Country Information

The population of Liberia is approximately 3.4 million. 95% of Liberians belong to indigenous groups (Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, Dei, Bella, Mandingo, and Mende). The minority groups are the Americo-Liberians (descendents of American slaves) and Congo people (descendents of Caribbean slaves) comprising each 2.5% of the population. 40% of the people in Liberia practice indigenous beliefs, 40% are Christian, and 20% are Muslim.

Political and Economic Environment
Since Samuel Doe overthrew President William Tolbert in 1980, Liberia has been experiencing instability. In 1989, Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) militia led a rebellion that resulted in massive destruction of the country. In 1997, the war officially ended, and Liberia had its first democratic presidential and legislative elections. During Charles Taylor’s reign as president, most of the political opposition was crushed. In 1999 and 2002, insurgent groups, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL) formed to challenge Taylor. In June 2003 the two rebel groups attacked Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. Weakened by United Nations sanctions, and under international pressure, Taylor stepped down and went into exile in Nigeria in August 2003. The Special Court for Sierra Leone is trying to convince the government of Nigeria to hand over Taylor, who has been accused of committing crimes against humanity during Sierra Leone’s civil war.

October 2005 elections marked the end of the transitional government and the hope is that they will create a stable government that will move Liberia towards peace and development. Respected international civil servant Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has been declared president of Liberia following runoff elections, having received nearly 60% of the vote. Johnson-Sirleaf is the first female elected president in Africa. With the nation still reeling from a civil war that killed about 250,000 people, some 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers are working to ensure peace. Rebuilding the country’s shattered infrastructure, such as schools, clinics and roads, is essential.

Liberia is one of the poorest countries in the world despite a reasonable natural resource base given the size of the population. More than 80% of population lives on less than $1 per day. Former President Charles Taylor did very little to rebuild the social and economic structure of the country. Under Taylor, half of the country’s natural resources, mainly timber and maritime, were sold on the international market at bargain prices. He left the country with billions of dollars in foreign debt. Liberia’s ravaged economy heavily depends on generous financial support from donor countries.

Humanitarian Situation
Despite progress toward peace and stability, civil unrest persists. Discrimination and rivalries have erupted into violence and rioting, resulting in deaths and severe injuries. Weapons still circulate illegally throughout the country. Insufficient funding and resources for demobilization programs have left former combatants without effective vocational training or jobs. Those responsible for gross human rights violations during 14 year civil war have still not been held accountable. Impunity persists for the forces responsible for continuing violence in Liberia.

The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) began in 2003 with 15,000 peacekeeping personnel and still maintains a strong presence. UNMIL completed a disarmament program for 103,000 former combatants in late 2004, but the security situation is still unstable and the process of rebuilding the social and economic structure remains slow-moving. As a result, UNMIL extended its mission until March 2006.

An estimated 250,000 people were killed in civil war and many thousands more fled the fighting. 38,530 Liberian refugees have been assisted by UNHCR to return home since the start of voluntary repatriation in 2004. An estimated 133,000 Liberian refugees remain in Guinea, 72,000 in Cote d'Ivoire, 67,000 in Sierra Leone, and 43,000 in Ghana. As of 2005, 209,092 Liberian internally displaced persons have been assisted to return to their communities of origin. Assistance to an additional 64,000 Liberian internally displaced who spontaneously resettled is threatened by funding shortages. Youth in displaced persons camps face high risks of being recruited as child soldiers.

Peace cannot be achieved without massive investment in rural infrastructure and job creation programs. In the capital, the new government will be challenged immediately to prove it can function and restore basic services, such as electricity and running water. Substantial external assistance will be required for the foreseeable future to prevent Liberia from returning to violence and anarchy.

Updated December 2005