Population: 4,128,572 (2011 estimate)
Location: West Africa
SV Statistics
Tearfund’s community research (2010) showed that:
Background to conflict
The recent past of Liberia is rife with armed conflict. The country was involved in a civil war for 14 years, with a series of coups and counter-coups creating a volatile boiling pot where armed response was seen as an accepted way of responding to differences.
The roots of the civil war started in the early 19th century, when the United States of America identified Liberia as the region of Africa to which freed American slaves can emigrate and live in independence. Americo-Liberian discrimination began against the original indigenous people of Liberia, a situation deeply resented by the oppressed indigenous tribes (Adebajo, 2002:19).
Discrimination against and exploitation of the indigenous tribes is seen as one of the main reasons for the civil war, or at least for the coups that triggered the civil war. In 1980, amid a food crisis and serious international debt, 17 indigenous non-commissioned officers under the lead of Master Sergeant Samuel Kanyon Doe launched a successful coup (Alao et al., 1999:18).
Doe turned out to be a very despotic ruler and beatings, torture, and assassinations were characteristic of the Doe regime. A counter-coup in 1985 failed, but in 1989 war broke out when the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NFPL) – 100 men led by Americo-Liberian Charles Taylor – entered Liberia via Nimba county to take on the Doe government. Attacks and counter-attacks on ethnic groups led to civilians joining the fight, splits developed in the NFPL and splinter groups joined the fight, and a full-scale civil war developed (Alao et al., 1999:20-23). The fighting, despite many attempts at peace treaties and democratic elections, continued until 2003.
Population: 4,128,572 (2011 estimate)
Location: West Africa
SV Statistics
Tearfund’s community research (2010) showed that:
Background to conflict
The recent past of Liberia is rife with armed conflict. The country was involved in a civil war for 14 years, with a series of coups and counter-coups creating a volatile boiling pot where armed response was seen as an accepted way of responding to differences.
The roots of the civil war started in the early 19th century, when the United States of America identified Liberia as the region of Africa to which freed American slaves can emigrate and live in independence. Americo-Liberian discrimination began against the original indigenous people of Liberia, a situation deeply resented by the oppressed indigenous tribes (Adebajo, 2002:19).
Discrimination against and exploitation of the indigenous tribes is seen as one of the main reasons for the civil war, or at least for the coups that triggered the civil war. In 1980, amid a food crisis and serious international debt, 17 indigenous non-commissioned officers under the lead of Master Sergeant Samuel Kanyon Doe launched a successful coup (Alao et al., 1999:18).
Doe turned out to be a very despotic ruler and beatings, torture, and assassinations were characteristic of the Doe regime. A counter-coup in 1985 failed, but in 1989 war broke out when the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NFPL) – 100 men led by Americo-Liberian Charles Taylor – entered Liberia via Nimba county to take on the Doe government. Attacks and counter-attacks on ethnic groups led to civilians joining the fight, splits developed in the NFPL and splinter groups joined the fight, and a full-scale civil war developed (Alao et al., 1999:20-23). The fighting, despite many attempts at peace treaties and democratic elections, continued until 2003.
What is the church doing?
In December 2011, church leaders came together and committed to work to speak out against sexual violence.
In July 2012, church leaders met with survivors of sexual violence for training specific to the bible story of Tamar, which was led by the Ujaama Centre, KwaZulu Natal University.
In 2013, pilot programmes began in Nimba Country and Monrovia:
As part of an Action Aid Liberia project to address violence and HIV, Benetta is helping to confront violations of women’s rights in Liberia, and the stigma such violations can bring. Hear […]
Join us at our events at the Global Summit to End SV in Conflict in London (10-13th June)