A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

npfl invaSion: decemBer 24, 1989
Chapter Seven. Liberia’s First Civil War, 1989-1997
On December 24, 1989, Charles Taylor led the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) in an
invasion of Liberia, thus beginning a civil war that would last more than seven years. After experiencing
a decade of Doe’s military regime and the failure of the 1985 elections to create real change, many
Liberians supported Taylor’s plan to oust Doe. 1 The brutality that followed the 1985 attempted coup,
however, foreshadowed the civil unrest that would accompany Doe’s ouster. 2 One statement giver
described his realization that a Taylor regime would not seek change for the greater public good, but
merely perpetuate yet another despot’s self-interest:
That day we witnessed someone who was begging for his life on his knees.
Three rebels pushed him to the edge of the bush and then opened fire on
him. That was what turned me against Charles Taylor, because I realized he
was not about fighting for us. 3
The first civil war unleashed a torrent of egregious violations of international human rights and
humanitarian law. Fighting forces engaged in exceptional brutality against combatants and civilians
alike. Deliberate targeting of and disregard for civilians were widespread and included the staging
of battles in highly populated areas, attacks
Human rights and humanitarian law violations
reported during Liberia’s First Civil War:
Violence to life, health, and physical or mental well-being
Collective punishments
Taking of hostages
Outrages upon personal dignity
Enslavement
Acts of terrorism
Forced displacement
Looting and pillaging
Summary executions
Threats
Attacks against civilians
Attacks against humanitarian aid workers and medical
personnel
Violation of the right to security of person
Forced labor
Extermination
Persecution against any identifiable group
Freedom of movement
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on unarmed civilians, widespread rape and
sexual violence, hostage-taking and similar
tactics designed to terrorize the population,
interruption of food supplies to civilians,
looting, and extremely brutal violence.
These atrocities resulted in massive
numbers of internally displaced people
and refugees and in tremendous suffering
by virtually all Liberians who remained
within the country. One statement giver
summarized, “I observed and heard a
rebel say ‘I want to see blood.’ He took a
man, cut his throat and then pulled out his
intestine and stretched it like a gate and
then cut off his head and put it on a tree.” 4
The extreme violence that characterized
the conflict was not the result of isolated
incidents involving a few rogue fighters.
Rather, these were deliberately brutal