Facts and Figures, Geography/Environment, Counties/People

History

5. Seven years of civil strife came to an end in 1996 with the holding of free and open presidential and legislative elections. The UN estimates that 150,000 people died during the conflict with 850,000 refugees fleeing to neighboring countries. After his election in 1997, President Charles Taylor held strong executive power with little political opposition. The years of fighting, coupled with the flight of most businesses, had disrupted formal economic activity. A new civil war began in 1999 when a rebel group backed by the government of neighboring Guinea, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), emerged in northern Liberia. In early 2003, a second rebel group, the Movement for Democracy in Liberia, emerged in the south, and by the summer of 2003, Taylor's government controlled only a third of the country. The capital Monrovia was besieged by LURD, and that group's shelling of the city resulted in the deaths of many civilians. Thousands of people were displaced from their homes as a result of the conflict.

6. The United States of America sent a small number of troops to bolster security around their embassy in Monrovia, which had come under attack. The U.S. also stationed a Marine Expeditionary Unit with 2300 Marines offshore while Nigeria sent in peacekeepers as part of a Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) force. President Taylor resigned on August 11, 2003 as part of a peace agreement and was flown into exile in Nigeria. An arrest warrant for Taylor for war crimes committed by his rebel allies in Sierra Leone was later issued by Interpol but Nigeria has since refused to deport him unless they receive a specific request from Liberia. Vice-President Moses Blah replaced Taylor prior to the installation of a transitional government on October 14, 2003. However, the transitional government exercises no real authority in the country, 80% of which is controlled by the rebel groups. On October 1, United Nations peacekeepers (UNMIL) replaced the ECOWAS force, although some of the personnel were the same. The UN has 5500 personnel in the country by November and is working to disarm the various factions.