Where is Liberia and what is its historical relationship to the U.S.?
Liberia is a small coastal country in West Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone and Guinea to the west and north, and Cote d'Ivoire to the east. Liberia is about the size of Tennessee and is home to 3.3 million people. Three percent of the population are descendants of black immigrants from the U.S. The large majority of the population (95%) is comprised of diverse indigenous groups. The country of Liberia was created in response to the problem of slavery in the U.S. In 1822, the American Colonization Society, with the support of the U.S. government, began helping African-Americans, many of them former slaves or descendants of slaves, emigrate from the U.S. to coastal settlements in what is now Liberia. In 1847, the settlers adopted a Declaration of Independence and created the Republic of Liberia. Although the U.S. did not formally recognize Liberia until 1862, the new republic soon became the U.S.'s closest ally in the region. (The capitol Monrovia is named after former U.S. President James Monroe.) The Liberian state and its economy were dominated largely by U.S.-backed settlers, and graft, repression, and exploitation of the indigenous population persisted from one ruling party to the next. U.S. companies soon began profiting from Liberia's rich natural resources, which include iron ore, timber, rubber, and diamonds. The Firestone Rubber Company developed the world's largest rubber plantation in Liberia, exploiting local labor in the process. U.S.-Liberia relations included significant military ties. The U.S. trained and supported the Liberian army, intervening periodically to help put down indigenous uprisings. During World War II, Liberia provided basing for U.S. troops, and by 1951, the U.S. had established a permanent mission in Liberia to train its army. Throughout the Cold War, the U.S. continued to provide significant military training and aid to Liberia, including support for the oppressive regime of Samuel K. Doe, who came to power in 1980 through a bloody coup. Doe had been trained by the U.S. Green Berets. (*For information on the role of Quakers in Liberian history, see the Historical Note at the end of this document.)
When did the conflict in Liberia begin?
The current cycle of violence in Liberia dates back to 1989, when Charles Taylor took power through a military coup and the country descended into violence. In 1990, with Cold War interests in the region waning, the U.S. military evacuated all U.S. personnel from Liberia. West African peacekeepers were able to briefly interrupt the conflict in 1996, which allowed for elections in 1997. Charles Taylor was elected President in what were deemed legitimate elections. However, armed groups that had been involved in the conflict against Taylor were not fully demobilized, and the Taylor government was actively fueling war in the region. International peacekeepers left Liberia and the fighting soon resumed. Since 1997, armed factions have again been battling Taylor's forces. The roots of this conflict, however, stretch far back in Liberian history, which has been marked by a series of conflicts and oppressive regimes. The country itself was created on the colonial model, with severe economic and political division between the settler population and the indigenous peoples. Decades of repression and corruption by U.S.-backed governments followed and were compounded during the Cold War by increased U.S. military aid to a brutal regime in order to thwart the spread of communism in the region. Exploitation of labor and depletion of natural resources contributed further to the crisis. By the time Charles Taylor took the stage in a new phase of the conflict, Liberians had already suffered through more than a century of abuse and violence.
Who is involved?
Three main armed groups are involved in the conflict in Liberia. President Taylor's government forces operate mostly in and around Monrovia. Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) controls much of the west of the country and is supported by Guinea, Sierra Leone and Cote d'Ivoire. A third group, the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), developed out of the LURD forces and has been asserting itself in the east of the country. Cote d'Ivoire is reported to be supporting MODEL as well. All the forces fighting in Liberia have been accused of human rights abuses, including the use of child soldiers. Children are often kidnapped by armed groups, abused, drugged, and even forced to kill or maim family and friends.
What is the scope of the conflict?
The conflict in Liberia is actually part of a wider regional crisis engulfing Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Cote d'Ivoire. It is often described as a situation of anarchy and organized violence rather than a traditional war. Armed groups operate across borders and are supported by different governments in the region. Small arms and light weapons have flowed freely across borders, and refugees cross and re-cross borders in search of safety. Natural resources - including diamonds and timber - are controlled and exploited by various armed groups. Liberia is viewed by many as the linchpin in the broader regional conflict. After years of brutal violence, a fragile peace process is underway in Sierra Leone, however, violence and instability in Cote d'Ivoire have escalated in recent years. Now, a peaceful resolution of the Liberian conflict could help rein in the spread of violence and bring stability to the region.
What is the current situation?
Despite continued violence in Liberia, negotiations have been ongoing, supported since September 2002 by the International Contact Group, composed of countries led by the U.S., UK, and France. However, in early 2003 fighting intensified, reaching Monrovia and forcing thousands of refugees and displaced people to flee. The country appears on the brink of disintegration. Violence has also spread to neighboring countries and threatens to engulf all of West Africa if not curbed. Without a break in the violence, progress toward regional peace will be impossible.
The people of Liberia and the region have long called for international intervention to stop the killing and restore law and order. In June 2003, the Special Court for Sierra Leone issued an indictment of Liberian President Charles Taylor, creating new challenges and new opportunities for peace. President Taylor publicly announced his willingness to step down from power (though he has not agreed to appear before the special court). Nigeria offered safe haven. Meanwhile, the call for international peacekeepers has intensified. ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States) announced its intention to send 1,500 peacekeepers, but will likely not be able to restore and maintain order without significant support from the rest of the international community. On July 22, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan met with President Bush, who had just returned from a tour of Africa, to seek U.S. support for an international peacekeeping mission. President Bush has signaled that the U.S. will support and may even participate in such a mission, but that any commitment would be limited in size and duration. The U.S. has not made any public commitment to longer-term reconstruction and peacebuilding in Liberia.
How should the U.S. and international community respond?
Through historical relationships, and past political and military involvement, the U.S. has played a unique role in both the development and the unraveling of Liberia. It must now play an active role in ending the violence and building a more peaceful and just future for the people of Liberia. The U.S. should actively support ECOWAS and the UN in developing an international peacekeeping mission to stop the killing, restore law and order, and create the political space necessary for a negotiated settlement. However, this is only one step in ending the conflict and creating real human security for the people of Liberia and the region. The longer-term work for an effective political transition; economic recovery and sustainable development for the country; disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of all former combatants; and rebuilding of civil society will require the sustained and generous support from the international community as well. Moreover, the regional nature of the conflict must also be addressed. Click here for a list of specific policy recommendations.
*Historical Note on Quaker Role in Liberia
Do Quakers have a historical connection with Liberia?
In fact, Quakers helped lead the movement to repatriate African Americans to Africa and eventually create Liberia. In the early 1800's, Paul Cuffee, a successful Quaker maritime entrepreneur of African American and Native American ancestry, advocated settling freed slaves in Africa. He gained support from the British government, free black leaders in the U.S., and members of Congress for an early emigration plan. From 1815-1816, he financed and captained a successful voyage to British-ruled Sierra Leone where he helped a small group of African-American immigrants establish themselves. Cuffee believed that African Americans could more easily "rise to be a people" in Africa than in the U.S. where slavery and legislated limits on black freedom were still in place. Although Cuffee died in 1817, his early efforts to help repatriate African Americans encouraged the American Colonization Society (ACS) to lead further settlements. The ACS was made up mostly of Quakers and slaveholders, who disagreed on the issue of slavery but found common ground in support of repatriation. Friends opposed slavery but believed blacks would face better chances for freedom in Africa than in the U.S. They also saw it as a way of spreading Christianity to Africa. The slaveholders opposed freedom for blacks, but saw repatriation as a way of avoiding rebellions like the one that had taken place on the island of Santo Domingo, now Haiti. Many African Americans were wary of the ACS and preferred to remain in the U.S. and work toward justice and equality in the land they knew. Early colonies established in Liberia included the Port Cresson colony of the Black Quakers of the New York and Pennsylvania Colonization Societies. In 1838, the colony established by the Quaker Young Men's Colonization Society of Pennsylvania joined with two other colonies to form the Commonwealth of Liberia, which drafted a new constitution, appointed a governor, and claimed control over other settlements along the coast.