Misplaced Pages

#740259

56-469: The town gets its name after the head of a local anteater creek. Zwedru is surrounded by a lot of forests, and lies in a tropical region. The north-western section of Zwedru has an important forest region with rare bird species. Before the Liberian Civil War , Zwedru was known for timber production and its wood products industry. As of the 2008 census, Zwedru has a population of 23,903 making it

112-523: 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

168-540: 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

224-404: A crowd of NPFL supporters surrounded their vehicle and demanded they surrender their jeep and weapons. All of Senegal's 1,500 soldiers were withdrawn by mid January 1993. Throughout the mission, corruption and organized looting by ECOMOG troops led some Liberians to re-coin the acronym ECOMOG as "Every Car or Movable Object Gone." Stephen Ellis reports one of the most egregious examples as being

280-486: 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

336-399: A many-sided civil war, in an attempt to forcibly hold the warring factions apart. The first Force Commander was Ghanaian Lieutenant General Arnold Quainoo , but he was succeeded by an unbroken line of Nigerian officers. Major General Joshua Dogonyaro took over from Quainoo after Quainoo had left Monrovia for consultations with senior ECOWAS officials soon after the death of Samuel Doe at

392-595: A regional security initiative since the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) tried to establish an 'Inter-African Force' to intervene in Chad in 1981. Anglophone members of ECOMOG acted because several Francophone ECOWAS members strongly opposed the deployment. The leaders of Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire supported Charles Taylor in his attempt to depose Samuel Doe . Unlike the typical UN mission of its day, ECOMOG's first deployment entailed fighting its way into

448-479: 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

504-569: 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

560-541: The Nigerian Armed Forces , with sub- battalion strength units contributed by other ECOWAS members — Ghana , Guinea , Sierra Leone , The Gambia , Liberia , Mali , Burkina Faso , Niger , and others. Nigeria and other ECOWAS members agreed to a Protocol on Mutual Defence Assistance, in Freetown , Sierra Leone, on 29 May 1981. Among other organs such as a Defence Committee and Council, it provided for

616-747: 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

SECTION 10

#1732782998741

672-462: 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

728-677: 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

784-847: 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,

840-783: 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

896-726: 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,

952-567: The Grand Gedeh County Community College is situated on the outskirts of the city in the Garloville area. Zwedru is best known for the birthplace of former 21st president of Liberia , Samuel Doe . After taking power in a bloody coup d’état in 1980 , he installed a number of pavements and also constructed a mansion on the edge of town but he did not live there even for a night until 9 September 1990, when he

1008-782: 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

1064-666: 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

1120-615: 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

1176-629: 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

SECTION 20

#1732782998741

1232-406: 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

1288-513: The body that established ECOMOG at its meeting in Banjul, Gambia on 6–7 August 1990, was 'on shaky legal foundations.' Adebajo concludes that the arguments used to establish ECOMOG had more solid grounds in politics than in law. The Defence Protocol's guidelines were not followed, and ECOMOG was justified largely on humanitarian grounds. Within Africa, ECOMOG represented the first credible attempt at

1344-800: 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

1400-810: 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

1456-1057: The city due to its low range coverage. A newspaper recently began publishing in the area. Liberia's two main GSM companies Lonestar and Orange all have steel towers in Zwedru. As the main population center in the county and the region as a whole, Zwedru has many entertainment centers, Hotels, Motels and Guest Houses. There are 10 high schools (3 public and 7 private) in the city and several primary schools mainly operated by churches and other private groups. The 10 diploma and national examination certificate offering institutions are (public): The Zwedru Multilateral High School, Tubman Wilson Institute, Suah Memorial High School; (private): Robert Baker Richardson Baptist High School, M. Nixon Garlo Evangelical Lutheran High School, Bishop Juwle High School, Zwedru United Methodist High School, Salvation Army High School, Mike Tula Wilson AG School and Solid Foundation High School recently established in 2009. The only campus of

1512-437: The city has made significant progress as seen in the media sector where few radio stations have erected in post war era. There are 3 FM radio stations that serve the city and there is no domestic Television service. Smile FM is the oldest radio station in Zwedru and is the only community run media institution. Top FM and Flash FM are the other two and are under private operations. The state own broadcasting TV network does not reach

1568-418: The city limits and provides only domestic services. Zwedru, like its host county, is landlocked and has no form of water transport. The city is well planned, with some claiming it to have the best road system outside Montserrado County. Motorcycles, locally called penpen , provide transport for most of the people. Trucks transport bulk of the goods that enter the city from Monrovia or Guinea. Communication in

1624-630: 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

1680-589: 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

1736-516: 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

Zwedru - Misplaced Pages Continue

1792-451: 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

1848-469: The establishment of an Allied Armed Force of the Community (AAFC) as needed. Anglophone ECOWAS members established ECOMOG in 1990 to intervene in the civil war in Liberia (1989–97). Nigerian scholar Adekeye Adebajo wrote in 2002 that "there was merit...in the argument that the establishment of ECOMOG did not conform to the constitutional legal requirements of ECOWAS". The Standing Mediation Committee,

1904-581: 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

1960-610: 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

2016-415: The final Field Commander, General Timothy Shelpidi , withdrew the force fully by the end of 1998. ECOWAS deployed ECOMOG forces later on to control conflict in other cases: In 2001, ECOWAS planned to deploy 1,700 men along the Guinea – Liberia border to stop guerrilla infiltration by fighters opposed to the new post-1998 election government. However, fighting between Charles Taylor 's new government and

2072-773: 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

2128-608: 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

2184-418: 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 ,

2240-434: 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

2296-483: The hands of Prince Johnson 's Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia on 9 September 1990. After some prompting from Taylor that the anglophone Nigerians were opposed to him, Senegalese troops were brought in with some financial support from the United States. Their service was, however, short-lived, after a major confrontation with Taylor forces in Vahun , Lofa County on 28 May 1992, when six were killed when

Zwedru - Misplaced Pages Continue

2352-517: 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

2408-481: The largest settlement east of Cestos River. Of this, 11,828 were male and 12,075 female. Zwedru residents are mainly Krahn, Mandingo, Grebo, Fulani and Gio and Mano tribes. Zwedru is the largest metropolis in the southeast and is the key inland transportation center in the region. The intersection of the two main highways linking the 5 counties in the region lies some 8 miles southwest of the city. The William D. Coleman Airfield with its gravel-surfaced runway, lies within

2464-497: The new LURD rebel movement, plus a lack of funding, meant no force was actually ever deployed. In 2003 ECOWAS, under pressure from the United States , launched a similar mission named ECOMIL to halt the occupation of Monrovia by rebel forces as peace efforts were ongoing, during the Second Liberian Civil War . Always intended as an interim force, it was quickly succeeded by the United Nations mission UNMIL . Below

2520-462: 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

2576-542: 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

2632-617: The total removal of iron ore processing machinery for onward sale while the Buchanan compound was under ECOMOG control. The United States State Department provided some logistics support to the force via the U.S. company Pacific Architects & Engineers , which provided trucks and drivers. Five Air Force C-130 Hercules also moved African troops and supplies during Operation Assured Lift in February–March 1997. Following Charles Taylor's election as President of Liberia on 19 July 1997,

2688-448: Was a five year old at the onset of the war. General: Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group The Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group ( ECOMOG ) was a West African multilateral armed force established by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). ECOMOG was a formal arrangement for separate armies to work together. It was largely supported by personnel and resources of

2744-490: 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

2800-1171: Was captured, tortured and murdered by rebels at a military base in Monrovia . 6°04′N 8°08′W  /  6.067°N 8.133°W  / 6.067; -8.133 This Liberia location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . First Liberian Civil War NPFL victory [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

2856-617: 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

SECTION 50

#1732782998741

2912-570: 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

2968-412: 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

3024-522: 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

3080-671: 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

3136-528: 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

#740259