FAQ on Liberia

In their new book, Refuge, John and Bessie Gonleh, together with their friend and co-author Bruce Beakley, share the unbelievable true story of their flight from their war-torn homeland to a new life for their family in America, a journey nearly twenty years in the making. As they recount the details of their harrowing escape, the tragedies and triumphs are strung together on a thread of faith. Below are some facts regarding their home country of Liberia. To get a copy of the book visit www.RefugetheBook.com

Q: Where is Liberia located?

A: Liberia, officially The Republic of Liberia, is a small country on the West African Coast, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Ivory Coast, and the Atlantic Ocean. Its most notable feature is its distinction of being the point closest to the New World, the Americas. From that promontory point some 500 years ago, Spanish slave ships first departed with their human cargo.

Q: Who founded The Republic of Liberia?

A: Forty years before the Civil War, freed slaves returned to the very location from which their ancestors had departed. They created a permanent settlement that became known as Monrovia, after James Monroe, the American president, that echoed the architecture and layout of their old homes in the antebellum South. Arriving ships brought American customs, dress, holidays, the English language (now the country’s official language)[i], and Christianity. By local standards, the returning freed slaves and their descendants were rich. The new arrivals soon became the ruling elite over the indigenous tribes. Armed clashes and battles ensued, but the Americo-Liberians prevailed and created a democratic government. The Republic of Liberia (“the land of the free”) was founded in 1847.

Q: What is the demographic breakdown of Liberia’s population?

A: The population of over 3 million comprises 16 indigenous ethnic groups and various foreign minorities. Indigenous peoples comprise about 85% of the population, the largest of which are the Kpelle in central and western Liberia. Americo-Liberians, who are descendants of freed slaves that arrived in Liberia as of 1821, make up an estimated 15% of the population, half of US origin and half from the Caribbean. There also is a sizable number of Lebanese, Indians, and other West African nationals who make up a significant part of Liberia’s business community. A few whites (estimated at 18,000 in 1999; probably fewer now) reside in the country. As of 2006, Liberia has the highest population growth rate in the world (4.50%). Similar to its neighbors, it has a large youth population, with half of the population being under the age of 18.

Q: What were some factors that led to the first and second civil wars in 1989 and 1999?

A: For almost 140 years since the country’s founding, the Americo-Liberians maintained power over the indigenous tribes. Ironically, when the freed American slaves returned to Africa, they began to take advantage of the poor locals, just as they themselves had been exploited. Preferring the customs and culture of the antebellum South, they did not truly integrate into the existing culture. Over time, resentment among indigenous tribes grew. In 1980, Samuel Doe staged a successful coup. He executed then-president Tolbert along with thirteen government ministers and officials. Doe became the first Liberian president from the indigenous tribes, and he claimed to represent all 16 tribes. But history reveals him as a despot and dictator who used his power to persecute other tribes. In 1989, an Americo-Liberian named Charles Taylor, with the backing of neighboring countries such as Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, invaded Liberia. These troops gained high levels of support with tribes persecuted by their present government. A large section of the country came under the invaders’ control as a result. The typical rebel soldiers were young, uneducated cast-offs given to ruthless, even pointless, violence. By this time a new player had also emerged. Yormie Prince Johnson (former ally of Taylor) had formed his own army and had gained tremendous support from the Gio and Mano ethnic groups. After a few short years of relative peace, a second civil war broke out in 1999 pitting rebels against then-president Charles Taylor. An estimated 200,000 Liberians were killed as a result of the two wars.

Q: What happened to Charles Taylor, the main instigator of the Liberian civil wars?

A: After staging another insurgency, Taylor was elected president of Liberia in 1997. His autocratic and dysfunctional government led to a new uprising in 1999. Under pressure from the United States, he finally stepped down in 2003 as president and accepted Nigeria’s offer for asylum. He was captured trying to escape across the border of Cameroon and is currently standing trial in The Hague. He faces charges of war crimes, violating the Geneva conventions, and other atrocities.

Q: What is the current political situation in Liberia? Has there been any progress toward peace?

A: Yes, Liberia is taking steps toward peace. Liberia’s current president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, was democratically elected on November 8, 2005. Daughter of the first indigenous Liberian to be elected to the national legislature, Jahmale Carney Johnson, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was born in rural Liberia but is a Harvard-trained economist. She has been widely celebrated for being the first elected female head of state in Africa. A former Citibank and World Bank employee, Johnson-Sirleaf’s career also includes heading the U.N. Development Program for Africa [3]. Johnson-Sirleaf was jailed twice during the Doe administration before escaping and going into exile. As president, she hopes to bring her credentials as an economist to bear and enlist the help of the international community in rebuilding Liberia’s economy and infrastructure. Her efforts to have Liberia’s external debt of $3.5 billion cancelled were at least partially rewarded on November 12, 2007, when the IMF agreed to begin providing debt relief.[8] She has extended a special invitation to the Nigerian business community to participate in business opportunities in Liberia, in part as thanks for Nigeria’s help in securing Liberia’s peace. Exiled Liberians are also investing in the country and participating in Liberia’s rebuilding efforts.

In addition to focusing her early efforts to restore basic services like water and electricity to the capital of Monrovia, Johnson-Sirleaf has established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to address crimes committed during the later stages of Liberia’s long civil war. She is also working to re-establish Liberia’s food independence.
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