Liberia was settled by freed American slaves in 1821 and became
an independent republic in 1847. Americo-Liberians, descendants
of the freed slaves, dominated the country until 1980, when Sgt.
Samuel Doe led a violent coup that led to the killing of President
William Tolbert. By a fraudulent election, in 1985, Doe became
Liberia's first indigenous president. In 1989, Liberia was invaded
from Côte d' Ivoire by rebel forces of the National Patriotic
Front of Liberia (NPFL), led by Charles Taylor, who proclaimed
himself president. Doe was assassinated in 1990 by another group
of rebels led by Prince Yormie Johnson, who also sought the presidency.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) intervened
to negotiate a peace settlement among the two rebel groups and
the government. ECOWAS also sent a Nigerian-led West African
peacekeeping force to Monrovia and installed an interim government
led by Amos Sawyer. With military aid from Libya and Burkina
Faso, Taylor's forces began a siege of Monrovia in 1992 and engaged
in fighting with ECOWAS forces. A number of cease-fires were
established in 1993 and 1994, but clashes between factions persisted.
ACORD -- Agency for Co-operation and Research in Development (http://www.acord.org.uk)
"A consortium of international agencies headquartered in the North to provide its members with operational capacity to address poverty issues resulting from the drought in sub-Saharan Africa."
Africa Policy Information Center (APIC). (http://www.africapolicy.org)
The primary objective of APIC, the educational affiliate of the Washington office on Africa (WOA), is to widen the policy debate in the U.S. around African issues by providing accessible policy-relevant information and analysis usable by a wide range of groups and individuals.
The African Development Bank Group (http://www.afdb.org/)
Site contains basic economic indicators and project reports for Liberia and other African countries.
African Development Foundation (ADF) (http://www.adf.gov/)
"The ADF is the principal agency of the U. S. Government that supports community-based, self-help initiatives that alleviate poverty and promote sustainable development in Africa."
Amnesty International (http://www.amnesty.org)
"Site provides information on Amnesty activities in Liberia, and a large huge of material on the theme of conflict and ethnicity."
Committee to Protect Journalists (http://www.cpj.org/)
"CPA's mission is to promote freedom of the press throughout the world by defending the right of journalists to report the news without fear of reprisal."
Delegation
of the European Commission in Liberia.
(http://europa.eu.int/comm/development/body/country/country_home_en.cfm?cid=lr&lng=en&status=new)
"The Delegation is the diplomatic representation in Liberia which manages
the EC's development and economic cooperation programs."
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) (http://www.ecowas.int/)
Official website of ECOWAS a regional organization which aims to promote trade and economic growth among member countries. Site provides a description and structure of the organization, country profiles of each Member state, publications, and press releases.
Freedom House (http://www.freedomhouse.org/research/freeworld/2001/countryratings/liberia.htm)
‘Freedom House is a non-partisan organization led by a Board of Trustees composed of leading Democrats, Republicans, and independents; business and labor leaders; former senior government officials; scholars; writers; and journalists who view that American leadership in international affairs is essential to the cause of human rights and freedom. Site contains survey on Liberian political and civil rights.
Friends of Liberia (http://www.fol.org)
"A non profit organization dedicated to Liberia."
Global IDP Project (http://www.db.idpproject.org)
"Operated by the Norwegian Refugee Council, the Global IDP Project provides comprehensive information on internally displaced persons around the world."
Global Witness (http://www.globalwitness.org)
‘Global Witness was the first NGO to bring the issue of conflict diamonds to the attention of the diamond trade, world governments and the United Nations; forcing them to recognize that the trade in these diamonds was, and is, unacceptable. Site includes organization's May 2000 report on "Conflict Diamonds".
Human Rights Watch (http://www.hrw.org/)
Site provides information and reports on the human rights conditions in Liberia.
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN): Liberia (http://www.irinnews.orghomepage.asp)
‘A unit of the Nation Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Site provides a clearinghouse of information for humanitarian and international communities on the crises in Liberia and other sub-Saharan African countries.
International Committee of the Red Cross (http://www.icrc.org/eng)
Site provides information on ICRC operations in Liberia.
International Committee of the Red Cross. Family News Network (http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/home.nsf/home/webfamilylinks)
"Site provides names of relative being sought for unaccompanied children from the conflicts in Sierra Leone and Liberia."
International
Crisis Group (ICG). (http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm)
Web site provides news, an overview of its Liberian project, and links to full-text reports.
International
Rescue Committee (IRC) (http://www.theirc.org)
Site contains information on the IRC’s work in Liberia.
Liberia Institute of Journalism (http://www.lij.kabissa.org)
"LIJ, a nonprofit Journalism Education organization, informs and empowers journalists to exercise their rights in an emerging democracy. The institute publishes the West Africa Newsletter, which focuses on human rights, development and democracy reporting and networking."
The Liberian Educational Achievement Foundation (http://www.liberia-leaf.org/home.htm)
"A non profit organization dedicated to rebuilding education in Liberia."
The Liberian Social Justice Foundation, Inc (http://www.centretrade.com)
"A nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring a just and stable society in Liberia."
Lifewater in Liberia (http://www.lifewater.org/)
"A Christian nonprofit organization focusing on training and equipping nationals to drill water wells and t build and install hand pumps."
Movement for Democratic Change in Liberia (MDCL) (http://www.mdcl.org)
"A nonprofit independent political movement dedicated to achieving nonviolent democratic change in Liberia. It is a coalition of Liberians at home and abroad."
Refugees International (http://www.refugeesinternational.org)
A Washington-based advocacy organization with operations in Liberia.
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (http://www.unicef.org/)
"UNICEF works for children's rights, their survival, development and protection."
United Nations Development Programme (http://www.undp.org)
Site contains the Human Development Report for 2002, including a national report for Liberia.
United Nations Economic
Commission for Africa (ECA) (http://www.uneca.org/)
Site includes links to reports, news sources, a database of meetings and events on Africa, an archives on ECA activities, and other organizational information.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (http://www.unhchr.ch)
Site highlights the mandate and activities of the organization in Liberia. Also, provides an overview of Liberian Refugees.
United
Nations. High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). Country
of Origin and Legal Information
(http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home)
Web site for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has databases for country of origin and legal documents and reports, maps, and news.
United
States. Agency for International Development -- Africa (http://www.usaid.gov/locations/sub-saharan_africa/)
This site includes a comprehensive Africa section covering programs on private sector development in Liberia and in other sub-Saharan African countries. Site includes country information, testimony, speeches, press releases and publications, and a description of the West Africa Regional Program.
United States. Peace Corps (http://www.peacecorps.gov)
Provides an overview of Peace Corps projects in Liberia.
Washington Office on Africa (http://www.woaafrica.org)
"The Washington Office on Africa is a church-sponsored advocacy organization which seeks to address issues affecting grassroots African interests throughout the continent."
West African Bankers' Association (http://www.wabao.org)
The Association covers Benin, Burkin Faso, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
World Bank Group (http://www.worldbank.org)
The World Bank Group is composed of five organizations: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Development Association (IDA), International Finance Corporation (IFC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The Group provides substantial amounts of data, statistics and full-text documents and reports on various sectors of economic and development development in Liberia and in other sub-Saharan African countries.
World Food Program -- Africa (http://www.wfp.org/)
Site contains information on humanitarian aid programs in Liberia.
World Trade Organization (http://www.wto.org/)
Site provides trade statistics for Liberia and full-text official documents on trade and investment-related topics.
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