, profits, property, domestic transaction, foreign trade, and maritime taxes. About one-third of economic development funding has generally been derived from foreign sources, both bilateral and multilateral.
Liberia is a member of two regional economic unions—the Mano River Union, a free trade group to which Sierra Leone and Guinea also belong, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Resources
Liberia is rich in natural resources. It is among the leading producers of iron ore—which it has produced since 1951—in Africa, and it is one of the principal exporters of iron ore in the world. Its sizable reserves are found primarily in four areas: the Bomi Hills, the Bong Range, the Mano Hills, and Mount Nimba, where the largest deposits occur. Other minerals include diamonds, gold, lead, manganese, graphite, cyanite (a silicate of aluminum, with thin bladelike crystals), and barite. There are possible oil reserves off the coast.
There is vast potential for the development of hydroelectric power. About half of Liberia's electricity is from hydroelectric sources. The Mount Coffee hydroelectric station outside Monrovia on the St. Paul River is the country's largest hydroelectric installation.
Water supplies have been improved in both rural and urban areas so that some 40 percent of the population has access to potable water. Surface water is abundant, and groundwater reserves are ample and regularly replenished by the country's heavy rainfall.
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
Agriculture is the fastest-growing sector of the economy. About half the land area is suitable for cultivation, though less than 5 percent is actually cultivated. Commercial farms are often operated by foreigners. Traditional farms, which comprise the largest number, are usually cultivated by slash-and-burn methods. Traditional farming, though less capital-intensive, contributes nearly twice as much to Liberia's gross domestic product as commercial farming.
Traditional farmers practice mixed cultivation of rice, cassava, and vegetables. They also raise goats, sheep, chickens, and ducks. Cultivation of cash crops such as coffee, cocoa, oil palm, sugarcane, and swamp rice is increasing. Domestic rice production meets about 75 percent of the country's needs. The rest is imported, principally from the United States.
Liberia's climate is suitable for rubber production; the necessary plants thrive on the country's poor soils. In 1926, the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company of the United States obtained a concession for rubber cultivation. Rubber has become by far the country's most valuable commercial crop, with coffee and cocoa increasing in importance. Kola nuts, peanuts, and cotton are also produced, and cattle and pigs are raised.
Rain forests produce fine hardwood timber, especially in the east of the country, but also in the centre and in the west. Timber concessions operate in the southeast and northwest. Substantial amounts of timber are produced, but exploitation of the forest resources is difficult because of poor roads and shortage of labour. Of the approximately 250 species of forest trees about 90 are marketable. Forest depletion continues despite government reforestation regulations.
Deep-sea fishing is important, and the catch is largely mackerel, barracuda, and red snapper. Kru and Fanti fishermen, the latter from Ghana, have traditionally been the suppliers of fish to coastal areas but are supplemented by Liberian fishing companies. Inland fish-breeding ponds provide a source of protein.
Industry
To export the ores, iron interests have built railroads connecting the mines with Monrovia and Buchanan. Iron ore is extracted by open-pit mining, while gold and diamonds are extracted by placer mining. Traditional, small-scale mining for gold and diamonds continues.
Manufacturing enterprises have increased greatly since 1960. Predominantly private and foreign-owned, most serve the local market. Near Monrovia there is a petroleum refinery as well as a cement plant. There are also explosives, paint, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics plants. Bricks, tiles, cement blocks, lumber and furniture, soap, and footwear are also manufactured, and there are several distilleries. The problem of foreign exchange and the high cost of raw materials for these industries cause frequent market shortages, and the failure rate among manufacturing businesses is high.
Instability and civil war have held Liberia's potentially lucrative tourist industry in check. Tourist facilities are concentrated near beaches in Monrovia and Robertsport and near Lake Piso. The Lakpazee Zoo and the National Cultural Center at Kendeja, Providence Island near Monrovia, and the Kpatawee Waterfalls on the Zor River near Suakoko are the principal tourist attractions.
Finance and trade
Among the several government-sponsored banks are the National Bank of Liberia, the National Housing and Savings Bank, the Agricultural and Cooperative Development Bank, and the Liberia Bank for Development and Investment. In addition there are private banks, insurance companies, and credit unions.
Countries of the European Union, especially Germany, and the United States are the principal markets for Liberian exports. Iron ore and rubber account for almost 75 percent of Liberian export earnings, followed by logs and timber, diamonds, coffee, and cocoa. Food is the primary import; others include machinery and transport equipment, beverages, tobacco, manufactured goods, fuels, lubricants, and chemicals. The United States and Germany are the largest suppliers of imports.
Transportation
Only a small percentage of Liberian roads are paved. Primary roads connect administrative and economic centres and provide access to the road systems of neighbouring countries.
Monrovia is the principal commercial port, and it also has facilities for transshipping iron ore and liquid latex. Nimba Range iron ore is shipped from Buchanan, while the ports at Greenville and Harper are used primarily for the shipment of rubber and forest products. All ports are administered by the National Port Authority.
Liberia has two major airports, Robertsfield International, and James Spriggs Payne Airport, both near Monrovia. More than 100 airfields and airstrips dot the country's interior.
Administration and social conditions
Government
Liberia's government is patterned after that of the United States with the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Political parties were legalized in 1984 and civilian rule was established in 1986. However, considerable political unrest and violence precluded any stable leadership from power through the mid-1990s. The 1986 constitution provides for direct election by popular vote of the president for a six-year term.
Members of the bicameral National Assembly, who serve six-year terms in the House of Representatives and nine-year terms in the Senate, are also elected directly. The constitution calls for a multiparty system. Major political parties include the National Democratic Party, the Unity Party, the Liberian Action Party, the Liberia Unification Party, and the United People's Party. The main opposition parties are the National Patriotic Front of Liberia and the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy. The Supreme Court is headed by a chief justice assisted by five associate justices, all of whom are appointed by the president.
Each of the country's 11 counties and two territories is headed by a superintendent, who is the direct representative of the president and has a council. The mayor of the capital city of the county also has a council. The counties are divided into districts, chiefdoms, and clans administered by county commissioners and paramount and clan chiefs. The ethnic peoples are allowed, as far as possible, to govern themselves according to customary law. County Development Associations assist in the delivery and improvement of government services.
Education
Since 1939 education has been compulsory for children between the ages of six and 16 and is free at the primary and secondary levels. In 1974 Liberia became a full member of the West African Council in order to provide an international yardstick for measuring the quality of its education.
The government provides for the education of teachers and sponsors the employment of foreign teachers. International aid has also enabled the government to expand the quality and availability of education. There are several vocational schools, including the Booker Washington Agricultural and Industrial Institute at Kakata, a government school. Advanced training is provided at the University of Liberia (1951) in Monrovia, at Cuttington University College (1889) in Suakoko (Episcopalian), and at the William V.S. Tubman College of Science and Technology (1978) in Harper. Several community colleges have also been established in the Monrovia area. The Monrovia Torrino Medical College trains paramedical students. Liberians who study abroad receive advanced training under a government foreign scholarship program and from donor agencies.
Health and welfare
Conditions remain poor, although much progress has been made in providing better health facilities. Malaria and leprosy are major health problems, and influenza, hernias, intestinal worms, trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), schistosomiasis, and elephantiasis are also prevalent. The government conducts inoculation campaigns to combat smallpox and yellow fever. Yaws is no longer a serious problem, following a World Health Organization control program, but tuberculosis has been difficult to eradicate. Dysentery, malaria, and diarrhea are the most important causes of infant mortality, which, at about 120 per 1,000 births, is high by world standards but about average for western Africa.
Modern hospitals include the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Monrovia, sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Roman Catholic Hospital at Monrovia, and Phebe Hospital in Bong county, all of which have nursing schools and medical teaching units attached to them.
The Ministry of Public Works supervises low-cost housing projects. Housing is expensive, and most building equipment is imported.
Intermarriage and economic progress have been important in breaking down social divisions. Mines and plantations located throughout the country have helped the slow trend toward a more equitable distribution of income. In the coastal districts, government jobs, foreign businesses, and local markets provide greater opportunities for economic and social advancement.
Cultural life
Traditional and Western lifestyles coexist; however, traditional values, customs, and norms influence the Western type considerably. In cities both Western and African music and dancing styles are in vogue, but in rural areas traditional rhythms are favoured. Schools instruct students in the legends, traditions, songs, arts, and crafts of African culture, and the government promotes African culture through such agencies as the National Museum in Monrovia, the Tubman Center for African Culture in Robertsport, and the National Cultural Center in Kendeja, which exhibits architecture of the 16 ethnic groups of Liberia. Mask making is an artistic pursuit that is also related to the social structure of some ethnic groups. Music festivals, predominantly religious, are held in most communities. The University of Liberia has an arts and crafts centre. There are several libraries, including a children's library in Monrovia and a National Public Library.
Football (soccer) is the most popular sport. An intercounty football competition is held for the annual championship. The University of Liberia and Cuttington University College hold annual sports competitions.
Monrovia has five daily newspapers, including the Daily Observer, the largest and most prestigious. A few magazines are published annually. Officially, there is press freedom, but newspapers are banned occasionally for violating government policies on information.
There are four radio stations and one television station. International telecommunication services are available through direct satellite links between Liberia, the United States, Italy, and France.
History
Outsiders' knowledge of the west of Africa began with a Portuguese sailor, Pedro de Sintra, who reached the Liberian coast in 1461. Subsequent Portuguese explorers named Grand Cape Mount, Cape Mesurado (Montserrado), and Cape Palmas, all prominent coastal features. The area became known as the Grain Coast because grains of Melegueta pepper, then as valuable as gold, were the principal item of trade.
In the beginning of the 19th century the tide started to rise in favour of the abolition of slavery, and the Grain Coast was suggested as a suitable home for freed American slaves. In 1818 two U.S. government agents and two officers of the American Colonization Society (founded 1816) visited the Grain Coast. After abortive attempts to establish settlements there, an agreement was signed in 1821 between the officers of the society and local African chiefs granting the society possession of Cape Mesurado. The first American freed slaves, led by members of the society, landed in 1822 on Providence Island at the mouth of the Mesurado River. They were followed shortly by Jehudi Ashmun, a white American, who became the real founder of Liberia. By the time Ashmun left in 1828 the territory had a government, a digest of laws for the settlers, and the beginnings of profitable foreign commerce. Other settlements were started along the St. John River, at Greenville, and at Harper. In 1839 Thomas Buchanan was appointed the first governor. On his death in 1841 he was succeeded by Joseph Jenkins Roberts, the colony's first black governor, who was born free in Virginia in 1809; Roberts enlarged the boundaries of the territory and improved economic conditions.
The early republic
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When the American Colonization Society intimated that Liberia should cease its dependency on it, Roberts proclaimed it an independent republic in 1847. Independence was recognized in 1848–56 by most countries, though formal recognition by the United States did not come until 1862.
At the time independence was declared, a constitution based on that of the United States was drawn up. Roberts, who had been elected the first president of the republic, retained that office until 1856. During that period the slave trade, theretofore illicitly carried on from various nominally Liberian ports, was ended by the activity of the British and U.S. navies.
In 1871 the first foreign loan was raised, being negotiated in London nominally for £100,000. The loan was unpopular, and still more unpopular was the new president, Edward J. Roye, who was deposed and imprisoned at Monrovia. Roberts was called back to office. He served until 1876.
The early days of Liberia were marked by constant frontier troubles with the French on the Ivory Coast and the British at Sierra Leone. The Liberians tried to extend their authority inland, although they were still unable to control all the coastal area they claimed. Efforts to end the frontier disputes resulted in treaties with Great Britain in 1885 and with France in 1892. In 1904 President Arthur Barclay, who was born in Barbados, initiated a policy of direct cooperation with the tribes. Having obtained a loan from London in 1907, he made real efforts at reform. The foreign debt, however, was a burden, and the government was unable to exert effective authority over the interior for more than 20 miles (32 km) inland. In 1919 an agreement was signed transferring to France some 2,000 square miles (5,200 square km) of hinterland that Liberia had claimed but could not control.
Outside intervention
In 1909 a commission appointed by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt investigated political and economic conditions in Liberia and recommended financial reorganization. A loan of $1.7 million (U.S.), secured by customs revenue, was raised by an international consortium of bankers in 1912, and a receivership of customs was set up, administered by appointees of the British, French, and German governments and a U.S. receiver-general. A frontier police force was organized by officers of the U.S. Army, with the result that Liberian authority was better maintained. However, this promising new regime was upset by World War I. Revenues dropped to one-fourth of their previous level, and the financial situation steadily deteriorated.
The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company obtained a concession of 1,000,000 acres (400,000 hectares) for a rubber plantation in 1926. At the same time, a loan was arranged through the Finance Corporation of America, a Firestone subsidiary. Using this private loan, the Liberian government consolidated and bonded all its external and internal debts and placed the country's finances on a relatively stable basis. Administration of the customs and internal revenue was placed in the hands of a U.S. financial adviser. In 1952 the government was able to liquidate its foreign debt for the first time since accepting the English loan of 1871.
An investigation by the League of Nations of forced labour and slavery in Liberia, involving the shipment of Africans to the Spanish plantations in Fernando Po, brought about the resignations of President Charles King and Vice President Allen Yancy and the election of Edwin Barclay to the presidency in 1931. Liberia appealed to the Council of the League of Nations for financial aid, and a commission of inquiry was established. The next three years were marked by unsuccessful attempts to work out a plan of assistance involving appointing foreign administrators, declaring a moratorium on the Firestone loan, and suspending diplomatic relations with Great Britain and the United States. After the League Council had finally withdrawn its plan of assistance, the Liberian government reached an agreement with Firestone along lines similar to the league's recommendations.
World War II and after
The new significance of Liberia became apparent after the outbreak of World War II. During the war Liberia's rubber plantation was the only source of natural latex rubber available to the Allies, apart from plantations in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). In 1942 Liberia signed a defense agreement with the United States. This resulted in a program of strategic road building and the construction of an international airport and a deepwater harbour at Monrovia. U.S. money was declared legal tender in Liberia in 1943, replacing British West African currency. In 1943 William V.S. Tubman was elected to his first term as president. Liberia declared war against Germany and Japan in January 1944 and in April signed the Declaration of the United Nations. In December 1960 Liberia became a member of the UN Security Council, and from that time it took an active part in African and international affairs. In 1963 the country became a member of the Organization of African Unity (since 2002 the African Union) at its inception.
In 1963 Tubman was elected to his fifth term as president, and the following year the United States and Liberia signed an agreement to transfer the free port of Monrovia to the government of Liberia. Tubman was again elected president in 1967, the only candidate for the office; he died in London on July 23, 1971, shortly after his election to a seventh term as president. He was immediately succeeded by Vice President William R. Tolbert.
A decline in world prices for Liberia's chief exports, iron ore and natural rubber, brought financial hardship to the country during the 1960s and early '70s. Foreign loans helped sustain the economy during that period.
In April 1980 Tolbert was killed in a coup led by Master Sergeant (later General) Samuel K. Doe, who became head of state and chairman of the People's Redemption Council (PRC). The PRC promised a new constitution—which became effective in 1986—and a return to civilian rule. Elections were held in 1985 with several parties participating but were widely criticized as fraudulent. Doe was inaugurated as the first president of the Second Republic in January 1986. His rule ended in 1990 after civil war—primarily between the Krahn and the Gio and Mano peoples—erupted. A multinational West African force, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Monitoring Group, attempted to restore order, but the leaders of two rebel groups, Charles Ghankay Taylor and Prince Johnson, contended for power after Doe's downfall and execution. The war dragged on for seven years as new factions arose and neighbouring countries became enmeshed in the strife. The toll on the civilian population and the economy was devastating. After a series of abortive attempts, a truce was achieved in 1996. In elections held the following year, the National Patriotic Front of Liberia Party, led by Taylor, achieved a clear majority.
At first, Taylor's government was able to maintain a shaky peace, buoyed by the presence of ECOWAS peacekeeping forces. However, those troops left in early 1999, and by the end of the year rebels were on the attack in northern Liberia. Meanwhile, the country's economy remained in shambles, made worse in 2001 when the UN Security Council imposed sanctions for Liberia's support of rebel forces in Sierra Leone. The rebel insurgency slowly spread southward, killing thousands and displacing tens of thousands in the fighting. Government troops could not stop the rebel advance, and in August 2003 Taylor fled the country. A transitional government was established in October, supported by a UN peacekeeping force.
Svend E. Holsoe/Ed.
Copyright © 1994-2005 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
