From: Walter Watts (wlwatts@cox.net)
Date: Wed Jul 02 2003 - 17:50:42 MDT
A little more background.....
Liberia: Descent into Anarchy
Perspective
1822 Freed American slaves colonize Liberia.
1847 Liberia becomes Africa's first independent republic.
1980 General Samuel Doe stages a coup, ending more than one hundred years of
government domination by the former Americans.
1989 December 24. Rebel troops led by Charles Taylor and the National Patriotic
Front of Liberia (NPFL) invade Liberia.
1990 August 25. West African peacekeeping forces arrive in Liberia.
September 10. President Doe is killed by a NPFL splinter group.
1991 September 7. Supporters of the Doe regime invade Liberia.
October 31. Yamoussoukro agreement is reached.
1992 August 17. Serious fighting erupts between NPFL and the Doe supporters.
November 19. UN imposes arms embargo against Liberia.
1993 July 25. Three main warring factions sign peace treaty in Cotonou, Benin.
1994 March 7. Interim government is inaugurated.
When Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) made its move to
take over the country in 1989, it marked the beginning of the darkest period to
date in Liberian history. During the next four years, 150,000 people died from the
fighting and from starvation, and more than half the nation's population was forced
from their homes. A peace treaty signed in July 1993 took seven months to implement
while fighting continued. Splinter groups have broken away from the three main
factions which signed the treaty and have continued the killing. An interim
government that was inaugurated in March 1994 has been hampered by ongoing
squabbles about power-sharing. Although democratic elections are scheduled for
September 7, 1994, given Liberia's recent history there is no guarantee that they
will take place.
Issues and Events
When Taylor and the NPFL invaded Liberia from neighboring Sierra Leone in
1989, the nation was being run by General Samuel Doe, who had himself gained power
in a coup nine years earlier. Fierce fighting continued into 1990, when neighboring
West African countries joined together to create a peacekeeping force to defend
Monrovia from the rebels. Over the course of time Taylor's ruthless dictatorial
tactics resulted in several splits in the NPFL, and one of these splinter groups
was responsible for the torture and slaying of President Doe less than one month
later.
Supporters of the slain Doe regrouped and led an attack against the NPFL in
1991. Taylor used the Doe supporters as an excuse not to disarm his own troops in
accordance with a peace agreement he signed in October, 1991. The Doe supporters
launched a second, more vicious attack in 1992 which prompted Taylor to make
another assault on Monrovia. Although the West Africans were able to deter Taylor
with their heavy weapons, they were not able to push his forces back from the
outskirts of the capital. This prompted the United Nations to impose an arms
embargo on Liberia, but Taylor already had huge weapons stockpiles and was
reportedly receiving military aid from Libya.
During this period, the West African peacekeeping force, sent by ECOWAS--Economic
Community of West African States, became embroiled in the conflict and took on the
role of another contestant. In 1993, the United Nations took a more active role in
supervising the peace-keeping force. However, its effectiveness was hampered
because Nigeria, which had provided the bulk of the troops, had to withdraw its
forces to quell violence at home.
Liberia's best hope for peace occurred when the three warring factions Taylor's
NPLF, the interim government of then-President Amos Sawyer, and the United
Liberation Movement, a group somewhat allied with the army signed a peace pact in
Cotonou, Benin. Seven months later, during which time still more factions emerged
to continue the violence, an interim government was put in place. The five-member
Council of State is chaired by David Kpormakor, an ally of Sawyer. A beefed-up
peace-keeping force drawn from West African nations has been directed to disarm the
estimated 30,000 armed troops who roam the countryside. Whether Liberia can make
the transition to a functioning democracy will depend on whether the disarmament
process succeeds. It also depends on the many factions choosing peaceful rather
than violent means to push their agendas.
Background
Liberia was founded in 1822 by freed American slaves, and became Africa's first
independent republic in 1847. The former Americans intimidated the local people and
maintained control of the government until 1980, when General Samuel Doe staged a
bloody coup against the Liberians of American descendant.
Charles Taylor procured a job in Doe's government. After being accused of
embezzling almost one million dollars from the Liberian treasury, he left the
country and eventually landed in Libya. It was there that he received support for
his plan to take over the country.
joedees@bellsouth.net wrote:
> Date sent: Wed, 02 Jul 2003 16:21:03 -0500
> From: Walter Watts <wlwatts@cox.net>
> Organization: "The Future's so Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades"
> To: virus <virus@lucifer.com>
> Subject: virus: Liberia
> Send reply to: virus@lucifer.com
>
> Liberia is a US colony. It is to the US what the Ivory Coast is to France,
> who intervened in their civil war earlier this year. They speak English
> there. The US consulted with Kofi Annan prior to announcing the
> intervention, which was urged by Colin Powell.
>
> ---
> To unsubscribe from the Virus list go to <http://www.lucifer.com/cgi-bin/virus-l>
-- Walter Watts Tulsa Network Solutions, Inc. "Reminding you to help control the human population. Have your sexual partner spayed or neutered." --- To unsubscribe from the Virus list go to <http://www.lucifer.com/cgi-bin/virus-l>
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