The cause of the civil war in Liberia can be traced to the country’s unresolved ethnic and political differences. The country that was founded on the principles of freedom and democracy , but after one and half centuries, of its existence the country descended into destruction in which both democracy and human rights were compromised. This paper traces the history of Liberia from its establishment to the outbreak of the war in 1989 focusing on some of the causes for contradictions in that long history. In particular, the geo-political profile of the Liberian state is examined with a focus on the period from Liberia’s independence from 1847 to 1990. The socio-political character of the warring factions are analysed and the dynamics of the war up to the ECOWAS intervention in August 1990. The paper concludes with a summary of the causes and effects of the 14-year conflict.
https://works.bepress.com/emmanuel_kotia/2/
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On 26 July 1847 the Liberian Declaration of Independence was signed and Liberiabecame a sovereign nation.
The story of Liberia is different from other African countries because of its bond with the United States (US). The country was one of only two countries in sub-Saharan Africa, along with Ethiopia, without roots in the European Scramble for Africa.
Slaves freed from slave ships were sent to Liberia instead of being sent back to their countries of birth - these colonists formed an influential group in Liberian society and in 1847 they founded the Republic of Liberia and instituted a government modelled on that of the US.
American-born Joseph Jenkins Roberts became the first President of Liberia and the capital city, Monrovia, was named after James Monroe, the fifth president of the US. The Liberian flag is similar to that of the US: the red and white bands symbolize the 11 men who declared independence by signing the Liberian Declaration of Independence, the white star symbolizes the freedom the ex-slaves were given and the blue square symbolizes the African mainland.
http://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/liberia-established
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