LiberiaData

On December 24, 1989, a small armed force crossed into Liberia from neighboring Cote d’Ivoire, entering through Nimba County. Led by Charles Ghankay Taylor and calling itself the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), the group numbered fewer than 200 fighters at the outset. Within months, it had grown into a mass insurgency that would tear the country apart for nearly a decade.

Origins and the Nimba County Factor

Taylor’s fighters initially drew strong support from the Gio and Mano peoples of Nimba County, communities that had been specifically targeted by Doe’s government in reprisals for a 1985 coup attempt. The Liberian Armed Forces dominated by Krahn soldiers loyal to Doe from Grand Gedeh County responded with brutal counterattacks against civilian populations.

Scale of Destruction

Atrocities were committed by multiple sides. Ethnic massacres, the use of child soldiers, sexual violence, and the deliberate targeting of civilians became features of the conflict. The First Civil War killed more than 200,000 Liberians and drove over one million people roughly a third of the population — from their homes into refugee camps in neighboring countries.

ECOMOG and the Death of Doe

In August 1990, ECOWAS deployed ECOMOG to Monrovia (Montserrado County) — one of the first major regional peacekeeping operations in African history. In September 1990, Samuel Doe was captured and executed by Prince Johnson’s INPFL forces. Doe’s death did not end the war.

The 1997 Elections

In July 1997, special elections were held. Charles Taylor and his National Patriotic Party won a clear majority. Many Liberians voted for Taylor not out of genuine support but out of fear, captured in the chilling street slogan: ‘He killed my ma, he killed my pa, but I will vote for him.’ Taylor was inaugurated as president.

Sources:
World Without Genocide [12b];
IMANI House [16a];
ICTJ [10]