On July 4 2009, Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) recommended the prosecution and debarment of ex-warlords and their associates during the Liberian civil wars of the 1990s and early 2000s. It recommended that President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, and others be barred from public office for thirty years for their role in the dreadful war. Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf became the first female head of state in Africa when she became Liberia’s president on January 16 2006.
Liberia became the first republic in Africa when freed slaves from the United States (who chose to return to Africa) founded the nation on July 26 1847 with Joseph Jenkins Roberts “originally” from Norfolk, VA becoming its first president. The freed slaves or Americo-Liberians (as they became known as) though just about 5% of the population formed an impregnable ruling elite in Liberian society virtually colonizing the natives. They ruled the country unchallenged till 1980 when Sgt. Samuel Doe (a native from the Krahn tribe) stormed the Executive Mansion, executed President Tolbert and his family and took over the country in a very bloody military coup. The natives were mainly made up of the following West African tribes: Dei, Bassa, Kru, Krahn, Grebo, Gios, Manos, Vai, Mende, Mandingos among others.
While Doe’s military coup ended 133 years of Americo-Liberian hegemony, his tumultuous regime was characterized by mass executions of many Americo-Liberians in apparent retribution for decades of their domination. By 1989, the Americo-Liberians were growing impatient with Doe and multiple insurgencies had begun in various parts of the country. The most notable rebel movements were led by Prince Yomi Johnson and Charles Taylor. Prince Johnson’s rebel faction captured and tortured President Doe before executing him in September 1990. After Doe was killed, a power struggle between Johnson and Taylor eventually led to the protracted civil war that ended in 1997 after the Akosombo Peace Accord was signed in Akosombo, Ghana. Taylor became president after elections in 1997 but was forced into exile in Nigeria in 2003 after another rebel insurgency led to the collapse of his government. A transitional government took over the country till elections in 2005 after which the current president was sworn in on January 16 2006.
What does the TRC’s recommendation mean for the future of Liberia and President Johnson-Sirleaf? First off, Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf (a Harvard trained lawyer) has never lied about her support for Charles Taylor when he launched his insurgency from Ivory Coast in 1989. At the time, Samuel Doe was the common enemy. She claims Taylor convinced her under false pretenses. I believe it’s possible for anyone to be taken in given the circumstances – even the most astute politician. Obviously, Taylor is one wily dealmaker (from lay preacher to businessman to warlord to president and now war crimes defendant). He even has “breaking out of a maximum security prison in the United States” on his resume. Clearly, Taylor is the kind of guy who has no real cause. He was a mercenary by almost any measure.
But Mrs. Johnson did support an insurrection against a sitting president. Was she wrong? I don't think so. Doe's regime was illegal. He came to power in an extremely bloody military coup against a “democratically” elected president. His brutal reign was typified by ethnic politics, public executions of his enemies, among other atrocious crimes. In my view, Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf is no less a patriot than the officers of Ghana’s AFRC revolt in 1979 or Washington, Jefferson and Adams. After all she withdrew support for Taylor after she could get a better read on him.
There are many lessons that can be drawn from Liberia’s story. In many ways, it’s very similar to the French, American, Cuban (Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution), Libya (Gaddafi’s Al-Fatah revolution) and the Iranian (Islamic) revolution. Who would have thought that after 133 years of “democracy” Liberia could descend into such anarchy? The answer is there was no democracy to begin with. The Americo-Liberians “colonized” the natives and ruled them like subjects for over a century. During that period, they wielded all political and economic power and it was as if the natives lived in a different world. The fact that there was “peace” didn’t mean everything was OK. It was a time bomb waiting to explode. And it did explode in 1980 when Doe, a native and a sergeant in the Liberian military burst on the scene.
How can a sergeant (a non commissioned officer in the army) just storm a presidential residence and take over a country? He and his rebels must have been very angry. They had nothing to lose and so they were highly motivated. Harrison Ford (as U.S. president James Marshall) in the movie Air Force One said that “peace is not just the absence of conflict but the presence of justice.” The injustice of 133 years in Liberia is what culminated in Doe and the civil war. I do not intend to give any credit to Doe, but he changed the country significantly. The native people are now fairly represented in Liberian politics and play a bigger role in government. Doe may be a savage beast, but he changed the country even though at a very high price.
Jerry Rawlings (former president of Ghana) once said that “if you humiliate a human being for so long and to such a base extent; even when you offer him a Cadillac to appease him, he’ll kick it right back at you, he will demand your blood.” His views maybe a little extreme but it clearly explains what happened in Liberia. Social injustice ultimately leads to “class wars”, which is what all these revolutions have been about.
I'm only pleased that democratic institutions are working well in the new Liberia, such that they are willing to hang out their dirty laundry and deal with it. Whether the executive or the courts decide to implement the recommendations of the TRC remains to be seen. But Liberia, the oldest republic in Africa has come a very long way. And I believe a brighter future lies ahead of them. Long live Liberia.
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