A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

Chapter Thirteen. “Everyone Scattered”
Experiences of the Liberian Diaspors
Diaspora: from the Greek, traditionally meaning to sow over or scatter, the
modern meaning includes forced expulsion of a given population, dispersal,
persecution, a sense of loss, and a vision of return. 1
It is estimated that of Liberia’s approximately three million people, nearly all fled their homes at some
point during the civil war. Some left for a few months or years while others have yet to return. As
many as 780,000 fled across an international border, becoming refugees. 2 Hundreds of thousands of
Liberians were internally displaced in any given year during the conflict. 3 This population displacement
created a Liberian diaspora on the African continent and around the globe.
Displaced persons often experience what is known as the triple trauma paradigm. This longstanding
paradigm posits that refugees experience trauma in the country of origin, during flight, and in the
country of refuge. 4 Each phase brings with it unique and recurring traumatic experiences. Whether
witnessing atrocities while hiding in their houses, being targeted en route to internally displaced
persons’ camps or neighboring countries of refuge, dealing with a seeming endless sojourn in a
refugee settlement, or adjusting to life in a third country, the experiences of Liberians in the diaspora
are a critical component of the TRC’s analysis.
This report uses the triple trauma paradigm as a framework for considering the Liberian diaspora
experience. The first part of this section addresses the mass population displacements that began
in 1990 with Charles Taylor’s invasion of Liberia and which continued through 2003, focusing on
why and how Liberians fled, as well as the trauma they experienced during flight within Liberia. The
second part recounts the experiences of the refugee diaspora in the West African sub-region, with a
particular focus on refugees in the Buduburam Settlement in Ghana. The third part addresses the
experience of the Liberian diaspora outside of Africa, with a focus on immigrants who have settled in
the United States and the United Kingdom.
flight
The human rights abuses that forced Liberians to flee their homes between 1989 and 2003 – whether
to a neighbor’s house or to a foreign land – were some of the most severe types of trauma imaginable.
Although a significant number of Liberians fled their homeland after the coup that brought Samuel
Doe to power, the vast majority of TRC statements from the diaspora focus on experiences of flight
as a result of the civil war that began in December of 1989. Liberians were subjected to summary
executions, rape, assault, torture, and other crimes against humanity.
Forced to Flee
Statement givers described consistent patterns of human rights violations forcing them to flee. Many
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