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Democracy and Governance in Liberia

Activity Data Sheets Democracy & Governance (PDF) Related Links USAID/Africa Info Human Rights Report CIA Factbook Get Acrobat Reader...

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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