MONROVIA – In four days, Liberia celebrates its 178 Independence Anniversary; during such celebrations in time past the Government of Liberia recognized individuals, institutions, countries, among others who have had lasting impact in wellbeing of the country and its peoples.
The Liberian civil war
History tells that on the 24th December 1989, Liberia’s first civil war begun. The conflict escalated extremely rapidly leaving thousand’s dead and many more fleeing across the border.
Even before Liberia was declared an independent state in July 1847, Liberian politics and economy were dominated by Americo-Liberian settlers. This movement of settlers was brought about by the establishment of the American Colonization Society (ASC) in 1816, which attempted to resettle slaves who had been freed. The first ship of freed black Americans was sent to West Africa in December 1821. The first settlers were given a strip of land called Cape Mesurado.
The Americo-Liberians held onto power and over the years, attempted to force the indigenous people to their rule as they were in control of both politics and the economy and were in the position to create separate laws for local people and colonies. This attitude only led to a stronger resentment between the two groups. Finally, with the help of a group of non-commissioned army offices Master Sergeant Samuel Doe overthrew the True Whig Party and ousted their Americano- Liberian President William Tolbert on the 12th of April 1980, who had started his own term as President in 1972. This ended the 133-year Americano-Liberian rule.
In 1984, a new constitution was adopted. Doe ordered an election, announced his candidacy and officially became President of Liberia on 15th October 1985 on the ticket of the National Democratic Party of Liberia (NDFL), formally sworn in on 6th January 1986 with a six-year mandate. Events leading to elections were overcome by riggings, where Doe’s ballots were taken and counted by his own staff, illegal arrests and murders of political opponents and threats. Foreign observers declared the elections fraudulent.
This displeased many people, including General Thomas Quiwonkpa, then, a commander of the Liberian Armed forces, and also the leader of the 1980 coup along with Doe. General Quiwonkpa orchestrated a coup d’état on 12th November 1985 to seize power from Doe but failed and was executed. Unfortunately, this event caused Doe’s administration to become even more oppressive. Newspaper houses were closed down, while mass murders of members of General Quiwonkpa’s ethnic community, Gio, were committed. This inevitably commenced a divide between ethnic groups that had lived in relative harmony throughout the years.
During this period of rigged elections and failed coup attempts, Charles Taylor and his National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) launched an attack on 24th December 1989. Since Doe’s soldiers were mostly from the Krahn ethnic group and the NPFL consisted of mostly Gio and Mano ethnic groups, western media depicted this civil war as one of ethnic disparity calling it ‘tribalism’, which in fact it was not. Despite all efforts from the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), the NPFL managed to take control of a majority of Liberia’s territory by May 1990. In September 1990, Doe was brutally assassinated.
The wide state of panic, murder and destruction resulted in massive destabilization within Liberia and also the surrounding states, but even with these tragic turns of events, the international community did not find merit or reason to intervene.
The ECOWAS Intervention in the Liberian Conflict
In May 1990, the Interreligious Council of Liberia and high-ranking Liberians requested for but were denied any form of intervention by the United Nations, referencing the non-interference in the internal affairs of member states. Petitions in regard to intervention were also made by ECOWAS but also denied. In line with this, the former president of Nigeria, Ibrahim Badangida, during the 13th Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, which was arranged in Banjul, Gambia, from 28-30th of May 1990, proposed setting up a Standing Mediation Committee (SMC). This committee would be comprised of four members, who’s duty would be to intervene during inter or intra state conflicts with a mediatory role.
Peace talks were scheduled for July 1990 between President Doe’s government and the NPFL. The NPFL rejected the proposal of a ceasefire and called it an invasion force. Nevertheless, the summit of the Heads of State of the SMC convened for the first time on the 6th and 7th of August, in Gambia, to discuss various options for resolution. At this meeting, the ECOWAS Standing Mediation Committee had the opportunity to establish an ECOWAS Cease-fire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) aimed at putting an end to the tragic civil war in Liberia by restoring order in the country and creating an environment suitable for holding an election.
This was the first of three basic provisions ECOWAS sought to put in place for the purpose of destabilizing the state. Deportation and resettling refugees were the second provision, and the third was a political provision put in place to assure that conferences are held for the formation of a broad-based government. The ECOWAS peace plan was approved at another meeting during the same month. The Decision of the ECOWAS Peace plan involved, among other things, an appeal for an instant ceasefire of all military action with the help of ECOMOG, a lay down and transfer of arms to ECOMOG, formation of an interim government for the administration of the country, Free and fair elections conducted and observed by ECOWAS for the purpose of a democratically elected government, abstinence of all actives that could prejudice the formation of an interim government or holding of free and fair elections, full cooperation with the SMC.
The recommendations made during the ECOWAS Peace Plan created a divide between the Anglophone and the Francophone member states. All the Francophone states, except Guinea, followed the lead of Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso, who opposed the intervention. On 25th August 1990, the recommendations of military intervention were approved based on humanitarian grounds and ECOMOG deployed troops to Liberia which initially consisted of troops from Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea, The Gambia, and Sierra Leone. Later, Ivory Coast, Benin, Mali and Niger also sent troops despite Togo and Mali refusing to do so.
By the end of November 1990, ECOMOG established an Interim Government of National Unity with Amos Sawyer as the head. ECOMOG also managed to secure Monrovia from NPFL forces and successfully evacuated over 30,000 refugees.
Upon its deployment, ECOMOG remained the only source of security in Liberia for the next seven years. The number of troops exceeded 10,000 from various countries within West Africa. Some countries that could not afford to deploy soldiers, offered medical assistance and also made financial contributions. Throughout the period in which ECOMOG upheld stability in Liberia, its role and mission did not necessarily remain the same. In the earlier stages, they maintained a position of mostly peacekeeping activities. About several years into their deployment, they assumed a position of self-defense as the attacks of rebel groups increased due to the belief that ECOMOG was part of the conflict.
Regardless of the prolonged war, changing responsibilities and the wavering attitudes of ECOWAS member states, ECOMOG not only handled the difficult process of disarmament, protection of observers from the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL) and securing a safe and transparent democratic presidential election but they also facilitated thirteen peace agreements. The following are the ECOWAS peace agreements in chronological order:
a. The Bamako Accord of 27th-28th November 1990
b. The Lomé summit of the ECOWAS standing Mediation Committee of 12th-13th February 1991 c. All – Liberia Conference of 15th March 1991
d. Consultative Meeting of Heads of State in Yamoussoukro- Yamoussoukro I of 29th-30th June 1991
e. The 14th summit of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, Abuja, 4th-6th July 1991
f. First Yamoussoukro Summit of the Committee of Five -Yamoussoukro II, 29th July 1991
g. Second meeting of the Committee of Five, Yamoussoukro III, 16th-17th September 1991 h. Third meeting of the Committee of Five, Yamoussoukro IV, 29th-30th October 1991
i. Informal Consultative Group Meeting, Geneva Switzerland, 6th-7th April 1992
j. 15th Summit of ECOWAS, 27th-29th July 1992
k. The Cotonou Agreement, 25th-26th July 1993
l. The Akosombo Agreement, Ghana, 21st December 1994
Abuja Accord, Nigeria, 20th August 1995
These peace agreements took place within a time frame of six years and if not for the dedication of the ECOWAS members, these agreements would have had no avail. This type of cooperation demonstrated a very unified block.
In July 1997, ECOMOG successfully established a final cease-fire and assisted in presidential elections of which Charles Taylor became president. After these events, ECOMOG troops returned home.
President Boakai Honors ECOWAS and ECOMOG Peacekeepers
The adage: “Give honor to where it is due” is about to manifest in the coming days in Liberia as the country celebrates its 178th Independence Anniversary on July 26, 2025.
As part of the country’s 178th Independence Anniversary on July 26, 2025 Independence celebration, President Joseph Boakai will pay homage to honor ECOWAS’ role in ending Liberia’s 14-year Civil War, which cost nearly 250,000 deaths.
ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) intervened in Liberia’s civil crisis in August 1990, during the First Liberian Civil War, through a military peacekeeping force known as ECOMOG (ECOWAS Monitoring Group).
They are the first regional body in Africa to launch a peacekeeping operation without a prior UN mandate. The intervention continued throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s during both the first (1989–1997) and second (1999–2003) Liberian civil wars. The civil war, started by Charles Taylor’s rebel group (NPFL) in December 1989, quickly escalated into chaos.
The conflict was spilling into neighboring countries like Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire when ECOWAS acted to contain the violence and prevent the entire region from destabilizing.
ECOMOG was a multinational peacekeeping force composed mainly of troops from Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Guinea, The Gambia, Mali, and Sierra Leone. It was tasked with stopping the fighting, protecting civilians, and facilitating peace talks.
Despite their intervention, ECOMOG faced heavy resistance from rebel forces, especially Charles Taylor’s NPFL, and suffered many casualties.
However, on Tuesday, July 26, as Liberia celebrates its 178th anniversary with a program at the Centennial Pavilion, and during the celebration, the President Joseph Nyuma Boakai will officially recognize the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS’) intervention.
The Minister of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, Jerolinmek Piah, speaking to a group of journalists over the weekend, reiterated “We have not forgotten that when we were killing ourselves, other countries in the ECOWAS region sent troops to intervene. So, for this year’s Independence celebration, the government will recognize ECOWAS’ intervention.”
Minister Piah also stated presidents from various countries will attend the event, but for now, he does not have information about the names of those presidents. However, if they do confirm, the public will be informed.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, July 27, 2025, the government will hold a socialization day event with the President and the First Lady, after the celebration. This is intended for the President and interact with his people during the 178th Independence Anniversary celebration.
