Liberia in 1998Article Free Pass
Area: 97,754 sq km (37,743 sq mi)
Population (1998 est.): 2,772,000 (excluding Liberian refugees temporarily residing in surrounding countries estimated to number about 325,000)
Head of state and government: President Charles Taylor
Despite 1997 elections and the presence of ECOMOG (Economic Community of West African States Cease-Fire Monitoring Group) peacekeepers, Liberia experienced continued insecurity throughout 1998. Seven years of civil war had left the country’s economy and infrastructure in ruins. Nearly 80% of the government’s 1998 budget of $41 million was allotted to defense.
The ECOMOG commander accused Pres. Charles Taylor of filling the restructured Liberian army with members of his former militia. This claim was echoed by former faction leader Roosevelt Johnson, who charged that government troops had repeatedly tried to kill him. Opposition leaders continually complained of harassment and intimidation by security forces. The situation reached a climax in August when Taylor declared Johnson a security risk and accused Guinea and Sierra Leone of supporting plots to topple Taylor’s government. Troops loyal to Taylor conducted extensive security operations in Monrovia, and Johnson took refuge in the U.S. embassy compound in late September. Monrovia became the scene of widespread looting and gun battles between soldiers and Johnson supporters. Johnson later fled to Nigeria.
Throughout the year the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other humanitarian groups attempted to repatriate Liberian refugees from neighbouring countries. Citing insecurity in Liberia, many refugees refused to return. Nearly half a million Liberians were refugees, and approximately 750,000 were internally displaced.
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