NPFL victory
90-404: The Liberian Civil War may refer to one of the following conflicts: First Liberian Civil War , 1989–1997 Second Liberian Civil War , 1999–2003 Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Liberian Civil War . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
180-403: A red notice regarding Taylor, suggesting that countries had a duty to arrest him. Taylor was placed on Interpol's Most Wanted list , declaring him wanted for crimes against humanity and breaches of the 1949 Geneva Convention , and noting that he should be considered dangerous. Nigeria stated it would not submit to Interpol's demands, agreeing to deliver Taylor to Liberia only in the event that
270-751: A Gaddafi-funded armed uprising from the Ivory Coast into Liberia to overthrow the Doe regime, leading to the First Liberian Civil War . By 1990, his forces controlled most of the country. That same year, Prince Johnson , a senior commander of Taylor's NPFL, broke away and formed the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL). In September 1990, Johnson captured Monrovia , depriving Taylor of outright victory. Johnson and his forces captured and tortured Doe to death, instigating
360-487: A UN embargo against arms sales to Liberia at the time, these weapons were largely purchased on the black market through arms smugglers such as Viktor Bout . Taylor was charged with aiding and abetting RUF atrocities against civilians, which left many thousands dead or mutilated, with unknown numbers of people abducted and tortured. He was also accused of assisting the RUF in the recruitment of child soldiers . In addition to aiding
450-519: A cease-fire. At the beginning of September 1995, Liberia's three principal warlords – Taylor, George Boley and Alhaji Kromah – made theatrical entrances into Monrovia. A ruling council of six members under civilian Wilton G. S. Sankawulo and with the three factional heads Taylor, Kromah and Boley, took control of the country preparatory to elections that were originally scheduled for 1996. Heavy fighting broke out again in April 1996. This led to
540-528: A ceasefire in 1995 but fighting continued until a peace agreement between the main factions occurred in August 1996. Taylor was elected President of Liberia following the 1997 Liberian general election and entered office in August of the same year. The First Liberian Civil War killed around 200,000 people and eventually led to the involvement of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and
630-598: A few days later. In July 2003, LURD initiated a siege of Monrovia, and several bloody battles were fought as Taylor's forces halted rebel attempts to capture the city. The pressure on Taylor increased as U.S. President George W. Bush twice that month stated that Taylor "must leave Liberia". On 9 July, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo offered Taylor exile in his country on the condition that Taylor stay out of Liberian politics. Taylor insisted that he would resign only if U.S. peacekeeping troops were deployed to Liberia. Bush publicly called upon Taylor to resign and leave
720-411: A former military commander, testified that Charles Taylor celebrated his new-found status during the civil war by ordering human sacrifice, including the killings of Taylor's opponents and allies that were perceived to have betrayed Taylor, and by having a pregnant woman buried alive in sand. Marzah also accused Taylor of forcing cannibalism on his soldiers to terrorize their enemies. In January 2009,
810-709: A getaway car to Staten Island in New York, where Taylor disappeared. All four of Taylor's fellow escapees, as well as Enid and Toweh, were later apprehended. In July 2009, Taylor claimed at his trial that US CIA agents had helped him escape from the maximum security prison in Boston in 1985. This was during his trial by the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague. The US Defense Intelligence Agency confirmed that Taylor first started working with US intelligence in
900-482: A large rebel force led by Prince Johnson's INPFL also arrived and attacked Doe's party. Doe was captured and taken to the INPFL's Caldwell base. He was brutally tortured before being killed and dismembered. His torture and execution was videotaped by his captors. Johnson's INPFL and Taylor's NPFL continued to struggle for control of Monrovia in the months that followed. With military discipline absent and bloodshed throughout
990-662: A motion by Taylor's defence team, who argued that their client could not get a fair trial there and also wanted the Special Court to withdraw the request to move the trial to Leidschendam. On 15 June 2006, the British government agreed to jail Taylor in the United Kingdom in the event he was convicted by the SCSL. This fulfilled a condition laid down by the Dutch government , which had stated it
SECTION 10
#17328443528151080-530: A plea of not guilty. In early June 2006, the decision on whether to hold Taylor's trial in Freetown or in Leidschendam had not yet been made by the new SCSL president, George Gelaga King . King's predecessor had pushed for the trial to be held abroad because of fear that a local trial would be politically destabilizing in an area where Taylor still had influence. The Appeals Chamber of the Special Court dismissed
1170-642: A result of the Second Liberian Civil War and growing international pressure. Born in Arthington , Montserrado County , Liberia , Taylor earned a degree at Bentley College in the United States before returning to Liberia to work in the government of Samuel Doe . After being removed for embezzlement and imprisoned by President Doe, Taylor escaped prison in 1989. He eventually arrived in Libya , where he
1260-506: A violent political fragmentation of the country. The civil war turned into an ethnic conflict , with seven factions among indigenous peoples and the Americo-Liberians fighting for control of Liberia's resources (especially iron ore, diamonds, timber, and rubber). Amos Sawyer alleges that Taylor's aims extended beyond Liberia—that he wanted to re-establish the country as a regional power player. Taylor's ambitions, which were held from
1350-540: A warrant for extradition to face charges of embezzling $ 1 million (~$ 2.48 million in 2023) of government funds while he was the GSA boss. Taylor fought extradition with the help of a legal team led by former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark . His lawyers' primary arguments before US District Magistrate Robert J. DeGiacomo stated that his alleged acts of lawbreaking in Liberia were political rather than criminal in nature and that
1440-475: Is followed by Ruth Perry as chairwoman of the ruling council, who served until 2 August 1997. Simultaneous elections for the presidency and national assembly were finally held in July 1997. In a climate hardly conducive to free movement and security of persons, Taylor and his National Patriotic Party won an overwhelming victory against 12 candidates. Assisted by widespread intimidation, Taylor took 75 per cent of
1530-554: The National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL). They invaded Nimba County on 24 December 1989. The Liberian Army retaliated against the whole population of the region, attacking unarmed civilians, mainly of the Mandingo tribe, and burning villages. Many left as refugees for Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire, but opposition to Doe was inflamed. Prince Johnson , an NPFL fighter, split to form his own guerrilla force soon after crossing
1620-702: The Special Court for Sierra Leone . That year, he resigned, as a result of growing international pressure; he went into exile in Nigeria . In 2006, the newly elected President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf , formally requested his extradition. He was detained by UN authorities in Sierra Leone and then at the Penitentiary Institution Haaglanden in The Hague , awaiting trial by the Special Court. He
1710-557: The U.S. State Department . On 6 August, a 32-member U.S. military assessment team were deployed as a liaison with the ECOWAS troops, landing from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit , commanded by Colonel A.P. Frick, from three U.S. Navy amphibious ships waiting off the Liberian coast. On 10 August, Taylor appeared on national television to announce that he would resign the following day and hand power to Vice President Blah. He harshly criticized
1800-649: The United Nations . The peace lasted for two years until the Second Liberian Civil War broke out when anti-Taylor forces invaded Liberia from Guinea in April 1999. Samuel Doe took power in a popular rebellion in 1980 against the Liberian Government, becoming the first Liberian President of non Americo-Liberian descent. Doe established a military regime called the People's Redemption Council and enjoyed support from Liberian ethnic groups who were denied power since
1890-462: The rebel siege on Monrovia and exiled Charles Taylor to Nigeria until he was arrested in 2006 and taken to The Hague for his trial. By the conclusion of the final war, more than 250,000 people had been killed and nearly 1 million displaced. Half that number remain to be repatriated in 2005, at the election of Liberia's first democratic President since the initial 1980 coup d'état of Samuel Doe. Former president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf , who initially
SECTION 20
#17328443528151980-477: The 1980s but refused to give details of his role or US actions, citing national security. Taylor escaped the United States without issue. He then resurfaced in Libya where he took part in militia training under Muammar Gaddafi , becoming Gaddafi's protégé. He later left Libya and travelled to the Ivory Coast , where he founded the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL). In December 1989, Taylor launched
2070-581: The 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania . The indictment was unsealed during Taylor's official visit to Ghana , where he was participating in peace talks with MODEL and LURD officials. As result, the possibility arose that Taylor might be arrested by Ghanaian authorities; in response, Taylor's chief bodyguard and military commander Benjamin Yeaten threatened to execute Ghanaians who lived in Liberia, deterring Ghana's government from taking action. With
2160-616: The 1st Infantry Battalion, to Nimba in December 1989-January 1990, apparently under then-Colonel Hezekiah Bowen. The AFL acted in a very brutal and scorched-earth fashion, which quickly alienated the local people. The rebel assault soon pitted ethnic Krahn sympathetic to the Doe regime against those victimized by it, the Gio and the Mano. Thousands of civilians were massacred on both sides. Hundreds of thousands fled their homes. The Monrovia Church massacre
2250-710: The Akosombo Agreement, a supplement to the Cotonou agreement, named after the Benin city where it was signed. The security situation in Liberia remained poor. In October 1994, in the face of ECOMOG funding shortfalls and a lack of will by the Liberian combatants to honor agreements to end the war, the UN Security Council reduced to about 90 the number of UNOMIL observers. It extended UNOMIL's mandate and subsequently extended it several times until September 1997. In December 1994,
2340-765: The Cotonou Peace Agreement, prior to elections originally planned for February/March 1994. Renewed armed hostilities broke out in May 1994 and continued, becoming especially intense in July and August. ECOMOG, and later UNOMIL, members were captured and held hostage by some factions. By mid-1994, the humanitarian situation had become disastrous, with 1.8 million Liberians in need of humanitarian assistance. Conditions continued to deteriorate, but humanitarian agencies were unable to reach many in need due to hostilities and general insecurity. Factional leaders agreed in September 1994 to
2430-708: The Freeport of Monrovia on August 24, 1990, landing from Nigerian and Ghanaian vessels. On 9 September 1990, Doe visited the newly established ECOMOG headquarters in the Free Port of Maher. According to Stephen Ellis, his motive was to complain that the ECOMOG commander had not paid a courtesy call to him as the Head of State; however, the exact circumstances that led to Doe's visit to the Free Port are still unclear. Doe had been under pressure to accept exile outside of Liberia. After Doe arrived,
2520-761: The Independent National Patriotic Front (INPFL). The INPFL and NPFL continued their siege on Monrovia, which the AFL defended. In their Freedom in the World report for 1990, Freedom House described Monrovia by July as "a virtual ghost town of starving people and rotting corpses" as the rebel advance on the city caused widespread panic and anarchy, leading to Liberian soldiers looting shops and killing civilians at random, all while hunger and disease quickly took hold. Johnson swiftly took control of parts of Monrovia prompting evacuation of foreign nationals and diplomats by
2610-641: The NPFL back beyond Monrovia's suburbs. In 1993, ECOWAS brokered a peace agreement in Cotonou , Benin. Following this, on September 22, 1993, the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council established the UN Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL), to support ECOMOG in implementing this peace agreement. UNOMIL was deployed in early 1994 with 368 military observers and associated civilian personnel to monitor implementation of
2700-501: The President of Liberia requested his return. On 17 March 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf , the newly elected President of Liberia, submitted an official request to Nigeria for Taylor's extradition . This request was granted on 25 March, whereby Nigeria agreed to release Taylor to stand trial in the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL). Nigeria agreed only to release Taylor and not to extradite him, as no extradition treaty existed between
2790-547: The President's own tribe, the Krahn. The mistreatment of the Gio and Mano increased tensions in Liberia, which had already been rising due to Doe's preferential treatment of his own group. Charles Taylor , who had left Doe's government after being accused of embezzlement, assembled a group of rebels in Côte d'Ivoire (mostly ethnic Gios and Manos who felt persecuted by Doe) who later became known as
Liberian Civil War - Misplaced Pages Continue
2880-509: The RUF in these acts, Taylor reportedly personally directed RUF operations in Sierra Leone. Taylor obtained spiritual and other advice from the evangelist Kilari Anand Paul . As president, he was known for his flamboyant style. Upon being charged by the UN of being a gunrunner and diamond smuggler during his presidency, Taylor appeared in all-white robes and begged God for forgiveness, while denying
2970-610: The US Navy in August . In August 1990, the 16-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) agreed to deploy a joint military intervention force, the Economic Community Monitoring Group ( ECOMOG ), and placed it under Nigerian leadership. The mission later included troops from non-ECOWAS countries, including Uganda and Tanzania. ECOMOG's objectives were to impose a cease-fire; help Liberians establish an interim government until elections could be held; stop
3060-433: The United Nations' peacekeeping mission, United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia , along with a contingent from the Economic Community of West African States . Taylor won the election in a landslide, garnering 75 percent of the vote. Although the election was generally regarded as free and fair by international observers, Taylor had a significant advantage from the outset. During the civil war, he seized virtually all of
3150-636: The United States in his farewell address , saying that the Bush administration 's insistence that he leave the country would hurt Liberia. On 11 August, Taylor resigned, with Blah serving as president until a transitional government was established on 14 October. Ghanaian President John Kufuor , South African President Thabo Mbeki , and Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano , all representing African regional councils, were present at his announcement. The U.S. brought Joint Task Force Liberia 's Amphibious Ready Group of three warships with 2,300 Marines into view of
3240-421: The United States in the event of his acquittal by the SCSL. Taylor's counsel cited the leaked cable and the court's decision as evidence of an international conspiracy against Taylor. On 3 March, the appeals court of the SCSL overturned the trial court's decision, ruling that as the trial court had not established that Taylor had been counseled by the court and personally indicated his intent to waive his right to
3330-527: The backing of South African president Thabo Mbeki and against the urging of Sierra Leone president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah , Ghana consequently declined to detain Taylor, who returned to Monrovia. During Taylor's absence for the peace talks in Ghana, the U.S. government was alleged to have urged Vice President Moses Blah to seize power. Upon his return, Taylor briefly dismissed Blah from his post, only to reinstate him
3420-406: The bloodshed. The bloodshed did slow considerably, but it did not end. Violent events flared up regularly after the putative end of the war. Taylor, furthermore, was accused of backing guerrillas in neighboring countries and funneling diamond money into arms purchases for the rebel armies he supported, and into luxuries for himself. The implicit unrest manifested during the late 1990s is emblematic in
3510-673: The border, based on the Gio tribe and named Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL). Charles Taylor organized and trained indigenous northerners in Ivory Coast . During Doe's regime Taylor had served in the Liberian Government's General Services Agency, acting 'as its de facto director'. He fled to the United States in 1983 amid what Stephan Ellis describes as the 'increasingly menacing atmosphere in Monrovia' shortly before Thomas Quiwonkpa , Doe's chief lieutenant, fled into exile himself. Doe requested Taylor's extradition for embezzling $ 900,000 of Liberian government funds. Taylor
3600-792: The capital region, members of ECOWAS created the Economic Community Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) to restore order. The force comprised some 4,000 troops from Nigeria , Ghana , Sierra Leone , the Gambia and Guinea . ECOMOG succeeded in bringing Taylor and Johnson to agree to its intervention, but Taylor's forces engaged it in the port area of Monrovia. A series of peacemaking conferences in regional capitals followed. There were meetings in Bamako in November 1990, Lomé in January 1991, and Yamoussoukro in June–October 1991. But
3690-447: The charges. He was reported to have said that "Jesus Christ was accused of being a murderer in his time." During the last four years of Taylor's presidency, he is believed to have stolen and diverted nearly $ 100 million, amounting to roughly half of total government revenue. In 1999, a rebellion against Taylor began in northern Liberia, led by a group calling itself Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD). This group
Liberian Civil War - Misplaced Pages Continue
3780-555: The civil war period into his presidency, not only resulted in the domestic Liberian conflict, they also triggered regional instability which manifested itself in the forms of the Sierra Leone Civil War and unrest in the forest region of Guinea . After the official end of the civil war in 1996, Taylor ran for president in the 1997 general election . He campaigned on the notorious slogan "He killed my ma, he killed my pa, but I will vote for him." The elections were overseen by
3870-623: The civil war. Following a peace deal that ended the war, Taylor was elected president in the 1997 general election as a member of the National Patriotic Party (NPP). During his term of office, Taylor was accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity as a result of his support for the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebel group in the Sierra Leone Civil War (1991–2002). Domestically, Taylor attempted to consolidate power through dictatorial means such as by purging
3960-695: The coast. Taylor flew to Nigeria, where the Nigerian government provided houses for him and his entourage in Calabar . In November 2003, the United States Congress passed a bill that included a reward offer of two million dollars for Taylor's capture. While the peace agreement had guaranteed Taylor safe exile in Nigeria, it also required that he refrain from influencing Liberian politics. His critics said he disregarded this prohibition. On 4 December, Interpol issued
4050-622: The conference. Within days, hostilities resumed. ECOMOG was reinforced in order to protect the interim government. Sawyer was able to establish his authority over most of Monrovia, but the rest of Liberia was in the hands of various factions of the NPFL or of local gangs. The United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO) was formed in June 1991 by supporters of the late President Samuel K. Doe and former Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) fighters who had taken refuge in Guinea and Sierra Leone . It
4140-399: The country in order for any American involvement to be considered. Meanwhile, several African states, in particular the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) under the leadership of Nigeria, sent troops under the banner of ECOMIL to Liberia. Logistical support was provided by a California company called PAE Government Services Inc., which was given a $ 10 million contract by
4230-491: The country within a year. Doe was captured and executed by the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL), a splinter faction of the NPFL led by Prince Johnson , in September 1990. The NPFL and INPFL fought each other for control of the capital city, Monrovia and against the Armed Forces of Liberia and pro-Doe United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy . Peace negotiations and foreign involvement led to
4320-516: The country's radio stations and used his control over the Liberian airwaves to spread propaganda and bolster his image. Additionally, there was widespread fear in the country that Taylor would resume the war if he lost. During his time in office, Taylor cut the size of the Armed Forces of Liberia , dismissing 2,400–2,600 former personnel, many of whom were ethnic Krahn brought in by former President Doe to give advantage to his people. In 1998, Taylor attempted to murder one of his political opponents,
4410-505: The country, uprooted most of the rest, and destroyed a once-viable economic infrastructure. The strife also spread to Liberia's neighbors. It helped slow democratization in West Africa at the beginning of the 1990s and destabilized a region that already was one of the world's most unsteady. The Second Liberian Civil War began in 1999 and ended in October 2003, when ECOWAS intervened to stop
4500-451: The diamond mining areas of Lofa and Bomi counties . From its outset, ULIMO was beset with internal divisions and the group effectively broke into two separate militias in 1994: ULIMO-J , an ethnic Krahn faction led by General Roosevelt Johnson ; and ULIMO-K , a Mandingo -based faction led by Alhaji G.V. Kromah . The group was alleged to have committed serious violations of human rights , both before and after its breakup. Peace
4590-520: The evacuation of most international non-governmental organizations and the destruction of much of Monrovia. The U.S. Armed Forces enacted Operation Assured Response which resulted in the removal of 485 Americans and over 2,400 citizens hailing from 68 countries. In August 1996, these battles were ended by the Abuja Accord in Nigeria, agreeing to disarmament and demobilization by 1997 and elections in July of that year. 3 September 1996, Sankawulo
SECTION 50
#17328443528154680-571: The extradition treaty between the two republics had lapsed. Assistant United States Attorney Richard G. Stearns argued that Liberia wished to charge Taylor with theft in office, rather than with political crimes. Stearns' arguments were reinforced by Liberian Justice Minister Jenkins Scott, who flew to the United States to testify at the proceedings. Taylor was detained in the Plymouth County Correctional Facility . On 15 September 1985, Taylor and four other inmates escaped from
4770-590: The factions and other parties signed the Accra Agreement, a supplement to the Akosombo Agreement. Disagreements ensued and fighting continued. In August 1995, the main factions signed an agreement largely brokered by Ghanaian President Jerry Rawlings . At a conference sponsored by ECOWAS, the United Nations and the United States, the European Union, and the Organization of African Unity , Charles Taylor agreed to
4860-742: The first seven peace conferences, including the Yamoussoukro I-IV processes failed. In November 1990, ECOWAS invited the principal Liberian players to meet in Banjul , Gambia to form a government of national unity. The negotiated settlement established the Interim Government of National Unity (IGNU), led by Dr. Amos Sawyer , leader of the LPP. Bishop Ronald Diggs of the Liberian Council of Churches became vice president. However, Taylor's NPFL refused to attend
4950-479: The former Commanding General of the Armed Forces of Liberia whom Doe had demoted and forced to flee the country, attempted to overthrow Doe's regime from neighbouring Sierra Leone . The coup attempt failed and Quiwonkpa was killed and allegedly eaten. His body was publicly exhibited on the grounds of the Executive Mansion in Monrovia soon after his death. The Gio and Mano ethnic groups were persecuted because they were suspected of treason and were seen as inferiors to
5040-407: The former warlord Roosevelt Johnson , causing clashes in Monrovia , during and after which hundreds of Krahn were massacred and hundreds more fled Liberia. This event was one of the factors that led to the outbreak of the Second Liberian Civil War. In 2003, members of the Krahn tribe founded a rebel group, the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), opposing Taylor. The group disbanded as part of
5130-418: The founding of the country in 1847. Any hope that Doe would improve the way Liberia was run was put aside as he quickly clamped down on opposition, fueled by his paranoia of a counter-coup attempt against him. As promised, Doe held elections in 1985 and won the presidency by just enough of a margin to avoid a runoff. However, international monitors condemned this election as fraudulent. Thomas Quiwonkpa ,
5220-434: The government and gaining control of the local diamond fields, leading to the Second Liberian Civil War . The Liberian civil war was one of Africa's bloodiest. From 1989 to 1996, it claimed the lives of more than 200,000 Liberians and further displaced a million others into refugee camps in neighboring countries. Child soldiers were used throughout the war. The civil war claimed the lives of one out of every 17 people in
5310-419: The jail. Two days later, The Boston Globe reported that they sawed through a bar covering a window in a dormitory room, after which they lowered themselves 20 feet (6.1 m) on knotted sheets and escaped into nearby woods by climbing a fence. Shortly thereafter, Taylor and two other escapees were met at nearby Jordan Hospital by Taylor's wife, Enid, and Taylor's sister-in-law, Lucia Holmes Toweh. They drove
5400-517: The killing of innocent civilians; and ensure the safe evacuation of foreign nationals. ECOMOG also sought to prevent the conflict from spreading into neighboring states, which share a complex history of state, economic, and ethno-linguistic social relations with Liberia. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) attempted to persuade Doe to resign and go into exile, but despite his weak position – besieged in his mansion – he refused. ECOMOG , an ECOWAS intervention force, arrived at
5490-490: The leader from testifying against him at the SCSL. In June 2003, Alan White, the Prosecutor to the Special Court unsealed the indictment and announced publicly that Taylor was charged with war crimes. The indictment asserted that Taylor created and backed the RUF rebels in Sierra Leone, who were accused of a range of atrocities, including the use of child soldiers . The Prosecutor also said that Taylor's administration had harbored members of Al-Qaeda sought in connection with
SECTION 60
#17328443528155580-1205: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Liberian_Civil_War&oldid=1188876589 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Civil wars in Liberia Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages First Liberian Civil War [REDACTED] Liberian government [REDACTED] ULIMO (1991–1994) [REDACTED] LPC (1993–1996) [REDACTED] LUDF (later becoming ULIMO ) [REDACTED] LDF (1993–1996) Supported by: ECOMOG ULIMO: [REDACTED] Alhaji Kromah (ULIMO-K since 1994) [REDACTED] Roosevelt Johnson (ULIMO-J since 1994) [REDACTED] Raleigh Seekie † [REDACTED] General Butt Naked (ULIMO-J since 1994) [REDACTED] Jungle Jabbah (ULIMO-K since 1994) LPC: [REDACTED] George Boley LUDF: [REDACTED] Albert Karpeh † FDL: [REDACTED] Francois Massaquoi Foreign support: [REDACTED] Sani Abacha The First Liberian Civil War
5670-408: The military and committing violence against his political rivals, including an assassination attempt of former ULIMO commander Roosevelt Johnson , leading to violent clashes in Monrovia in 1998 . As a result, opposition to his government grew, culminating in the outbreak of the Second Liberian Civil War in 1999. By 2003, Taylor had lost control of much of the countryside and was formally indicted by
5760-462: The peace agreement at the end of the second civil war. In its place, Taylor installed the Anti-Terrorist Unit , the Special Operations Division of the Liberian National Police (LNP), which he used as his private army. During his presidency, Taylor was alleged to have been involved directly in the Sierra Leone Civil War . He was accused of aiding the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) through weapon sales in exchange for blood diamonds . Due to
5850-413: The presidential poll (no other candidate won more than 10 per cent) while the NPP won a similar proportion of seats in both parliamentary chambers. 2 August 1997, Ruth Perry handed power to elected president Charles Taylor. In 1997, the Liberian people elected Charles Taylor as the President after he entered the capital city, Monrovia , by force. Liberians had voted for Taylor in the hope that he would end
5940-551: The proceeding and was not present. Through a letter that was read by his attorney to the court, he justified his absence by alleging that at that moment he was not ensured a fair and impartial trial. On 20 August 2007, Taylor's defence, now led by Courtenay Griffiths , obtained a postponement of the trial until 7 January 2008. During the trial, the chief prosecutor alleged that a key insider witness who testified against Taylor went into hiding after being threatened for giving evidence against Taylor. Furthermore, Joseph "Zigzag" Marzah,
6030-429: The prosecution finished presenting its evidence against Taylor and closed its case on 27 February 2009. On 4 May 2009, a defence motion for a judgment of acquittal was dismissed, and arguments for Taylor's defence began in July 2009. Taylor testified in his own defence from July through November 2009. The defence rested its case on 12 November 2010, with closing arguments set for early February 2011. On 8 February 2011,
6120-417: The sharp national economic decline and the prevalent sale of diamonds and timber in exchange for small arms. After Taylor's victory, Liberia was sufficiently peaceful that refugees began to return. But other leaders were forced to leave the country, and some ULIMO forces reformed as the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD). LURD began fighting in Lofa County with the aim of destabilizing
6210-497: The summer, Taylor's government controlled only about a third of Liberia: Monrovia and the central part of the country. More than one-third of the total population lived in this area. On 7 March 2003, the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) issued a sealed indictment for Taylor. Earlier that year, Liberian forces had killed Sam Bockarie , a leading member of the RUF in Sierra Leone, in a shootout under Taylor's orders. Some have claimed that Taylor ordered Bockarie killed to prevent
6300-442: The trial court ruled in a 2–1 decision that it would not accept Taylor's trial summary, as the summary had not been submitted by the 14 January deadline. In response, Taylor and his counsel boycotted the trial and refused an order by the court to begin closing arguments. This boycott came soon after the 2010 leak of American diplomatic cables , in which the United States discussed the possibility of extraditing Taylor for prosecution in
6390-445: The two countries. Three days after Nigeria announced its intent to transfer Taylor to Liberia, the leader disappeared from the seaside villa where he had been living in exile. A week before that, Nigerian authorities had taken the unusual step of allowing local press to accompany census takers into Taylor's Calabar compound. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo was scheduled to meet with President Bush less than 48 hours after Taylor
6480-442: Was a five year old at the onset of the war. General: Charles Taylor (Liberian politician) Rebel leader (1989–1997) President of Liberia (1997–2003) Post-Presidency (2003–present) Charles McArthur Ghankay Taylor (born 28 January 1948) is a Liberian former politician and convicted war criminal who served as the 22nd president of Liberia from 2 August 1997 until his resignation on 11 August 2003 as
6570-477: Was a strong supporter of Charles Taylor, was inaugurated in January 2006 and the National Transitional Government of Liberia terminated its power. Charles Taylor was sentenced to a trial in 2003, after being accused of rape and acts of sexual violence, promoting child soldiers, and an illegal ownership of weapons. He denied these accusations but was eventually testified against by his victims. He
6660-451: Was an Americo-Liberian who worked as a teacher, sharecropper, lawyer and judge. In 1977, Taylor earned a degree at Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts , United States. Taylor supported the 1980 Liberian coup d'état led by Samuel Doe , which resulted in the murder of President William Tolbert and seizure of power by Doe, who established the People's Redemption Council . Taylor
6750-554: Was appointed to the position of Director General of the General Services Agency (GSA), a position that left him in charge of purchasing for the Liberian government. He was fired in May 1983 for embezzling an estimated $ 1,000,000 (~$ 2.57 million in 2023) and sending the funds to another bank account. Taylor fled to the United States but was arrested on 21 May 1984 by two US Deputy Marshals in Somerville, Massachusetts , on
6840-482: Was born in Arthington , a town near the capital of Monrovia, Liberia , on 28 January 1948, to Nelson and Yassa Zoe (Louise) Taylor. He attended The Newman School in his early years. He took the name "Ghankay" later on, possibly to please and gain favor with indigenous Liberians. His mother was a member of the Gola ethnic group, part of the 95% of the people who are indigenous to Liberia. According to most reports, his father
6930-604: Was carried out by approximately 30 ethnic Krahn government soldiers, killing 600 civilians in St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Monrovia, on 29 July 1990, the worst single atrocity of the First Liberian Civil War. By May 1990 the AFL had been forced back to Gbarnga , still under the control of Bowen's troops, but they lost the town to a NPFL assault on 28 May. By June 1990, Taylor's forces were laying siege to Monrovia. In July 1990, Prince Yormie Johnson split from Taylor and formed
7020-419: Was delivered to the SCSL. The SCSL prosecutor originally indicted Taylor on 3 March 2003 on 17 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the conflict in Sierra Leone. On 16 March 2006, a SCSL judge gave leave to amend the indictment against Taylor. Under the amended indictment, Taylor was charged with 11 counts. At Taylor's initial appearance before the court on 3 April 2006, he entered
7110-634: Was extradited and flown to Rotterdam Airport in the Netherlands. He was taken into custody and held in the detention centre of the International Criminal Court , located in the Scheveningen section of The Hague. The Association for the Legal Defence of Charles G. Taylor was established in June 2006 to assist in his legal defence. When Taylor's trial opened on 4 June 2007, Taylor boycotted
7200-417: Was found guilty in April 2012 of all eleven charges levied by the Special Court, including terror, murder and rape. In May 2012, Taylor was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Reading the sentencing statement, Presiding Judge Richard Lussick said: "The accused has been found responsible for aiding and abetting as well as planning some of the most heinous and brutal crimes in recorded human history." 1 Taylor
7290-406: Was frequently accused of atrocities, and is thought to have been backed by the government of neighboring Guinea . This uprising signaled the beginning of the Second Liberian Civil War . By early 2003, LURD had gained control of northern Liberia. That year, a second Ivorian -backed rebel group, Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), emerged in southern Liberia and achieved rapid success. By
7380-547: Was led by Raleigh Seekie, a deputy Minister of Finance in the Doe government. After fighting alongside the Sierra Leonean army against the Sierra Leonean Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels, ULIMO forces entered western Liberia in September 1991. The group scored significant gains in areas held by another rebel group – Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), notably around
7470-427: Was reported missing. Speculation ensued that Bush would refuse to meet with Obasanjo if Taylor were not apprehended. Less than 12 hours prior to the scheduled meeting between the two heads of state, Taylor was reported apprehended en route to Liberia. On 29 March, Taylor tried to cross the border into Cameroon through the border town of Gamboru in northeastern Nigeria. His Range Rover with Nigerian diplomatic plates
7560-412: Was still far off as both Taylor and Johnson claimed power. ECOMOG declared an Interim Government of National Unity (IGNU) with Amos Sawyer as their president, with the broad support of Johnson. Taylor launched an assault on Monrovia on October 15, 1992, named 'Operation Octopus' which may have been led by Burkina Faso soldiers. The resulting siege lasted two months. By late December, ECOMOG had pushed
7650-539: Was stopped by border guards, and Taylor's identity was eventually established. Upon his arrival at Roberts International Airport in Harbel , Liberia, Taylor was arrested and handcuffed by LNP officers, who immediately transferred responsibility for the custody of Taylor to the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). Irish UNMIL soldiers escorted Taylor aboard a UN helicopter to Freetown , Sierra Leone, where he
7740-571: Was the first of two civil wars within the West African nation of Liberia which lasted between 1989 and 1997. President Samuel Doe 's regime of totalitarianism and widespread corruption led to calls for withdrawal of the support of the United States , by the late 1980s. The National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) led by Charles Taylor invaded Liberia from the Ivory Coast to overthrow Doe in December 1989 and gained control over most of
7830-652: Was then sentenced to 50 years in prison. Peace agreements signed included the: Liberia during this civil war is one of the numerous locations worldwide depicted in The Savage Detectives ( Los Detectives Salvajes in Spanish), a novel by the Chilean author Roberto Bolaño published in 1998, just after the end of this war. The 2020 memoir by Liberian-American author Wayétu Moore , The Dragons, The Giant, The Women , recounts her family's flight from Monrovia when she
7920-522: Was thus arrested in the United States and after sixteen months broke out of a Massachusetts jail in circumstances that are still unclear. The NPFL initially encountered plenty of support within Nimba County, which had endured the majority of Samuel Doe's wrath after the 1985 attempted coup. Thousands of Gio and Mano joined when Taylor and his force of 100 rebels reentered Liberia in 1989, on Christmas Eve. Doe responded by sending two AFL battalions, including
8010-587: Was trained as a guerrilla fighter . He returned to Liberia in 1989 as the head of a Libyan-backed rebel group, the National Patriotic Front of Liberia , to overthrow the Doe government, initiating the First Liberian Civil War (1989–1996). Following Doe's execution, Taylor gained control of a large portion of the country and became one of the most prominent warlords in Africa. His forces, along with those of other rival warlords such as ULIMO were notorious for committing widespread human rights abuses and atrocities during
8100-668: Was willing to host the trial but would not jail him if convicted. British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett stated that new legislation would be required to accommodate this arrangement. This legislation came in the form of the International Tribunals (Sierra Leone) Act 2007. While awaiting his extradition to the Netherlands, Taylor was held in a UN jail in Freetown. On 16 June 2006, the United Nations Security Council agreed unanimously to allow Taylor to be sent to Leidschendam for trial; on 20 June 2006, Taylor
#814185