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Democracy and Governance in Liberia
Except for the two years from 1997 to 1999, Liberia was in a constant
state of conflict from 1989 until the Accra Peace Accords were signed on August 18, 2003. Over 250,000
people, most of them civilian non-combatants, have lost their lives in the civil war. More than 1.3 million
have been displaced, including hundreds of thousands who fled the country. Abductions, torture, rape
and other human rights abuses have taken place on a massive scale. It is estimated that at least one in
ten children may have been recruited into militias at one time or another. A similar percentage has been
traumatized by seeing their families and friends murdered and raped.
The United Nations estimates that over 80% of the population lives below the poverty line. Thirty-five
percent are undernourished. Less than ten percent of arable land is cultivated. Only 28% of the
population is immunized, only 25% of the population has access to safe drinking water, and just 36% has
access to proper sanitation facilities. The number of health workers has decreased by 40% since 1990,
and most of the health infrastructure has been destroyed. Approximately 80% of the population is
illiterate.
As a result of the Accra Peace Accords, Charles Taylor abdicated his presidency and a National
Transition Government of Liberia (NTGL), composed of the warring factions, civil society and political
parties, assumed power on October 15, 2003. The NTGL has a two-year mandate in which to implement
the Peace Accords and prepare Liberia for free and fair elections. On September 19, 2003, the United
Nations Security Council, in Resolution 1509, established the United Nations Peace Keeping Mission in
Liberia, thus beginning an important new phase in Liberian history. However, failure to establish the
building blocks of a new Liberia and consolidate peace could jeopardize the fragile security environment
in neighboring countries and the entire sub-region.
(Excerpted from the 2005 Congressional Budget Justification for Liberia)
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