Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire. Liberia, which means "Land of the Free," was founded as an independent nation with support of the American government, for free-born and formerly enslaved American Blacks. From 1989-2003, it suffered civil war that displaced hundreds of thousands of people, killed tens of thousands, and destroyed the country's economy.

In late 1989, a civil war began. Prominent warlord Charles G. Taylor was elected as President in 1997, after leading a bloody insurgency backed by Libyan President Muammar Qaddafi. Taylor's autocratic and dysfunctional government led to a new rebellion in 1999. More than 200,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the civil wars. The conflict intensified in mid-2003, and the fighting moved into Monrovia. As the power of the government shrank and with the increasing international and Americal pressure for him to resign, President Taylor accepted an asylum offer from Nigeria.

After the exile of Taylor, Gyude Bryant was appointed Chairman of the Transitional Government of Liberia in late 2003. With a two-year mandate, the primary task of the transitional government was to prepare for fair and peaceful democratic elections. With over 150,000 UNMIL troops safeguarding the peace, Liberia successfully conducted presidential elections int he fall of 2005. Twenty-three candidates stood for election on October 11, 2005. No candidate took the required majority in the general election, so that a run-off between the top two vote-getters was necessary. The November 8, 2005 presidential runoff election wsa won decisively by Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, a Harvard-trained economist. Both the general election and runoff were marked by peace and order, with thousands of Liberians waiting patiently in the heat to cast their ballots.

Widely celebrated for being the first elected female head of state in Africa, Johnson-Sirleaf's election focused much international attention on Liberia. A former Citibank an World Bank employee, Johnson-Sirleaf's career also includes heading the UN Development Program for Africa. She is working to have Liberia's external debt of $3.5 billion cancelled and inviting international investment. In addition to focusing her early efforts to restore basic services like water and electicity to the capital of Monrovia, Johnson-Sirleaf has established a Truth and Reconciliation Commision to address crimes committed during the later stages of Liberia's long civil war. She is also working to re-establish Liberia's food independence.

In 2006, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf sent a letter formally requesting the extradition of Charles Taylor from Nigeria to face justice. Nigeria announced on March 25, 2006 that it would allow Liberian authorities to arrest Taylor. It was long feared that Taylor, a multi-millionaire, could easily slip into hiding to escape charges of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and by March 28th Taylor had reportedly disappeared from his Nigerian compound. He was recaptured at dawn on March 29th, trying to cross into Cameroon. Taylor was quickly flown to Liberia, where he was transported by UN helicopter to face charges for crimes against humanity in Sierra Leone.

On June 20, 2006, Charles Taylor was transferred to The Hague. In September 2006, a provisional date of April 2, 2007 was set for trial. On January 26, 2007, it was announced that the date for commencement of trial had been set back at the request of the defense. the trial began on June 4, 2007, with the opening statements of the prosecution. The trial was postponed until January 2008 in order to give Taylor's new defense team time to prepare.

CIA World Fact Book - Liberia

US Department of State Background Notes: Liberia

Liberia Newspapers and News Media Guide