Liberia is Africa’s oldest republic. Although founded by freed American and Caribbean slaves, the West African country is mostly made up of indigenous Africans, with the slaves’ descendants comprising five per cent of the population.
Liberia was relatively calm until 1980, when President William Tolbert was overthrown by Sergeant Samuel Doe after food price riots. The coup marked the end of dominance by the minority Americo-Liberians, who had ruled since independence, but heralded a period of instability culminating in a 14-year civil war. The brutal war not only completely destroyed the fragile social fibre of the nation, but also led to the death of an estimated 250,000 people and the displacement of over a million. The conflict has also left the country in economic ruin. Access to safe sanitation facilities is almost non-existent in rural Liberia, and the national education system lies in ruins.
Thousands, if not millions of Liberian children have been robbed of their childhood. All parties to the conflict abducted children, both girls and boys and some as young as seven years, and forced them to fight, carry ammunition, prepare food or carry out other tasks. Girls were raped and forced to provide sexual services.
Many child soldiers were given drugs and alcohol to induce aggression and inhibit fear. With little or no military training, they were sent directly to the front line, where many were killed or wounded. Many of these children are now feared and sometimes rejected by society for the atrocities they have committed.