Liberia
The American Colonization Society (ACS) was formed in 1817 to send free African-Americans to Africa as an alternative to emancipation in the United States. In 1822, the society established on the west coast of Africa a colony that in 1847 became the independent nation of Liberia. By 1867, the society had sent more than 13,000 emigrants.
Liberia is a small, poor state, and it has correspondingly small and weak armed forces. During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Liberia's relative impotence vis-a-vis the European powers engaged in building and maintaining colonies in West Africa meant that Liberian sovereignty and the inviolability of its borders could not be taken for granted. During the colonial period, large amounts of the so-called Hinterland were lost to Britain and France when the government in Monrovia could not demonstrate its control over the area. The country survived, however, and eventually its boundaries were firmly established. Since the decolonization of most of West Africa between 1957 and 1961, Liberia has been fortunate to be surrounded by other small states that, although they have occasionally caused the Liberians concern, have displayed neither the capacity nor the inclination to threaten the government in Monrovia.
Liberia, which means "land of the free," was founded by freed slaves from the United States in 1820. These freed slaves, called Americo-Liberians, first arrived in Liberia and established a settlement in Christopolis now Monrovia (named after U.S. President James Monroe) on February 6, 1820. This group of 86 immigrants formed the nucleus of the settler population of what became known as the Republic of Liberia.
Liberia is located on the West coast of Africa, with a 350-mile long coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. Liberia is bounded on the west by Sierra Leone; on the north by Guinea; and on the east by Ivory Coast. On the south is the Atlantic Ocean. It has an area of approximately 43,000 square miles. South America is about 6,000 miles away from Liberia.
Liberia is a member of the Economic Union of West African States (ECOWAS).
Liberia is a centralized republic dominated by a strong presidency. The seven-year long civil war ended in 1996 with the Abuja Accords, and in July 1997, President Charles Taylor won the presidency in elections that were administratively free and transparent, but conducted in an atmosphere of intimidation.
Liberia is Africa's oldest republic, having gained its independence on July 26, 1847. Its political system is based on the American model, with three branches--executive, judicial, and legislative. The bicameral national assembly, the legislative branch, consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The executive branch consists of the president and the cabinet. The president appoints the cabinet. The judicial branch consists of circuit courts in each county, which are courts of record. The Supreme Court is the court of appeals. Within each circuit, there are magisterial courts and justice of the peace courts, which are not courts of record. Juvenile courts were established by law in 1998, but most counties are lacking personnel or facilities to hear cases.
Presidential and legislative general elections were held on July 19, 1997, and were scheduled to be held next in 2003. The ruling party is the National Patriotic Party (NPP) and there are 16 opposition parties, most of them weak and ineffectual. The NPP controls a majority of the seats in the legislature, i.e., 21 of 26 in the Senate and 59 of 64 in the House.
There are 16 ethnic groups that make up Liberia's indigenous population. The Kpelle in central and western Liberia is the largest ethnic group. Americo-Liberians who are descendants of freed slaves that arrived in Liberia early in 1821 make up an estimated 5% of the population.
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. Because of the civil war and its accompanying problem of insecurity, the number of Westerners in Liberia is low and confined largely to Monrovia and its immediate surroundings. The Liberian constitution restricts citizenship only to people of Negro descent.
The US and Liberia have a long-standing historical relationship that was sorely tested by the civil conflict, and the political violence, human rights abuses, and corruption that ensued. Relations were strained further in October 2000 when the US imposed a travel ban on senior Liberian government officials because of Liberian support to the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone. These were followed by UN sanctions in May 2001. The US Government stated that democracy and genuine respect for human rights coupled with transparency and accountability in government remain the best paths for sustainable economic growth.
The US government continues to finance projects through the Agency for International Development (USAID) in the areas of health, education, food assistance and democracy and government primarily through international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and UN agencies. However, the amount of this assistance is declining, falling to $9 million in fiscal year 2001, down from over $26 million the previous year.
The US Government has continued to press for fundamental improvements in respect for human rights, good governance, and transparency and accountability. The US GOvernment has expressed concern about continuing human rights abuses perpetrated largely by ill-disciplined government forces as they continue to harass human rights activists, opposition figures, the press, and civil society in general. Governmental corruption continues to advantage a few, while the vast majority of Liberians live in poverty.
