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The Liberian Conflict BACKGROUND -Liberia, a West African

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1 NOTES ON POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING 2/17/93 SUBJECT: The Liberian Conflict BACKGROUND -Liberia, a West African country of roughly two million people, is dependent on the export of primary commodities, especially rubber, timber, iron ore, and diamonds. -Ruled by an America-Liberian oligarchy (TWP: True Whig Party) from 1847 until 1980. TWP allowed only minimal participation by 'upland indigenes.' Tubman was president until 1971, Tolbert until 1980. -Riots on Easter Saturday 1979 against increase in rice price crystalized the growing opposition to TWP rule. 70 people were killed, hundreds injured, mass looting by rioters and police, followed by a year of instability and vacillation by both Tolbert and the opposition. Guinean troops were brought in by TWP to maintain the peace. -April 12, 1980 coup led by Master-Sergeant Samuel Doe. Tolbert and' many other Americo- Liberians executed, many publicly. New ruling party established (N RC: National Redemption Council), headed primarily by ordinary soldiers · and non-commissioned officers angered by their own poor living conditions, possessing little in the way of a comprehensive, well-thought out political agenda, simply capitalizing on the nationwide instability. -Increasing ethnic imbalance within the army in favor of Doe's Krahn group. -Doe quickly became one of the most brutal leaders in Africa. Murder, graft, corruption, favoritism, exclusionary politics became the norm. -Christmas Eve 1989, Charles Taylor, a former member of Doe's cabinet begins attack on Doe's regime. Taylor's well-armed group (NP FL: National Patriotic Front of Liberia) quickly gains effective control of most of the country outside the capital city, Monrovia. -Former Taylor ally, Prince Johnson, leads a breakaway faction (IN PL F: Independent Nati.anal Patriotic Front of Liberia) in his own bid for power. He succeeds in capturing, torturing, and killing Doe. -ECOMOG (Ecowas Cease-fire Monitoring Group) set up to bring peace to Liberia. It consists of roughly 12,000 troops from Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Gambia, Senegal. CURRENT SITUATION -Interim Government headed by Amos Sawyer established in Monrovia. -Prince Johnson and his forces neutralized. -Charles Taylor, with perhaps 10,000 men under his command, and reportedly rece1vmg assistance from Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, and Libya, refuses to accept the legitimacy of Sawyer's Government and demands the complete withdrawal of ECOMOG troops from Liberian soil. He is reportedly selling resources (timber, diamonds, etc.) from the territory under his command to foreign buyers in order to fund his war on Sawyer and ECOMOG. -ECOMOG Coalition, consisting of the original Ecowas troops, plus a number of ill-defined local opposition groups, such as Ulimo (United Liberation Movement for Democracy in Liberia + AF L (Armed Forces of Liberia, former Doe troops now calling themselves the national army) + Black Berets (troops loyal to Sawyer, secretly trained in Guinea and elsewhere) are bogged down in battle with Taylor. 2 -Agreement among most West African Leaders on the way forward for Liberia has been reached (for example, the Yamoussoukro VI Accords) essentially calling for a cease­ fire, encampment of all troops, disarmament, followed by national elections. An electoral commission has been set up. But Taylor insists on continuing armed struggle apparently until he is acknowledged as leader of Liberia. West African Leaders are threaiening increasingly stricter sanctions against Taylor. U.S. HISTORICAL INYOLYEMENT IN LIBERIA -Assisted in establishing Liberia as a colony for returning freed U.S. slaves to Africa in the 1800s. -Major source of external assistance for each succeeding regime, including Doe's. -U.S. dollar was/is official currency in Liberia. -Rubber plantations (Firestone, etc.) are major source of local employment and export earnings. -U.S. satellite communication relay station located in Liberia, reportedly used by NASA, VOA, and U.S. intelligence community. ***The magazine NEW AFRICAN (Dec 1992) claims to have seen documents which reveal that U.S. intelligence has been feeding ECOMOG 'bombing coordinates' aimed at the 'elimination' of Charles Taylor. Subsequent bombing runs by ECOMOG airplanes reportedly killed hundreds of civilians. NEW AFRICAN also reports that the U.S. is offering financial and military aid to Ecowas nations fighting Taylor, and is especially interested in · maintaining Senegalese participation. POLICY OPTIONS DISCUSSED 2/17/93 Position 1 -Urge U.S. to recognize Sawyer's interim Government in Liberia. -Urge U.S. to observe and support sanctions until the terms of the Yamoussoukro IV agreement are met. -Urge U.S. to assist with technical and material support for the reconstruction of Liberia. Position 2 -Acknowledge the reality that Taylor controls significant amounts of territory, and still pos·sesses sufficient support and firepower to play havoc with Liberia for a long time to come. Therefore, rather than continue to antagonize · him, entice him to the conference table, even if it means relaxing the terms of Yamoussoukro IV. Position 3 -Urge additional assistance for ECOMOG and hope for a total military victory over Taylor. POLICY OPTION DISCUSSED SUBSEQUENT TO MEETING OF 2/17/93 -Conclude that ECOMOG is no longer a neutral peace-keeping force and has become one of the combatants in an increasingly messy regional struggle. Urge the creation of a new, genuinely neural peace-keeping force. ***A U.N. report is due out soon on the Liberian Situation (the Gordon-Somers Report). Perhaps it will suggest additional alternatives. .
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