A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

homes.
One statement giver described being separated from her mother in July 1990 and staying with a family
friend for several weeks. 14 At one point she had to hide in a laundry basket in a closet for a couple of
days to avoid being kidnapped by rebels. Later, she was taken by a different family friend to stay at the
Sierra Leonean embassy in Monrovia.
There was constant fighting, especially at night, between the government
and rebel forces. The buildings were shaking and there was the sound of
glass breaking. A lot of people were at the embassy. There were about 30
people staying in one room the size of a bedroom. The guys would sleep
one way and the women and kids the other way. I slept fully clothed with my
nightgown on over my clothes. At certain times, the shooting would stop
and then people would leave to search for food. Coal was not available so
we would cut trees for wood. We would go in groups for safety. We would
sometimes hear someone yell “Where are you guys coming from? What are
you doing out?” You didn’t know where the voice was coming from. We
would have to cook and eat fast. I had never had to do work at home, so I
didn’t even know how to start a fire. People used to bathe in an unfinished
house, using a bucket as a means for the pouring water to clean themselves.
We would have to bathe quickly with no soap. I spent two months at the
Embassy. 15
Many in Liberia moved constantly so as to avoid being captured or killed. One statement giver
described moving from Gardernsville, to the French Cable neighborhood, to Bushrod Island,
then to Logantown to escape the rebel advances. 16 He finally returned to Monrovia proper after
the deployment of ECOMOG. 17 Another statement giver, who was seven years old during the 1990
fighting, described his family’s movements during the summer of 1990 from their home near the
beach on Ninth Street in Sinkor, to “Order” Road, to Twelfth Street, then to New Kru Town because
food was getting scarce in Sinkor, and then finally back to their old home on Ninth Street. 18
The crisis in 1990 also impacted those outside Monrovia. Across Liberia, families suffered similar
patterns of displacement. In July 1990, rebels attacked Kakata. Mandingos were specifically targeted. 19
One statement giver, in his 20s at the time, described hiding on the roof of his family compound while
the rebels dragged his father into the street and killed him. The young man fled on foot to Monrovia,
where he found his uncle’s family. He fled with his uncle’s family to Sierra Leone, where they stayed
as refugees for six years. 20 Another statement giver described rebel raids on Bopolu, in Bomi County
in February and March 1990. The statement giver was a young girl at the time and remembers hiding
with her cousin’s baby in a huge pot in her grandmother’s kitchen as the rebels searched through the
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