LIBERIA

Republic of Liberia

CAPITAL: Monrovia

FLAG: The national flag, dating from 1847, consists of 11 horizontal stripes, alternately red (6) and white (5), with a single five-pointed white star on a square blue field 5 stripes deep in the upper left corner.

ANTHEM: All Hail, Liberia, Hail.

MONETARY UNIT: The Liberian dollar (l$) of 100 cents was linked to the US dollar until January 1998, when it switched to a floating market determined rate. There are no Liberian notes. US notes in the denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 dollars are in circulation and are legal tender. Both US and Liberian coins of 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 cents, and 1 dollar are in circulation; as of 1982, a $5 Liberian coin was issued. l1 = $0.01821 (or $1 = l54.906) as of 2004.

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES: US and UK weights and measures are used.

HOLIDAYS: New Year's Day, 1 January; Armed Forces Day, 11 February; Decoration Day, 2nd Wednesday in March; Birthday of J. J. Roberts (first president), 15 March; Fast and Prayer Day, 2nd Friday in April; National Redemption Day, 12 April; Unification Day, 14 May; Independence Day, 26 July; Flag Day, 24 August; Thanksgiving Day, 1st Thursday in November; Anniversary of 1985 Coup Attempt, 12 November; President Tubman's Birthday, 29 November; Christmas, 25 December. Good Friday and Easter Monday are movable religious holidays.

TIME: GMT.

LOCATION, SIZE, AND EXTENT

Located on the west coast of Africa, Liberia has an area of about 111,370 sq km (43,000 sq mi), with a length of 548 km (341 mi) ese–wnw and a width of 274 km (170 mi) nne–ssw. Comparatively, the area occupied by Liberia is slightly larger than the state of Tennessee. On the n it is bounded by Guinea, on the e by Côte d'Ivoire, on the s and sw by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the nw by Sierra Leone, with a total land boundary length of 1,585 km (985 mi) and a coastline of 579 km (360 mi).

Liberia's capital city, Monrovia, is located on the Atlantic coast.

TOPOGRAPHY

There are three distinct belts lying parallel to the coast. The low coastal belt is about 40 km (25 mi) wide, with tidal creeks, shallow lagoons, and mangrove marshes. The land then rises to rolling hills, with elevations of 60–150 m (200–500 ft). The third belt, comprising the bulk of Liberia, is marked by abrupt changes of elevation in a series of low mountains and plateaus, less densely forested than the hilly region. The Nimba Mountains are near the Guinea frontier. The Wologizi Mountains reach a maximum of about 1,380 m (4,528 ft) with Mt. Wutuvi, the nation's highest point. Of the six principal rivers, all of which are at right angles to the coast and flow into the Atlantic Ocean, only the Farmington is of much commercial importance. Sandbars obstruct the mouths of all rivers, making entrance hazardous, and upstream there are rocky rapids.

CLIMATE

The climate is tropical and humid, with little change in temperature throughout the year. The mean is 27°c (81°f), with temperatures rarely exceeding 36°c (97°f) or falling below 20°c (68°f). On the coast the heat is tempered by an almost constant breeze. Yearly rainfall is as high as 510 cm (200 in) on the coast, decreasing to about 200 cm (80 in) in areas farthest inland. There are distinct wet and dry seasons, most of the rainfall occurring between late April and mid-November. Average relative humidity in the coastal area is about 82% during the rainy season and 78% in the dry, but it may drop to 50% or lower between December and March, when the dust-laden harmattan blows from the Sahara.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Liberia, together with adjoining Sierra Leone and Côte d'Ivoire, includes the greatest of Africa's evergreen forests. There are about 235 species of trees; 90 varieties are present in potentially marketable quantities, including mahogany and ironwood. The bombex (cotton tree), the oil palm, and the kola tree are common. The wild rubber tree (Funtumia elastica) is indigenous, but the cultivated Hevea brasiliensis is the source of Liberia's commercial rubber. A variety of coffee peculiar to Liberia, Coffea liberica, was formerly common but has given way to the preferred Coffea robusta. Fruit trees include citrus varieties, the alligator apple, papaya, mango, and avocado. Pineapples grow wild. Among the cultivated plants are cassava, cotton, cacao, indigo, and upland rice.

Elephant and buffalo, once common in Liberia, have largely disappeared, but several species of antelope are found in the interior; two of these, the white-shouldered duiker and the zebra antelope, are peculiar to Liberia. A lemur called Bosman's potto and several species of monkey, including the long-haired and the Diana, are found in the forests. Wild pigs and porcupines exist in sparsely settled areas, and several members of the leopard group are also found. Most of the 15 species of snakes are venomous. Termites build lofty nests throughout the country. In some areas the tsetse fly is found, and driver ants and mosquitoes are common. Several varieties of snail act as hosts in the propagation of certain enteric diseases. Among the birds are the hornbill, wild guinea fowl, cattle egret (cowbird), flamingo, woodpecker, and weaver. As of 2002, there were at least 193 species of mammals, 146 species of birds, and over 2,200 species of plants throughout the country.

ENVIRONMENT

The nation lacks regulatory agencies to supervise the preservation of the environment. As the 1980s began, Liberia was one of the last West African countries with significant primary forest reserves, but recent estimates suggest that deforestation continues at a rate of about 2% per year. Commercial logging, firewood cutting, and a government land-clearing program all threaten primary forestland. Forests currently account for less than 40% of Liberia's land. By the mid-1980s, the country had lost over 70% of its mangrove swamps. Hunting and loss of habitat have decimated wildlife along the coastal plain, and there are no longer any large herds of big game in the interior.

The water supply is usually limited to open sources such as streams, swamps, and shallow, uncovered wells; the result, especially during the rainy season, is that insects and parasites thrive, creating a major health hazard. Safe drinking water is available to 72% of Liberia's urban dwellers and 52% of its rural population. The Mano and St. John rivers are becoming increasingly polluted from the dumping of iron ore tailings, and the coastal waters from oil residue and the dumping of untreated sewage and waste water.

According to a 2006 report issued by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), the number of threatened species included 20 types of mammals, 11 species of birds, 2 types of reptiles, 4 species of amphibians, 29 species of fish, 16 types of mollusks, 11 species of other invertebrates, and 103 species of plants. The Jentink's duiker, the whitebreasted guinea fowl, Pel's flying squirrel, the green turtle, and the Liberian mongoose are threatened species in Liberia.

POPULATION

The population of Liberia in 2005 was estimated by the United Nations (UN) at 3,283,000, which placed it at number 129 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In 2005, approximately 2% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 46% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 100 males for every 100 females in the country. According to the UN, the annual population rate of change for 2005–2010 was expected to be 2.9%, a rate the government viewed as too high. Political instability in the country has undermined the effectiveness of government reproductive health programs. The projected population for the year 2025 was 5,800,000. The population density was 29 per sq km (76 per sq mi).

The population consists of indigenous Africans and descendants of American black settlers (also known as Liberico-Americans or Amerafricans), in the ratio of at least 30 to 1.

The UN estimated that 45% of the population lived in urban areas in 2005, and that urban areas were growing at an annual rate of 3.97%. The capital city, Monrovia, had a population of 572,000 in that year. More than one-third of the population lives within an 80-km (50-mi) radius of Monrovia. After Monrovia, Buchanan, Harper, and Greenville are the largest port cities; Gbarnga, Kakata, Sanniquellie, Zorzor, and Ghanpa are major interior towns.

The prevalence of HIV/AIDS has had a significant impact on the population of Liberia. The UN estimated that 6.5% of adults between the ages of 15–49 were living with HIV/AIDS in 2001. The AIDS epidemic causes higher death and infant mortality rates, and lowers life expectancy.

MIGRATION

The Liberian civil war caused a great amount of migration in the early 1990s. In May 1997, there were still 210,000 refugees in Côte d'Ivoire, 420,000 in Guinea, 17,000 in Ghana, 14,000 in Sierra Leone, and 6,000 in Nigeria. Since the beginning of 1997, the situation in Liberia has improved as the warring factions have been disarmed. Repatriation is only possible after the rainy season ends in October and the roads become passable again; however, between 1997 and 1999, as many as 120,000 refugees were repatriated back to Liberia. Insurgencies that struck Lofa County in April and August 1999 caused major setbacks for the programs of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as Lofa has been the single-largest county of return for Liberian refugees, mainly from Guinea.

As of 1999, Liberia was host to 90,000 refugees from Sierra Leone. In that year all Liberian refugees who had fled were presumed to have returned to their homeland. In March 2003, armed conflict between the government and two rebel groups spread to nine of Liberia's fifteen counties. A ceasefire agreement was broken soon after signing. The end of the 14-year civil war that killed a quarter of a million people, uprooted almost a third of the population, and left the country's infrastructure in ruins did not occur until 2005. A 15,000-strong UN peacekeeping force restored security to the country and disarmed and demobilized over 100,000 former fighters, allowing presidential elections to be held in November 2005.

According to UNHCR, by the end of 2004 there was an internally displaced population of 498,566 in Liberia. In addition, there were 56,872 returned refugees. In 2004 Liberia had 15,172 refugees from other countries (mainly from Côte d'Ivoire) and 5 asylum seekers. In that same year, Liberia ranked eighth-highest for the origin of refugees, with 335,500 by year end in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, and the United States. In that same year over 5,000 Liberians sought asylum in Ghana, Guinea, Italy, Germany and France.

Net migration rates have vacillated widely. In 2005, the net migration rate was an estimated zero migrants per 1,000 population, compared to 36.5 migrants per 1,000 population in 2000. These were significant changes from 1990, when the net migration rate stood at -27.0 per 1,000 population.

ETHNIC GROUPS

Indigenous African tribes constitute 95% of the population. Besides the descendants of the early settlers, Liberia is peopled by about 28 ethnic groups, each with its own language. They are believed to have migrated from the north and east between the 12th and 16th centuries ad, bringing with them elements of Egyptian and Arabian culture, such as the spinning and weaving of cotton and the smelting of iron. Linguistically, the tribes may be divided into three main groups: the Mande people in the north and far west, the Kru tribes (including the Krahn) in the east and southeast, and the Mel in the northwest. The largest groups are the Kpellé, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, and Bella. About 2.5% of the population is Americo-Liberian, descendants of immigrants from the United States who had been slaves. There are also two tribes not strictly Liberian: the Mandingo, who are itinerant Muslim traders, and the Fanti fishermen, who come from Ghana and stay a few years at a time in Liberia.

Because of intermarriage and an aggressive national unification program, tribal divisions are rapidly becoming less distinct, especially around the capital. Nevertheless, there is a strong tendency among the indigenous people to preserve their tribal identities.

Of the non-African resident population, the biggest component consists of Lebanese and Syrians.

LANGUAGES

English is the official language, but only a minority of the people (about 20%) can speak or write it. The tribal people use their own languages, of which there are about 20. Of these, Vai, Bassa, and Loma can be written and are being used in correspondence by these tribes. The international phonetic alphabet, introduced by missionaries, has facilitated the use of many of the other tribal languages for correspondence and publication of local newsletters.

RELIGIONS

The early settlers, freed American slaves, brought with them the culture and religion of the US deep South of the slavery era. Their descendants are generally adherents of Protestant denominations. It is estimated that about 40% of the population practice Christianity exclusively or in combination with traditional indigenous religions. Christian denominations include Lutheran, Baptist, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, United Methodist, African Methodist Episcopal (AME), AME Zionist, and several Pentecostal churches. About 20% of the population practice Islam. Mandingo traders, who live mainly in the northern and eastern counties, have made many Muslim converts and Egyptian and Pakistani Muslim missionaries have been active since 1956. About 40% of the population practice traditional indigenous religions exclusively. Veneration of ancestors forms the core of most Liberian traditional religion. There is also a small Baha'i community.

Though the law prohibits religious discrimination, there have been reports of violence and discrimination against Muslims and Islamic leaders complain of both social and political discrimination. Certain Christian holidays are celebrated as national holidays. The Inter-Religious Council of Liberia is a well-known national group that seeks mutual understanding between faiths and also promotes peace between the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL).

TRANSPORTATION

In 2002 there were an estimated 10,600 km (6,586 mi) of public roads, of which only about 657 km (408 mi) were paved. Private roads built by rubber and lumber companies were mostly laterite-surfaced roads. Important paved roads connect Monrovia to the interior as far as the Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Côte d'Ivoire borders. There is major deterioration reported on all highways due to lack of maintenance since the civil war began. In 2003, there were 12,000 registered passenger autos, and 35,950 commercial vehicles. Except for short-line buses, virtually all of Liberia's common carriers are taxicabs.

Railroad lines in Liberia, as of 2004, consisted of 490 km (304 mi) of standard and narrow gauge railways, of which the bulk (345 km/215 mi) were standard gauge lines. Of Liberia's three railways, all were owned by foreign steel and financial interests in conjunction with the Liberian Government, and used for the transportation of iron ore from mines to the ports of Buchanan and Monrovia. One of these, the Lamco Railroad, closed in 1989 after iron ore production ceased. The other two were shut down by the civil war. Large sections of the rail lines have been dismantled, and an estimated 60 km (37 mi) was exported for scrap.

The Free Port of Monrovia, opened in 1948, underwent substantial improvements during the late 1960s, so that ships with a draft up to 14 m (45 ft) can now be handled. A port used primarily for iron ore export was opened at Buchanan in 1963. These two deepwater ports handle over 98% of all cargo. Smaller ports, located at Greenville and Harper, handle mainly log exports. Many foreign-owned ships are registered in Liberia because of low fees and lenient labor laws. Liberia's registered merchant fleet in 2005 totaled 1,465 vessels (1,000 GRT or over) with 50,555,752 GRT.

Robertsfield, 58 km (36 mi) from Monrovia, is the site of the sole international airport. In 2004, there were an estimated 53 airports, of which only 2 had paved runways as of 2005. Medium-sized jets and small aircraft, including those of Air Liberia, provide service from Spriggs Payne Airport on the outskirts of Monrovia to destinations within Liberia.

HISTORY

It is believed that many of the peoples of Liberia migrated there from the north and east between the 12th and 16th centuries ad. Portuguese explorers first visited the coast in 1461, and Europeans traded with coastal tribes during the next three centuries. Modern Liberia was founded in 1822 by freed slaves from the United States. They were sent to Africa under the auspices of the American Colonization Society, a private organization whose purpose was "to promote and execute a plan for colonizing in Africa, with their own consent, the free people of color residing in the United States." The first settlement was on Providence Island near where the present capital city, Monrovia, is located. Although the Society, with the help of the United States government under President James Monroe (after whom Monrovia is named), had arranged with local chiefs for a settlement, the colonists were attacked by indigenous peoples, disease, and barely maintained their foothold.

The first governors of the settlement were agents appointed by the Colonization Society, but in 1847 Americo-Liberians established the Republic of Liberia under a constitution modeled after that of the United States. The state seal shows a ship at anchor in a tropical harbor, and bears the inscription, "The Love of Liberty Brought Us Here." Thus began over a 130 years of Americo-Liberian domination over the 16 indigenous ethnic groups within Liberia's borders.

Emigration to Liberia continued until the close of the US Civil War, during which about 14,000 settlers went to Liberia under the auspices of the Society, and some 5,700 captives, liberated from slave ships on the high seas by the US Navy, were sent by the US government.

Although the United States refused to extend diplomatic recognition to independent Liberia until the civil war, several European governments did, including Britain and France. However, as the scramble for Africa reached its feverish pitch, Liberia's "century of survival" began. Neighboring British and French colonial powers, on one pretext or another, and by force of arms, encroached upon the infant republic. During the last quarter of the 19th century, Liberia lost considerable resource-rich territory to adjoining British and French colonies. Pressure on Liberia's borders continued well into the 20th century.

Added to these dangers was Liberia's precarious economic position. In the 1870s, Liberia contracted for a $500,000 loan from European sources. Because of increasing world competition from Brazilian coffee, European sugar beets, and steamers, Liberia was unable to generate sufficient export revenue, and defaulted on this loan. Recession forced Liberia into a series of ever larger loans. Liberians were further compelled to allow collection of customs revenues by Europeans and Americans. Eventually, Liberia was able to secure a $5-million loan from a US firm, the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co., which set up rubber plantations in the country in 1926. The depression of the 1930s brought Liberia to the verge of bankruptcy, and government revenues fell in 1933 to a low of $321,000.

In the early 1930s, Liberia's political sovereignty was also severely threatened. Accusations had begun to circulate internationally that Liberian laborers, with the complicity of high government officials, were being recruited for shipment to the Spanish island of Fernando Póo (now Bioko, in Equatorial Guinea) under conditions that resembled slave trading. A commission of inquiry, set up by the League of Nations at the request of Liberia's President Charles D. B. King, found some basis for the charges and implicated the vice president, who was forced to resign. President King also resigned.

Exportation of rubber from the new Firestone plantations began in 1934. The establishment of a US air base in Liberia during World War II and the building of an artificial harbor at Monrovia further stimulated the country's development. William V. S. Tubman, elected president in 1944 and reelected for five additional terms, sought to unify the country by attempting to bridge the wide economic, political, and social gaps between the descendants of the original American ex-slaves and the tribal peoples of the interior. President Tubman, affectionately called "Uncle Shad," died at the age of 74, after 27 years in office. He was known as the "Maker of Modern Liberia" for his open door policy of unrestricted foreign investment and his Unification Policy.

Upon his death in 1971, Vice-President William R. Tolbert, Jr. assumed the reigns of power. Tolbert was nominated by the True Whigs, Liberia's only legal political party, and, having been elected without opposition in October 1975, was inaugurated for an eight-year term in January 1976. Unfortunately, Tolbert's term coincided with a deep economic depression, which sparked Liberia's colonial revolution. The Progressive Alliance of Liberia (PAL) organized a protest against proposed increases in the price of rice. The meeting turned violent resulting in looting. Tolbert was forced to subsidize rice to restore order, a sign that the True Whig government was coming to an end.

Doe Takes Power

On 12 April 1980 army enlisted men staged a coup. Tolbert and at least 26 supporters were killed in the fighting. Thirteen officials were publicly executed 10 days later. The People's Redemption Council (PRC) led by Sgt. Samuel K. Doe, a Krahn tribesman, became head of state. Doe suspended the constitution, but a return to civilian rule was promised for 1985. Despite two coups attempts in 1981, the government declared an amnesty for all political prisoners and exiles. Forty political prisoners were released in September of that year, and another 20 were released in December. A draft constitution providing for a multiparty republic was issued in 1983 and approved by referendum in 1984.

In the elections of 15 October 1985, nine political parties sought to challenge Doe's National Democratic Party of Liberia (NDPL), but only three were allowed to take part. Doe was elected with 51% of the vote, and the NDPL won 21 of the 26 Senate seats and 51 of the 64 seats in the House of Representatives. Foreign observers declared the elections fraudulent, and most of the elected opposition candidates refused to take their seats.

In November 1985, military leader Thomas Quiwonkpa and an estimated 500 to 600 people died in an unsuccessful coup attempt—the seventh since Doe took power. Krahn troops retaliated, killing thousands of Gio, considered supporters of the coup leaders. In late December 1989, a small group of insurgents calling themselves the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) led by Charles Taylor invaded Liberia. The rebel invasion soon pitted ethnic Krahn sympathetic to the regime against those victimized by it, Gio and Mano. Thousands of civilians were massacred on both sides. Hundreds of thousands fled their homes.

By June 1990, Taylor's forces laid siege to Monrovia. A third force led by Prince Yormie Johnson, split from the NPFL. Johnson quickly controlled parts of Monrovia prompting evacuation of foreign nationals and diplomats by the US Navy in August. To restore order, the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) created the Economic Community Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) comprising some 4,000 troops from Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Guinea.

ECOWAS invited the principal Liberian players to meet in Banjul, Gambia to form a government of national unity. Exiled members of Liberia's leading political parties and associations elected Dr. Amos Sawyer, leader of the LPP to head an interim government of national unity (IGNU). Bishop Ronald Diggs of the Liberian Council of Churches became vice president. However, Taylor's NPFL refused to attend the conference, and the AFL, which formerly supported Doe, and the INPFL allied themselves against Taylor. Within days clashes erupted.

On 9 September 1990, Johnson's forces captured Doe at the port. His torture and execution were videotaped by his captors. ECOMOG was reinforced in order to protect the interim government headed by Dr. Sawyer. Sawyer was able to establish his authority over most of Monrovia, but the rest of Liberia was in the hands of various factions of the NPFL or of local gangs.

Repeated attempts to get Taylor and Johnson to cooperate with Sawyer proved fruitless. The war spilled into Sierra Leone, further complicating peacemaking and peacekeeping efforts. In April 1996, violence escalated in Monrovia. Roving gangs of heavily armed, leaderless teenagers recklessly sprayed the city with machine-gun fire and grenade launchers. More than 3,000 people were killed in the next two months and nearly every building in the capital suffered damage. Looters targeted international relief organizations for their radios, medicines, and cars.

On 8 May 1996, after more than 150,000 deaths and 13 peace accords, Liberia's four principal militias approved a peace plan that required an immediate halt to fighting, the removal of weapons and ammunition from the capital city of Monrovia, and the return of about $20 million worth of vehicles and equipment stolen from international relief organizations. Additional troops from Ghana, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Benin were brought in to enforce the peace accords, bringing the total number of foreign peacekeeping troops to 13,000. Meanwhile, it was apparent that disagreements over establishing an electoral commission and other difficulties in preparations would delay the proposed elections.

On 19 July 1997 some 500 international observers, including former US president Jimmy Carter, monitored the elections. They reported peaceful, mostly free and fair elections, although runners-up Johnson-Sirleaf and Kromah complained of irregularities. The official results gave Taylor the victory with 75.3% of the vote, while Johnson-Sirleaf obtained 9.6%. Taylor's National Patriotic Party (NPP) took 49 House seats and 21 seats in the Senate (out of 64 and 26 total seats respectively). On 2 August Taylor was inaugurated. He appointed a cabinet with some members of the transitional administration, and he established a nine-member national security council to maintain civil order.

Although insecurity prevailed in parts of Liberia, especially Lofa County, the last ECOMOG troops began leaving the country in October 1999. In July 1999, Taylor presided over the burning of a huge stockpile of weapons. By May 2000, much of Liberia was still in ruins, but international donors had made some progress in restoring agricultural production, reintegrating ex-combatants, and helping refugees and internally displaced persons resettle in their home areas.

Renewed fighting in 2000 led to a declaration of a state of emergency on 8 February 2002. Taylor lifted the emergency in September 2002, but by February-March 2003, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) had made gains deep into territory previously held by government troops. Under ECOWAS supervision, the two sides met in Bamako in March 2003, the first such official encounter, and peace talks continued in Accra, Ghana. On 17 June, the two sides signed a cease-fire with commitments to a transition government without Taylor, but three days later Taylor declared that he would serve out his term to January 2004 with the possibility of seeking reelection.

On 11 August 2003, Taylor succumbed to international pressure, handed power over to his vice president, Moses Blah, and sought asylum in Nigeria where he has remained in exile. A week later, under the auspices of ECOWAS and the international donor 'Contact Group' (ICGL), the government, the LURD, and a new rebel group, the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (Model), signed a peace accord in Accra providing for an interim government, the National Transition Government of Liberia (NTGL) led by businessman, Gyudeh Bryant.

A National Transitional Legislative Assembly (NTLA), composed of warring factions, political parties, representatives of the counties, special interests, and civil society, replaced the House of Representatives and the Senate. A 15,000-strong peacekeeping force—the UN Mission in Liberia—(UNMIL) was established with a one-year mandate to enforce the peace. The mandate was later extended until March 2006. UNMIL began to demobilize and disarm combatants, but because donors underestimated the number of soldiers, funds were insufficient to implement rehabilitation and reintegration. Repatriation through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) of the estimated 350,000 Liberian refugees has been slow, but some 100,000 refugees were thought to have returned on their own.

The political transition formally ended following the 11 October 2005 election between front-runners George Weah, an internationally renowned soccer (football) player, and Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, a Harvard-educated international civil servant and national politician. Despite protests of fraud by Weah's youthful supporters of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), Johnson-Sirleaf was declared the winner on the 8 November second-round ballot with 59.6% of the vote to Weah's 40.4%. The new government was formed on 6 January 2006, making Johnson-Sirleaf Africa's first woman head of state.

Pressure for Taylor's extradition to face trial for alleged war crimes was mounting into 2006. His extradition was demanded by the UN Special Court of Sierra Leone, which charged him with 17 counts of war crimes. In addition, over 300 African and international human rights and activist groups and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights demanded his extradition. However, unless sufficient evidence supporting the allegations was available, Nigeria stated that it would not hand Taylor over. In February 2006, it was announced that Johnson-Sirleaf had inaugurated a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate human rights abuses committed 1979–2003, marking the end of civil war.

GOVERNMENT

The Liberian republic is modeled after the United States. Its constitution approved on 3 July 1984 and effective 6 January 1986, provides for a president and vice president elected jointly by universal suffrage (at age 18) for a six-year term with a limit of two consecutive terms. Candidacy is again allowed after the lapse of at least one term. The president is both the chief of state and head of government. He or she nominates judges from a list submitted by a commission, serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and has the right to veto legislation. Vetoes can be overridden by a two-thirds vote of both legislative houses. The legislature is divided into a Senate, its 26 members elected by counties for nine years, and a House of Representatives, its 64 members elected by equally apportioned constituencies for six years.

The constitution proscribes the one-party state and guarantees fundamental rights, such as free speech, press, and assembly. The president has the right to suspend certain rights by declaring a state of emergency in cases of war or serious civil unrest. A state of emergency, which must be confirmed by a two-thirds vote of both legislative houses, does not empower the president to suspend or abrogate the constitution, dissolve the legislature, suspend or dismiss the judiciary, or suspend the right of habeas corpus. The constitution guarantees fundamental freedoms to all persons irrespective of ethnic background. But because of the country's unique history, the constitution stipulates that "only persons who are Negro or of Negro descent shall qualify by birth or by naturalization to be citizens of Liberia," and only citizens may own land.

POLITICAL PARTIES

The president and all members of the legislature were formerly members of the True Whig Party, which was organized in 1860 and held power continuously from 1878 to 1980. The Progressive People's Party (PPP), formed in 1979, claimed to represent the interests of Liberia's indigenous peoples, in contrast to the Americo-Liberian stance of the True Whigs.

In March 1980, several PPP members were arrested, a move that may have triggered the April coup. Although all political activity was banned, many True Whig members retained their government posts.

The National Democratic Party of Liberia (NDPL), established by former president Samuel K. Doe, was victorious in the 1985 elections. The newly formed Unity Party, Liberian Action Party, and Liberian Unification Party were allowed to take part in these elections. The United People's Party (UPP), probably the largest opposition grouping, was founded by Gabriel Baccus Matthews, formerly head of the PPP. The UPP was not allowed to field candidates in 1985 but was legalized in 1986. The National Patriotic Party (NPP) was led by Charles Taylor.

In May 2000, the opposition led by Dr. Togba-Nah Tipoteh, formed a loose coalition of eleven entities called the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), which aimed to present a common candidate in 2003. In mid-2001, several key opposition leaders including Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf met in Abuja, Nigeria to discuss political strategies. The opposition made a number of demands, which it advanced as pre-conditions before going to elections. Among these were the restructuring the armed forces as stipulated by the Abuja Accords, holding elections for chiefs and mayors, conducting a census, dissolving NPP party cells in the civil service, stopping 'illegal' funding of the NPP, guaranteeing opposition parties equal air time and reconstituting the elections commission (ECOM). Opposition political activity upcountry has been virtually nonexistent because of extreme insecurity.

In June 2003, Charles Taylor's NPP, held 49 of 64 House seats, and 21 of 26 Senate seats. The Unity Party held 7 House seats and 3 Senate seats. The All Liberia Coalition Party held 3 House seats and 2 Senate seats. Three other parties held the 5 remaining House seats among themselves.

In the first round of the 2005 elections, George Weah emerged with around 28% of the vote, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf with 20%, and Charles Brumskine was third with 12%. Neither the Mandingo-backed LURD, nor the Krahn-dominated and Côte d'Ivoirebacked Model were able to transform themselves into political parties. In the Senate, the Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia (COTOL) won 7 seats followed by the NPP 4, the CDC, 3; the Liberian Party (LP) of Charles Brumskine, 3; the Unity Party (UP) of Charles Clarke, 3; and the Alliance for Peace and Democracy (APD) of Togba-na Tipoteh, 3. In the House of Representatives, the CDC secured 15 seats followed by the LP, 9; UP, 8; COTOL, 8; APD, 5; and NPP, 4. The next presidential and Senate elections were scheduled for 2014 and House of Representatives elections for 2011.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Liberia is divided into 13 counties, 2 territories, and the federal district of Monrovia. The counties are Grand Cape Mount, Sinoe, Grand Bassa, Maryland, River Cess, Bomi, Grand Kru, Margibi, Lofa, Borg, Grand Gedah, Nimba, and Montserrado. The territories are Marshall and Gibi.

The central government is supposed to appoint the county and territory superintendents. Counties are subdivided into districts headed by commissioners. There are also paramount, clan, and town chiefs. Cities elect their own mayors and councils.

JUDICIAL SYSTEM

The legal system is closely modeled on that of the United States. The 6 January 1986 constitution provides for the establishment of a Supreme Court consisting of a chief justice and four associate justices, to be appointed by the president from a panel recommended by a Judicial Service Commission. The consent of the Senate is required for these appointments and for the confirmation of lower court judges, to which a similar procedure applies. In theory, cases originate in magistrates' courts and may be taken for appeal to one of 10 circuit courts or to the highest court. Serious cases originate in the circuit courts. Traditional courts are presided over by tribal chiefs. A labor court was created in 1986.

For many years, the judicial system has suffered from corruption and domination by the executive. By mid-1990 the system had collapsed and justice administration was co-opted by the military commanders of various factions. In 1991, the Interim Government of National Unity (IGNV), revived the court system in the Monrovia area, and the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) reopened courts in the areas under its control. After 1997, donors trained paralegals and human rights monitors to protect citizens up-country, and the US Department of Justice rebuilt magistrate courts, compiled 30 years of Supreme Court decisions, and published the Liberian Code so that judges and lawyers could have recourse to those decisions. Rebuilding the courts was expected to become a major thrust of the Johnson-Sirleaf government.

ARMED FORCES

As of 2005, active armed forces numbered between 11,000 and 14,000 personnel, including militias supportive of the government. Plans for a reorganized military include an army, navy, and an air force. In 2005, the defense budget totaled $1 million.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

Liberia is a charter member of the United Nations, having joined on 2 November 1945; it takes part in ECA and several nonregional specialized agencies, such as UNESCO, FAO, ILO, the World Bank, UNIDO, IMF, and the WHO. Liberia belongs to the ACP Group, the African Development Bank, ECOWAS, G-77, the Community of Sahel and Saharan States (CENSAD), the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), and the African Union. The government is participating in efforts to establish a West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) that would include The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.

Liberia has participated in various African conferences and has advocated a cooperative association of African states to further such matters of mutual concern as public health, education, and trade. A customs bloc, the Mano River Union, was established in 1973 with Sierra Leone and Guinea. Leaders of the three countries signed a nonaggression and antisubversion pact in 1986. Technical assistance activities of the UN in Liberia have emphasized agricultural development, teaching, vocational training, and control of yaws and malaria. The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) was established in 2003 to serve as a peacekeeping operation in support of the transitional government. At least 48 nations have offered support for UNMIL. Liberia is part of the Nonaligned Movement.

In environmental cooperation, Liberia is part of the Convention on Biological Diversity, International Tropical Timber Agreements, the Kyoto Protocol, the Montréal Protocol, MARPOL, the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and the UN Conventions on Climate Change and Desertification.

ECONOMY

The Liberian economy has come to a virtual standstill since civil war broke out in 1989. The country has an agricultural economy with the majority of the population earning its living in this sector. The principal crops are rice, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, sugar cane, and cassava. Financial mismanagement and the effects of civil war have divided the country into two economic zones, one centered in and around the major urban centers, the other comprising the bulk of the country's rural hinterland. Although the country is rich in natural resources—particularly minerals (gold, diamonds, and iron ore) and forests—little investment has entered the country since hostilities began. The 1996 Abuja peace accords initially provided some hope of an economic recovery in the coming decade, but fighting broke out again in 1999 and was ongoing in 2003. In August 2003, a comprehensive peace agreement ended 14 years of civil war and led to the resignation of former president, Charles Taylor, who was exiled to Nigeria. After two years of rule by a transitional government, democratic elections in late 2005 brought President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to power. However, the security situation is still volatile and the process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn country remains sluggish.

Even prior to the civil war, Liberia faced serious financial problems. Deficits created in the 1970s were deepened by a wave of military spending resulting from the 1980 coup. To try to compensate, cuts in civil service salaries and currency manipulation were used as policy tools. A US-led effort to bring better fiscal management to the Liberian economy failed, and in 1988 the World Bank closed its offices in Monrovia. In March of 1990, the IMF threatened to expel Liberia for nonpayment of its debt.

The civil war has left most of Liberia's infrastructure in shambles. Businessmen and capital have left the country and continuing turmoil has prevented normal economic life. The remaining economic assets were plundered or destroyed by factional forces. In addition, President Charles Taylor's support for rebels fighting in Sierra Leone negatively impacted the climate for foreign investment. Although there are no official statistics, it is estimated that 85% of the population was unemployed in 2003 and that GDP grew at a negative rate of 31.3% during this year. However, with the end of political turmoil, GDP grew at a rate of 8% in 2005.

INCOME

The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) reports that in 2005 Liberia's gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at $2.6 billion. The CIA defines GDP as the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year and computed on the basis of purchasing power parity (PPP) rather than value as measured on the basis of the rate of exchange based on current dollars. The per capita GDP was estimated at $700. The annual growth rate of GDP was estimated at 8%. The average inflation rate in 2003 was 15%. It was estimated that agriculture accounted for 76.9% of GDP, industry 5.4%, and services 17.7%.

Foreign aid receipts amounted to $107 million or about $32 per capita and accounted for approximately 28.3% of the gross national income (GNI).

The World Bank reports that in 2003 household consumption in Liberia totaled $420 million or about $124 per capita based on a GDP of $442.0 million, measured in current dollars rather than PPP. Household consumption includes expenditures of individuals, households, and nongovernmental organizations on goods and services, excluding purchases of dwellings.

It was estimated that in 2002 about 80% of the population had incomes below the poverty line.

LABOR

Since the tribal people of the interior form the bulk of the population and engage primarily in subsistence agriculture, there were few skilled laborers in Liberia until recent years. Although there is still a dearth of highly skilled mechanics and technicians, an increasing number of Liberians are becoming able plant and machine operators. Approximately 70% of workers were engaged in agriculture, with 22% in services, and 8% in industry as of 2000. As of 2003 there has been only a gradual economic recovery since the civil war, with an estimated 85% of the labor force unemployed.

Before the onslaught of civil war, the labor force totaled about 1,349,000 persons. In 1988, total civilian employment stood at 701,000 and unemployment at 43%. The principal private employer then was Firestone, with 9,000 employees in 1987. The policy of foreign-owned companies has been to employ Liberian labor in the first instance and to encourage the training of skilled workers, especially in mechanical pursuits. There are still shortages of middleand higher-level technicians and managerial personnel. From time to time, labor shortages are reported in large agricultural enterprises. The government has enacted a minimum wage law, but the larger employers have generally paid wages in excess of the legal minimum.

The Labor Congress of Liberia (LCL), formed in 1951, was the first significant trade union. Following the first major strike in 1955, the LCL leadership was arrested and the union dissolved. In 1958, it was revived under the leadership of the Ministry for Social Affairs and functioned mainly as a government organ. As a protest against government interference in the LCL, the Congress of Industrial Organizations of Liberia (CIOL) was organized in 1960. The Liberian Federation of Labor Unions was formed in 1980 by a merger of the LCL and CIOL. In 2002, there were a total of 30 functioning unions with a total of 60,000 members, most of whom were unemployed. Despite their organized strength, unions have little actual power.

There are minimum working ages, statutory minimum wages, and occupational safety and health standards but none of these are effectively enforced. Child labor laws are similarly not enforced, especially in rural areas. Most people engage in any work available despite wages or conditions.

AGRICULTURE

Before the civil war, agriculture was the main source of livelihood for the great majority of Liberians. Except on plantations operated by foreign concessionaires and wealthy Liberians, farming techniques are primitive. The "bush rotation" system of shifting cultivation is followed, in which the farmer clears up to two hectares (five acres) of wild forest or low bush each year, lightly cultivates it with crude hand tools, and plants rice or cassava as the rainy season begins. In 2003, agriculture engaged about 70% of the labor force on 6.3% of the total land area. Estimated production of field crops in 2004 included cassava, 490,000 tons; sugarcane, 255,000 tons; and rice, 110,000 tons. The government maintains a retail price ceiling on rice. Rice and wheat productions are insufficient to meet local needs.

The rain forest soils, while well drained, are strongly leached, making Liberia better adapted to tree-crop agriculture than to annual field-crop production. The major rubber, rice, coffee, cocoa, vegetable, and fruit producing areas lie outside of Monrovia. Rubber is the leading cash crop, with production in 2004 estimated at 115,000 tons. Before the war, six foreign-owned concessions produced over two-thirds of the rubber crop, with Firestone's Harbel plantation as the biggest in the world. Firestone ended its long association with Liberian rubber production with the sale of its interests to the Japanese-owned Bridgestone in 1988.

The principal export crops produced by small farmers are coffee, oil palm nuts, sugarcane, and fruits. Estimated production in 2004 was coffee, 3,200 tons; palm oil, 42,000 tons; and palm kernels, 11,000 tons. Banana production came to 110,000 tons; plantains, 42,000 tons. In 2004, Liberia had an agricultural trade deficit of $21.7 million.

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

The limited number of goats and sheep does not supply an adequate amount of protein for the Liberian diet, but poultry farming and marketing of eggs are on the increase; there were an estimated 5.3 million chickens in 2005. Experiments in crossing West African and Brahman cattle have not yet produced breeds resistant to the tsetse fly, but the potential remains for developing good beef animals. In 2005, Liberia had an estimated 220,000 goats, 210,000 sheep, 130,000 pigs, and 36,000 cattle.

FISHING

The fishing industry is dominated by the oceangoing trawlers of the Mesurado Fishing Co. The company also maintains a domestic distribution system that supplies a substantial amount of fish to the interior areas of the country. The total Liberian catch in 2003 was estimated at 11,314 tons.

FORESTRY

An estimated 31% of Liberia is covered by forest, its use largely confined to production of lumber for local needs. National forests constitute about 18% of the land area. In 2000, Liberia had 119,000 hectares (294,000 acres) of forest plantations. There were five major reforestation areas with a total of 4,260 hectares (10,500 acres). About 235 timber species grow in Liberia, of which 90 are potentially marketable, but natural stands of a single species are not common. This fact, plus difficulty of access and lack of practicable means of transportation, has tended to discourage commercial logging operations, despite the known existence of such valuable woods as African mahoganies and red ironwood. A number of foreign companies, mainly from the United States, have been granted concessions. The timber cut in 2004 yielded 5.912 million cu m (208.7 million cu ft) of roundwood, of which 94% was burned as fuel. Forest product exports in 2004 were valued at $97.7 million.

MINING

In 2004, mineral production in Liberia was limited to diamonds, hydraulic cement, and gold. Since December 1989, when mining revenues accounted for 22% of gross domestic product (GDP), the mining sector has been severely damaged by 14 years of civil war and political instability. Estimated production of gold in 2004 was 20 kg, unchanged from 2003. Diamond production in 2004 was estimated at 10,000 carats, down from an estimated 40,000 carats in 2003, and from an estimated 80,000 carats in 2002. All of the country's diamond production comes from artisanal alluvial mining. In 2004, the country also produced hydraulic cement, of which production in 2004 was an estimated 40,000 metric tons, up from an estimated 25,000 metric tons in 2003. Liberia's undeveloped resources included barite, chromium, kyanite, manganese, nickel, palladium, platinum, titaniferous sands, and uranium. Liberia's New Mining Law of 2000 gives the Ministry of Lands, Mines, and Energy the responsibility of issuing four types of mining license—exploration, Class A (for up to 25 years; are limited to 1,000 sq km; and are open to foreign investors), Class B (for 5 years; are renewable; allow mechanized production; and are open to foreign ownership), and Class C (covers artisanal mining; are good for one year intervals with expiration on December 31; and is open only to Liberians). Eastern Liberia was made up of rocks of Birimian age with significant potential for gold. Western Liberia was made up of rocks of Archean age that contained diamond, gold, iron ore, nickel, manganese, palladium, platinum, and uranium.

ENERGY AND POWER

Liberia, as of 1 January 2003, had no known reserves of crude oil or natural gas, and as of June 2003, no known recoverable reserves of coal. As a result, Liberia's demand for petroleum products, natural gas, and coal are met by imports. In 2002, Liberia's imports and demand for petroleum products each averaged 3,200 barrels per day. There were no recorded imports of coal in 2002 or imports of natural gas in 2003. However, Liberia has a small refining capacity, that as of 1 January 2003 was put at 15,000 barrels per day.

As of 2002, all of Liberia's electric generating capacity used fossil fuels. For that year, installed capacity was put at 0.330 million kW, with production at 0.489 billion kWh. Demand for electricity in 2002 came to 0.455 billion kWh.

INDUSTRY

Before the civil war, Liberia's industrial sector was dominated by processing plants associated with its key agricultural outputs: rubber, palm oil, and lumber. The Liberian-owned Mesurado Group manufactured detergent, soap, industrial gas, and animal foods. Liberia also produced soft drinks, cement, plastics, shoes, recycled steel, and refined petroleum products. In addition, Liberia's industrial base produced rice and sugar, cookies and candy, candles, foam rubber, hand tools and aluminum parts, umbrellas, and batteries.

Between 1990 and 1996, faction leaders and business accomplices exploited the industrial wealth of the country. Using forced labor, stolen goods, and fuel, they engaged in forestry, mining, and rubber production techniques that were environmentally unsound and threatened future industrial capacity. Profits from these enterprises were used to acquire more munitions. Increased fighting in 2003 further aggravated the poor industrial climate. In 2004, industry accounted for only 9.8% of GDP, 5% of which was attributed to manufacturing. The 1975 "Liberianization" law protects the production of rice, gasoline, and cement; and the operation of travel agencies, gas stations, and beer and soft drink distributors from foreign interference, despite free trade agreements.

Liberia was a leading purveyor of transportation for the world's merchant fleet, but its position has declined rapidly. In 1995, the Liberian fleet consisted of 1,601 vessels with a gross tonnage of 59.4 million tons. This represented a decline of over 55% since 1982, due primarily to civil war, a reduction in oil tanker numbers, competition from other registry states, and opposition to the open registry system itself. The port of Monrovia was not even operational in 1999.

The oil refinery at Monrovia was closed in 1984. No viable oil or natural gas deposits have been discovered, although limited oil exploration has occurred.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Liberia has an agricultural experiment station in Suakoko; a geological, mining, and metallurgical society in Monrovia; and a research laboratory for the Mt. Nimba region, with headquarters in Robertsfield. The University of Liberia, founded in 1862, has colleges of agriculture and forestry, medicine, and science and technology. Cuttington University College, originally founded in 1889, has a science division, and the William V. S. Tubman College of Technology, founded in 1978, offers a three-year associate degree in engineering technology. All three institutions, as well as the Liberian Institute for Biomedical Research founded in 1952, are at Monrovia. Booker Washington Institute offers agricultural and industrial courses.

DOMESTIC TRADE

Before the civil war of 1989–96, internal trade was carried on mainly by large firms located in Monrovia with branches in other principal towns. However, conflict destroyed nearly all businesses and production facilities and most foreign investors left the country. The infrastructure around major cities also suffered. As of 2002, domestic trade and manufacturing was still limited. A small business sector has resumed operations, but primarily through Lebanese and Indian investors. The economy of the nation is highly dependent on revenues from maritime licensing and timber exports. About 70% of the nation's work force is employed in agriculture (2000 est.). Among rural peoples, trade is often by barter.

FOREIGN TRADE

Liberia had a history of trade surpluses before the war. Exports in 1998 were led by diamonds, followed by iron ore, rubber, and timber. Imports were led by mineral fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, and rice and other foodstuffs. In 2004 rubber accounted for $93.4 million of exports, followed by cocoa which brought in $3.5 million, and others that accounted for a total of $6.9 million.

BALANCE OF PAYMENTS

Liberia has a chronic payments deficit, with large capital outflows and debt-service payments. Since civil war broke out in 1989, exports of foreign currency-earning raw materials (iron, rubber, timber, diamonds, and gold) have plummeted, and massive emergency aid operations began.

The Economist Intelligence Unit reported that in 2005 the purchasing power parity of Liberia's exports was $110 million while imports totaled $295 million resulting in a trade deficit of $185 million.

BANKING AND SECURITIES

In 1974, the government established the National Bank of Liberia. It became the exclusive banker and fiscal agent of the government, introduced reserve requirements for commercial banks, and undertook their supervision. Liberia's commercial banks had their main offices in Monrovia. The Liberian Bank for Development and Investment was established in November 1965 to provide additional mediumand long-term financial aid to worthwhile industrial projects. A National Housing and Savings Bank was established in 1972, with priority given to low-cost public housing. An Agricultural and Cooperative Development Bank provided credit to facilitate capital investment in agriculture.

In the 1980s, Liberia was plagued by the outflow and hoarding of US dollars, the only legal notes. The government minted a l$5 coin to restore liquidity, but this action only led to more hoarding of US bills, which traded informally at a premium compared to similarly denominated Liberian coins.

In November 1996, the chairwoman of the ruling Council of State, Ruth Perry, imposed a freeze on all government spending. She said the step was necessary to stabilize state finances and provide for civil service salaries, many of which had not been paid for months. The only bill in circulation in 1999 was the l$5 piece. Banks were only available as a repository for funds and did not pay interest or make loans. Banks operating in 1999 included the International Trust Company of Liberia, the Liberia Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI), the National Bank of Liberia, the National House and Savings Bank (NHSB), and the Tradevco Bank.

The International Monetary Fund reports that in 2001, currency and demand deposits—an aggregate commonly known as M1—were equal to $35.1 million. In that same year, M2—an aggregate equal to M1 plus savings deposits, small time deposits, and money market mutual funds—was $58.5 million.

INSURANCE

There is no information available on insurance.

PUBLIC FINANCE

Government budgets, roughly in balance up to the mid-1970s, have since run heavily into deficit. Since civil war erupted in 1989, Liberia's fiscal management has collapsed. The country relies heavily on foreign aid, especially from the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, China, and Romania. In recent years, Taiwan and Libya have surfaced as the largest direct donors to the Liberian government.

The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) estimated that in 2000 Liberia's central government took in revenues of approximately $85.4 million and had expenditures of $90.5 million. Revenues minus expenditures totaled approximately -$5.1 million. Total external debt was $3.2 billion.

TAXATION

Before civil conflict began in Liberia, concession agreements negotiated between foreign interests and the Liberian government often provided tax exemption or modification for periods of 10, or more, years after the start of operations.

A moderately progressive tax on net income earned from Liberian sources by individuals, partnerships, and corporations was the largest source of government revenue. Net income was taxed at rates ranging from 11% to a maximum of 65% on income over $99,000. Corporate tax rates ranged from 20–34% of taxable income with marginal rates of up to 50%.

An additional national reconstruction tax of up to 8% on income over $1,000, was imposed in 1981, and was still in effect in 1991. Also levied were a sales tax of 0.5–2%, inheritance and gift taxes, and social security payroll taxes. In 2003, the violent chaos into which the society had descended while waiting on the international community to send aid made most questions about the tax regime irrelevant. In recent history, Liberia's wealth has been smuggled out, not taxed. In 1999, for instance, imports were improbably over three times the reported exports, a sign that not all exports were being reported. Of the $60 million in tax revenue collected in 1999, only 22.4% came from income taxes on corporations and individuals. Sales taxes accounted for another 16%. The main sources of tax revenue have been import duties (almost 30%) and fees paid to Liberia's "flags of convenience" maritime registry (more than 23%).

CUSTOMS AND DUTIES

Imports are subject to tariff duties, ranging from 2.5–25%, which constitute a major source of government income. Import duties are specific (based on weight) for some commodities, ad valorem (based on cost, insurance, and freight value) for others. Specific duties apply to foodstuffs, beverages, petroleum products, and certain rubber and textile products. All exports and some imports require licenses. Customs duties are 25% on luxury items such as alcoholic beverages, apparel, cosmetics, electronics, jewelry, and tobacco.

Goods may be landed, stored, sorted, manufactured, repacked, reforwarded, or transshipped within the area of the Free Port of Monrovia without payment of customs duties, but the port was closed as of 1999.

FOREIGN INVESTMENT

Liberia has historically maintained an "open door" policy toward foreign investment, but since 1989 this policy has given way to the protectionist practices of the government. It has allowed a limited period of exemption from certain types of taxes and permits an unrestricted flow of dividend payments, but only in certain sectors. A 1975 "Liberalization" Law prohibits foreign ownership in many small and medium operations (such as travel agencies, gas stations, beer and soft drink distributors) and mandates the employment of Liberians at all levels. The law is often ignored but can also be invoked at any time.

In 1989, interest on long-term debt stood at 105% of exports. Attempts to bring financial stability to the economy failed dramatically in the early 1990s with the failure of the US-sponsored oversight mission and the breakdown in relations between Liberia and the IMF. Liberia plunged into a civil war from 1990 to 1997, which besides causing upwards of 150,000 deaths and displacing hundreds of thousands, destroyed the country's infrastructure. The end of the fighting, with Charles Taylor's accession to power as the only way to deter his followers from further destruction, brought little relief since his administration did not fulfill promises to fix what they had "broke." Professions of adherence to principles of free trade and an open door to foreign investment also rung hollow as the state established monopolies in rice growing, gasoline distribution, cement import, and cement production. The free port at Monrovia continued to operate, but stevedore services have been monopolized by the National Port Authority, canceling the contracts of seven other companies. Corruption reached to the highest levels during Charles's Taylor's administration.

Most of Liberia's principal enterprises were foreign owned before the civil war, with US investment—about $300 million in 1987—foremost. Substantial investments were also made by the British, French, Swedish, Israelis, Swiss, Dutch, Italians, and Lebanese. After the civil war, some US companies resumed (Firestone) or began operations (some gold mining companies). However, most investors have been deterred by the regime's failure to meet IMF targets, pervasive corruption, arbitrary administration, and the reemergence of violent rebellion.

In 1997 and 1998, foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow averaged $15.5 million a year. From 1999 to 2001, average FDI inflow was $11.3 million. According to the World Bank publication, World Investment Report, 2005, foreign direct investment into Liberia was almost nonexistent in 2002 and 2003 (about $3 million and $1 million respectively) but did increase modestly in 2004 to $20 million, following the end of the civil war.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The civil war and international financial obligations dim the prospects of economic development. While refugee resettlement looms as an early postwar priority, future economic development depends on reestablishing international confidence in Liberia's financial management.

Liberia formed the Mano River Union (MRU) with Guinea and Sierra Leone, to promote development and regional economic integration. Although the civil war caused the MRU to become all but defunct, in 2002 discussions on reviving the MRU took place. Foreign assistance to Liberia has declined, but Taiwan and Libya remain the largest donors of direct financial aid to the country. Western countries avoid direct aid to the government by sending assistance through international aid agencies and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). In 2003, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) suspended Liberia's voting rights in the Fund. As of February 2003, Liberia's arrears to the IMF amounted to $685 million.

The Economist Intelligence Unit reported that for quite sometime wealthy international donors, who are ready to assist reconstruction efforts in postwar Liberia, were withholding funding until Liberia's National Assembly signed onto a Governance and Economic Management Action Plan (GEMAP). The Plan was created by the International Contact Group for Liberia to help ensure transparent revenue collection and allocation–something that was lacking under the transitional government and that has limited Liberia's economic recovery. This plan was agreed to and officially signed into law by the chairman of the transitional government, Gyude Bryant, on September 15th, 2005. The reconstruction of infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy will largely depend on generous financial support and technical assistance from the donor community under GEMAP.

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

A social insurance and social assistance program was implemented in 1972. The current program covers public employees and employees of firms with five or more workers. The pension program is funded by equal contributions from employers and employees, while welfare is funded by the government. Work injury laws area also in place. Workers' medical benefits include reasonable expenses for medical and surgical care, hospitalization, drugs, and appliances. However, most programs and institutions were disrupted by warfare.

In 2005, after 14 years of civil war, a Harvard-educated woman was elected president of Liberia. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is said to be a beacon of hope for women in Africa. However, rights for most women in the country are limited. Rural women remain largely subordinate in both public and private life. Women married under civil law have inheritance and property rights, but women married under tribal laws are considered property of their husbands. Domestic violence is widespread, and abused women have no recourse. Female genital mutilation is practiced by some ethnic groups.

Ethnic discrimination is explicitly prohibited by law. Despite this provision, citizenship is legally available only to blacks. Only citizens can own land, and noncitizens are restricted from owning certain types of businesses. The government had a poor human rights record, which includes disappearances, and beatings and torture by security forces.

HEALTH

Liberia has one of Africa's highest fertility rates; in 2000 it averaged six children for every woman surviving through her childbearing years. Average life expectancy was 38.89 years in 2005, one of the shortest in the world. As of 2004, there were an estimated 2 physicians, 6 nurses, and 4 midwives per 100,000 people. Only about 39% of the population has access to health care services. Few Liberians had access to safe water (40%) and sanitation (24%) in 1994. More recent figures are unavailable.

Programs such as the Combating Childhood Communicable Diseases Program are credited with reducing mortality rates for children five and under. The infant mortality rate was 161.99 per 1,000 live births in 2005, the fourth highest in the world. The maternal mortality rate was 560 deaths per 100,000 live births. Contraceptive use is low. The level of measles immunization has dropped by 11% in the last few years from 55% in 1988 to 44% in 1994 (the most recent year for which figures are available). From 1990 to 1994, children up to one year were vaccinated against tuberculosis, 84%; diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus, 43%; and polio, 45%.

The general mortality rate in 2002 was an estimated 16 per 1,000 people. The Liberian staple diet of rice or cassava (manioc) is deficient in protein and children in particular suffer because of this. The major causes of death are malaria and gastrointestinal disease, attributable in part to poor sanitation. AIDS is a serious problem in Liberia. The HIV/AIDS prevalence was 5.90 per 100 adults in 2003. As of 2004, there were approximately 100,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the country. There were an estimated 7,200 deaths from AIDS in 2003.

Nearly 900,000 women, or 60% of the female population, suffer female genital mutilation. Although the Liberian government has published policy opposing female genital mutilation, no law currently prohibits its use.

HOUSING

In the aftermath of the 1989–96 civil war from, over 60,000 families were displaced or living in very poor housing conditions. About 80% of the total housing stock was affected by the war. During the 1980s (the latest period for which housing data is available), the number of dwellings more than doubled, from 216,206 in 1981 to 500,000 as of 1988, with 4.8 people per dwelling.

The 1998–2000 National Reconstruction Program placed housing issues as a priority for government consideration. This was followed by the formulation of a five-year plan (2001–05) which also focused on reconstruction and new construction of adequate housing.

Many of the older corrugated-iron structures in Monrovia have been replaced with more modern dwellings, and houses of advanced design have been privately built to accommodate the growing urban population. The typical dwelling of the tribal people in the Liberian interior is the rondavel, a circular, one-room mud-and-wattle thatch-roofed hut, windowless and with a single low door. These rondavels are being replaced by large rectangular huts, also of mud and wattle, subdivided into two or more rooms and equipped with windows.

EDUCATION

Education is compulsory from ages 6 to 16. Elementary school (primary) covers six years of study. This is followed by three years of junior high and three years of senior high school. The largest secondary school is the Booker Washington Institute, a vocational school located at Kakata, with about 1,500 students. The academic year runs from March to December.

In 2001, about 56% of children between the ages of three and five were enrolled in some type of preschool program. Primary school enrollment in 2001 was estimated at about 70% of age-eligible students. The same year, secondary school enrollment was about 18% of age-eligible students; 22.8% for boys and 13% for girls. It is estimated that about 21% of all students complete their primary education. The student-to-teacher ratio for primary school was at about 38:1 in 2003.

There are three institutions of higher learning: the government-operated University of Liberia in Monrovia (established in 1862); Cuttington University College at Monrovia, an Episcopalian institution; and a three-year engineering school, the William V. S. Tubman College of Technology, founded at Monrovia in 1978. In 2001, there were about 44,000 students enrolled in tertiary education programs. The adult literacy rate for 2004 was estimated at about 55.9%, with 72.3% for men and 39.3% for women.

On average, 11% of the government's total annual budget is allocated to education.

LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS

The government maintains a central public library in Monrovia, with 15,000 volumes. UNESCO also operates a library in Monrovia, and the Liberian Information Service has a research library in the same city. The University of Liberia and the Cuttington University College libraries have been slowly rebuilding their stock of books following looting during the 1990s.

The National Museum of Liberia is housed in the renovated Supreme Court building in Monrovia and the Tubman Center of African Cultures is located in Robertsport. Other museums include the National Cultural Center in Cape Mount, the Africana Museum at Monrovia, the W. V. S. Tubman Library-Museum at Harper, and the Natural History Museum at the University of Liberia.

MEDIA

In 2003, there were an estimated two mainline telephones for every 1,000 people. The same year, there was approximately one mobile phone in use for every 1,000 people.

The first national television station was opened early in 1964; although government owned, it is partly commercial. The state-owned Liberian Broadcasting System operates one service that does not have national range. As of 2005, there were five FM radio stations and three local television stations. In 2003, there were an estimated 274 radios for every 1,000 people. The number of television sets was unavailable in the same survey. In 2003, there were about 1,000 Internet subscribers nationwide. In 2004, there were 14 Internet hosts.

Many existing newspapers and magazines ceased publication when the Doe regime was overthrown in 1990. Afterward, a number of new ones were begun. As of 2005, there were at least five daily newspapers, including: The Inquirer, The News, and The Analyst. The New Liberian, published daily except Wednesday, is the official government newspaper. In 2005, there was a total of 18 newspapers published in Monrovia.

Freedom of speech and the press are provided for in the constitution, and the government is said to generally respect these rights in practice. However, years of civil strife have destroyed many facilities and disrupted all media in Liberia; many have failed to resume publication or broadcasting. A restrictive media law, instituted during the Doe regime, remains in force and provides the government with wide powers for licensing and regulating the media.

ORGANIZATIONS

Civic groups in Monrovia include the YMCA and YWCA, the Antoinette Tubman Children's Welfare Foundation, the Liberia Evangelistic Women Workers, the Red Cross, Boy Scouts, and Girl Guides. The Liberia Chamber of Commerce has its headquarters in Monrovia. Numerous secret societies are found among all the ethnic groups. Cultural groups include the Society of Liberian Authors, Liberian Arts and Crafts Association, and Liberian Research Association. There are sports associations promoting amateur competition in a variety of pastimes. The Boy Scouts of Liberia and Girl Guides have active troops. There are national chapters of the Red Cross Society, Caritas, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and Habitat for Humanity.

TOURISM, TRAVEL, AND RECREATION

Continued civil unrest has had an adverse effect on tourism. Hotels in or near Monrovia are suitable for tourists; there are missionary organizations and a youth hostel that also accommodate visitors. Safaris are offered in the Sapo National Park and water sports are popular along the many beaches. Football (soccer) is the national sport. Visitors must obtain a visa and passport as well as provide proof of a yellow fever vaccination.

In 2005, the US Department of State estimated the daily cost of travel in Monrovia at $241.

FAMOUS LIBERIANS

Joseph Jenkins Roberts (1809–76), who was governor under the Colonization Society at the time the republic was established, became its first and later its sixth president (1848–56, 1872–76) and gained the respect of the European colonial powers by his able exposition of Liberia's rights as a free and independent nation. The national heroine is Matilda Newport, who helped to repel an attack on the first struggling settlement. Among white Americans who went to Liberia to assist the early black settlers were Jehudi Ashmun (1794–1828) and Ralph Randolph Gurley (1797–1872), who together reorganized the colonists in 1824. William Vacanarat Shadrach Tubman (1895–1971) was president of Liberia from 1944 until 1971. Angie E. Brooks-Randolph (b.1928) served as president of the 1969/70 UN General Assembly. William Richard Tolbert, Jr. (1913–80) succeeded Tubman as president. He was killed in the 1980 coup led by Samuel Kanyon Doe (1950–90), who subsequently assumed the titles of commander in chief of the armed forces and chairman of the PRC. Doe was in turn tortured and killed in 1990 by rebels loyal to Charles G. Taylor (b.1948), the leader of the faction that gained control during the civil war. Taylor, who had become president in 1997, was forced into exile in 2003. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (b.1938) became the first elected female president of an African country in 2005.

DEPENDENCIES

Liberia has no territories or colonies.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Adebajo, Adekeye. Building Peace in West Africa: Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea-Bissau. Boulder, Colo.: Lynne Rienner, 2002.

Beyan, Amos Jones. African American Settlements in West Africa: John Brown Russwurm and the American Civilizing Efforts. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.

Burin, Eric. Slavery and the Peculiar Solution: A History of the American Colonization Society. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2005.

Clapham, Christopher. African Guerrillas. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1998.

Dolo, Emmanuel. Democracy Versus Dictatorship: the Quest for Freedom and Justice in Africa's Oldest Republic—Liberia. Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, 1996.

Dunn, D. Elwood. Historical Dictionary of Liberia. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow, 2001.

Liberian Women Peacemakers: Fighting for the Right to Be Seen, Heard, and Counted. Trenton, N.J.: Africa World Press, 2004.

Lyons, Terrence. Voting for Peace: Post-conflict Elections in Liberia. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 1999.

Zeilig, Leo and David Seddon. A Political and Economic Dictionary of Africa. Philadelphia: Routledge/Taylor and Francis, 2005.

Liberia

Compiled from the December 2007 Background Note and supplemented with additional information from the State Department and the editors of this volume. See the introduction to this set for explanatory notes.

Official Name:

Republic of Liberia

PROFILE

Geography

Area: 111,369 sq. km. (43,000 sq. mi.). Slightly larger than Ohio.

Cities: Capital—Monrovia (est. 1,000,000 to 1,500,000). Principal towns—Buchanan (est. 300,000), Ganta (est. 290,000), Gbarnga (est. 150,000), Kakata (est. 100,000), Harbel (est. 136,000).

Terrain: Three areas—Mangrove swamps and beaches along the coast, wooded hills and semideciduous shrublands along the immediate interior, and dense tropical forests and plateaus in the interior. Liberia has 40% of West Africa's rain forest.

People

Nationality: Noun and adjective—Liberian(s).

Population: (2006) 3.57 million.

Annual growth rate: (2006) 2.9%.

Ethnic groups: Kpelle 20%, Bassa16%, Gio 8%, Kru 7%, 49% spread over 12 other ethnic groups.

Religions: Christian 40%, Muslim 20%, animist 40%.

Languages: English is the official language. There are 16 indigenous languages.

Education: Literacy (2003)—20%.

Health: Life expectancy (2005)—42.5 years.

Work force: Agriculture—70%; industry—15%; services—2%. Employment in the formal sector is estimated at 15%.

Government

Type: Republic.

Independence: From American Colonization Society July 26, 1847.

Constitution: January 6, 1986.

Political parties: 30 registered political parties.

Economy

GDP: (World Bank 2006 est.) $631 million.

Real GDP growth rate: (2006) 7.8%.

Per capita GDP: (2006) $185.50.

Average annual inflation: (2006) 7.2%.

Natural resources: Iron ore, rubber, timber, diamonds, gold, and tin. The Government of Liberia believes there may be sizable deposits of crude oil along its Atlantic Coast.

Agriculture: Products—coffee, cocoa, sugarcane, rice, cassava, palm oil, bananas, plantains, citrus, pineapple, sweet potatoes, corn, and vegetables.

Industry: Types—agriculture, iron ore, rubber, forestry, diamonds, gold, beverages, construction.

Trade: (2006) Exports—$157.8 million (of which rubber $150 million). Major markets—Germany, Poland, U.S. Imports—$466.7million (petroleum $122 million; rice $62 million).

PEOPLE

There are 16 ethnic groups that make up Liberia's indigenous population. The Kpelle in central and western Liberia is the largest ethnic group. Americo-Liberians who are descendants of freed slaves that arrived in Liberia early in 1821 make up an estimated 5% of the population.

There also are sizable numbers of Lebanese, Indians, and other West African nationals who comprise part of Liberia's business community. The Liberian constitution restricts citizenship to only people of Negro descent, and land ownership is restricted to citizens.

Liberia was traditionally noted for its academic institutions, iron-mining, and rubber. Political upheavals beginning in the 1980s and a 14-year civil war (1989-2003) largely destroyed Liberia's economy and brought a steep decline in living standards.

HISTORY

Portuguese explorers established contacts with Liberia as early as 1461 and named the area Grain Coast because of the abundance of grains of paradise” (Malegueta pepper seeds). In 1663 the British installed trading posts on the Grain Coast, but the Dutch destroyed these posts a year later. There were no further reports of European settlements along the Grain Coast until the arrival of freed slaves in the early 1800s.

Liberia, “land of the free,” was founded by free African-Americans and freed slaves from the United States in 1820. An initial group of 86 immigrants, who came to be called Americo-Liberians, established a settlement in Christopolis (now Monrovia, named after U.S. President James Monroe) on February 6, 1820.

Thousands of freed American slaves and free African-Americans arrived during the following years, leading to the formation of more settlements and culminating in a declaration of independence of the Republic of Liberia on July 26, 1847. The drive to resettle freed slaves in Africa was promoted by the American Colonization Society (ACS), an organization of white clergymen, abolitionists, and slave owners founded in 1816 by Robert Finley, a Presbyterian minister. Between 1821 and 1867 the ACS resettled some 10,000 African-Americans and several thousand Africans from interdicted slave ships; it governed the Commonwealth of Liberia until independence in 1847.

In Liberia's early years, the Americo-Liberian settlers periodically encountered stiff and sometimes violent opposition from indigenous Africans, who were excluded from citizenship in the new Republic until 1904. At the same time, British and French colonial expansionists encroached upon Liberia, taking over much of its territory. Politically, the country was a one-party state ruled by the True Whig Party (TWP). Joseph Jenkins Roberts, who was born and raised in America, was Liberia's first President. The style of government and constitution was fashioned on that of the United States, and the Americo-Liberian elite monopolized political power and restricted the voting rights of the indigenous population. The True Whig Party dominated all sectors of Liberia from independence in 1847 until April 12, 1980, when indigenous Liberian Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe (from the Krahn ethnic group) seized power in a coup d’etat. Doe's forces executed President William R. Tolbert and several officials of his government, mostly of Americo-Liberian descent. One hundred and thirty-three years of Americo-Liberian political domination ended with the formation of the People's Redemption Council (PRC).

Over time, the Doe government began promoting members of Doe's Krahn ethnic group, who soon dominated political and military life in Liberia. This raised ethnic tension and caused frequent hostilities between the politically and militarily dominant Krahns and other ethnic groups in the country.

After the October 1985 elections, characterized by widespread fraud, Doe solidified his control. The period after the elections saw increased human rights abuses, corruption, and ethnic tensions. The standard of living further deteriorated. On November 12, 1985, former Army Commanding Gen. Thomas Quiwonkpa almost succeeded in toppling Doe's government. The Armed Forces of Liberia repelled Quiwonkpa's attack and executed him in Monrovia. Doe's Krahn-dominated forces carried out reprisals against Mano and Gio civilians suspected of supporting Quiwonkpa.

Despite Doe's poor human rights record and questionable democratic credentials, he retained close relations with Washington. A staunch U.S. ally, Doe met twice with President Ronald Reagan and enjoyed considerable U.S. financial support.

On December 24, 1989, a small band of rebels led by Doe's former procurement chief, Charles Taylor, invaded Liberia from Cote d’Ivoire. Taylor and his National Patriotic Front rebels rapidly gained the support of many Liberians and reached the outskirts of Monrovia within six months.

From 1989 to 1996 one of Africa's bloodiest civil wars ensued, claiming the lives of more than 200,000 Liberians and displacing a million others into refugee camps in neighboring countries. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) intervened in 1990 and succeeded in preventing Charles Taylor from capturing Monrovia. Prince Johnson—formerly a member of Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL)—formed the break-away Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL). Johnson's forces captured and killed Doe on September 9, 1990. Taking refuge in Sierra Leone and other neighboring countries, former AFL soldiers founded the new insurgent United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO), fighting back Taylor's NPFL.

An Interim Government of National Unity (IGNU) was formed in Gambia under the auspices of ECOWAS in October 1990, headed by Dr. Amos C. Sawyer. Taylor (along with other Liberian factions) refused to work with the interim government and continued fighting. After more than a dozen peace accords and declining military power, Taylor finally agreed to the formation of a five-man transitional government. A hasty disarmament and demobilization of warring factions was followed by special elections on July 19, 1997. Charles Taylor and his National Patriotic Party emerged victorious. Taylor won the election by a large majority, primarily because Liberians feared a return to war had Taylor lost.

For the next six years, the Taylor government did not improve the lives of Liberians. Unemployment and illiteracy stood above 75%, and little investment was made in the country's infrastructure. Liberia is still recovering from the ravages of war; pipe-borne water and electricity are generally unavailable to most of the population, especially outside Monrovia, and schools, hospitals, roads, and infrastructure remain derelict. Rather than work to improve the lives of Liberians, Taylor supported the Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone. Taylor's misrule led to

the resumption of armed rebellion from among Taylor's former adversaries. By 2003, armed groups called “Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy” (LURD) and “Movement for Democracy in Liberia” (MODEL), largely representing elements of the former ULIMO-K and ULIMO-J factions that fought Taylor during Liberia's previous civil war (1989-1996), were challenging Taylor and his increasingly fragmented supporters on the outskirts of Monrovia. On June 4, 2003 in Accra, Ghana, ECOWAS facilitated peace talks among the Government of Liberia, civil society, and the LURD and MODEL rebel groups. On the same day, the Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone issued a press statement announcing the opening of a sealed March 7, 2003 indictment of Liberian President Charles Taylor for bearing the greatest responsibility” for atrocities in Sierra Leone since November 1996. In July 2003 the Government of Liberia, LURD, and MODEL signed a cease-fire that all sides failed to respect; bitter fighting reached downtown Monrovia in July and August 2003, creating a massive humanitarian disaster.

On August 11, 2003, under intense U.S. and international pressure, President Taylor resigned office and departed into exile in Nigeria. This move paved the way for the deployment by ECOWAS of what became a 3,600-strong peacekeeping mission in Liberia (ECOMIL). On August 18, leaders from the Liberian Government, the rebels, political parties, and civil society signed a comprehensive peace agreement that laid the framework for constructing a 2-year National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL), headed by businessman Gyude Bryant. The UN took over security in Liberia in October 2003, subsuming ECOMIL into the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), a force that grew to its present size of nearly 15,000.

The October 11, 2005 presidential and legislative elections and the subsequent November 8, 2005 presidential run-off were the most free, fair, and peaceful elections in Liberia's history. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf defeated international soccer star George Weah 59.4% to 40.6% to become Africa’ first democratically elected female president. She was inaugurated in January 2006 and formed a government of technocrats drawn from among Liberia's ethnic groups and including members of the Liberian diaspora who had returned to the country to rebuild government institutions. The president's party, the Unity Party, does not control the legislature, in which 12 of the 30 registered political parties are represented.

The political situation has remained stable since the 2005 elections. The Government of Liberia has made positive strides aimed at political stability and economic recovery. President Sirleaf has taken a public stance against corruption and has dismissed several government officials. The President is supported by highly experienced and technically competent senior officials, and the public has more confidence in her administration than in any of its recent predecessors. President Sirleaf enjoys good relations with international organizations and donor governments, with whom she is working closely on Liberia's development. The national legislature has enacted several key reforms despite some delays caused by the need to gain consensus among the numerous parties represented.

In order to maintain stability through the post-conflict period, Liberia's security sector reform efforts have led to the disarmament of more than 100,000 ex-combatants, the wholesale U.S.-led reconstruction of the Armed Forces of Liberia, and a UN-led effort to overhaul the Liberian National Police. The man-date of UNMIL has been extended to September 2008 and a gradual draw-down will commence in 2008, to last several years. During this period the Government of Liberia and its development partners will focus on creating jobs, attracting investment, and providing education and other essential services to Liberia's communities.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS

Liberia has a bicameral legislature consisting of 64 representatives and 30 senators. The 2005 election placed a spectrum of political personalities in the legislature, most for six-year terms. Senior senators were elected for nine-year terms. Party structures remain weak, and politics continues to be personality-driven. Historically, the executive branch heavily influenced the legislature and judicial system.

The judiciary is divided into four levels, including justices of the peace, courts of record (magistrate courts), courts of first instance (circuit and specialty courts), and the Suprem Court. Traditional courts and lay courts exist in rural areas of the country. Trial by ordeal, though officially outlawed, is practiced in various parts of Liberia. The formal judicial system remains hampered by severe shortages of qualified judges and other judicial officials. Locally, political power emanates from traditional chiefs (town, clan, or paramount chiefs), mayors, and district commissioners. Mayors are elected in principal cities in Liberia. Superintendents appointed by the president govern the counties. There are 15 counties in Liberia.

Principal Government Officials

Last Updated: 2/1/2008

President: Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF

Vice President: Joseph BOAKAI

Min. of Agriculture: J. Christopher TOE

Min. of Commerce & Industry: Frances JOHNSON MORRIS

Min. of Education: Joseph KORTO

Min. of Finance: Antoinette SAYEH

Min. of Foreign Affairs: Olubanke KING-AKERELE

Min. of Gender Development: Varbah GAYFLOR

Min. of Health & Social Welfare: Walter GWENINGALE

Min. of Information, Culture, & Tourism: Lawrence BROPLEH

Min. of Internal Affairs: Ambulai JOHNSON

Min. of Justice: Philip A. Z. BANKS III

Min. of Labor: Samuel Kofi WOODS

Min. of Land, Mines, & Energy: Eugene SHANNON

Min. of National Defense: Brownie SAMUKAI

Min. of Planning & Economic Affairs: Toga G. MCINTOSH

Min. of Posts & Telecommunications: Jackson E. DOE

Min. of Public Works (Acting): Luseni DONZO

Min. of Rural Development: E. C. B. JONES

Min. of Transport: Jeremiah SULUNETH

Min. of Youth & Sport: Jamesetta HOWARD-WOLOKOLLIE

Min. of State for Financial & Economic Affairs: Morris SAYTUMAH

Min. of State for Legislative Affairs & Legal Counsel: David MENYONGAR

Min. of State for Presidential Affairs (Acting): Willis KNUCKLES

Governor, National Bank: John Mills JONES

Ambassador to the US: Charles MINOR

Permanent Representative to the UN, NewYork: Milton Nathaniel BARNES

Liberia maintains an embassy in the United States at 5201 16th Street, NW, Washington DC, 202-723-0437.

ECONOMY

The Liberian economy relied heavily on the mining of iron ore and on the export of natural rubber prior to the civil war. Liberia was a major exporter of iron ore on the world market. In the 1970s and 1980s, iron mining accounted for more than half of Liberia's export earnings. Following the coup d’etat of 1980, the country's economic growth rate slowed down because of a decline in the demand for iron ore on the world market and political upheavals in Liberia. Liberia's foreign debt amounts to about $3.7 billion. Efforts are currently underway to relieve Liberia of its bilateral and multilateral debts. Several bilateral creditors, including the United States, have pledged debt relief, and ways of clearing Liberia's arrears are being developed at the international financial institutions (World Bank, International Monetary Fund, African Development Bank).

The 1989-2003 civil war had a devastating effect on the country's economy. Most major businesses were destroyed or heavily damaged, and most foreign investors and businesses left the country. Iron ore production stopped completely, and the United Nations banned timber and diamond exports from Liberia. UN sanctions on Liberian timber were removed in 2006; activity in the timber sector is expected to resume on a large scale during the October 2007-May 2008 dry season. Diamond sanctions were terminated by the UN Security Council in April 2007, and Liberian diamond exports have resumed through the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. Currently, Liberia's few earnings come primarily from rubber exports and revenues from its maritime registry program. Liberia has the second-largest maritime registry in the world; there are more than 2,350 vessels registered under its flag, and some 35% of the oil imported to the United States is transported on Liberian-flagged ships.

The country earned almost $12 million from maritime revenue in Liberian FY 2006/2007 (July 1-June 30), accounting for 9% of total revenues. There is increasing interest in the possibility of commercially exploitable offshore crude oil deposits along Liberia's Atlantic Coast.

With a democratically elected government in place since January 2006, Liberia seeks to reconstruct its shattered economy. The Governance and Economic Management Program (GEMAP), which started under the 2003-2006 transitional government, is designed to help the Liberian Government raise and spend revenues in an efficient, transparent way. Technical assistance provided by Liberia's international partners is helping the Liberian Government make key economic reforms to attract investment and qualify for eventual debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.

Foreign direct investment is returning to Liberia, attracted to the more stable security situation provided by the large UN peacekeeping force and the demonstrated commitment to reform on the part of the Sirleaf administration. Investors are now seeking opportunities in mining, rubber, agro-forestry, light industry, and other sectors. Arcelor Mittal Steel has negotiated an agreement to invest over $1 billion in the mining sector, and the Liberian Government is engaged in negotiations with several other large foreign investors.

FOREIGN RELATIONS

Liberia has maintained traditionally cordial relations with the West. Liberia currently also maintains diplomatic relations with Libya, Cuba, and China. Liberia is a founding member of the United Nations and its specialized agencies and is a member of the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Development Bank (ADB), the Mano River Union (MRU), and the Non-Aligned Movement.

During the administration of Charles Taylor, relations between Liberia and its West African neighbors became seriously strained. West African countries backed by the African Union and the United Nations negotiated a peace agreement in Accra, Ghana that subsequently led to the exile of Charles Taylor to Nigeria in August 2003. With the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia has seen significant improvements in relations with its West African neighbors and the wider world.

Relations between Liberia and its immediate neighbors in the Mano River region are back on track, and efforts are underway to strengthen relations with other countries. Liberia currently holds the chairmanship of the reinvigorated Mano River Union. Liberia signed a nonaggression pact with Sierra Leone when newly elected President Ernest Bai Koroma visited in September 2007.

Liberia is a major proponent of regional integration, and the Foreign Ministry in Monrovia now issues ECOWAS passports to its citizens for easy travel in the region. Liberia hosted the conference of ECOWAS Defense Chiefs in November 2007.

Liberia has taken steps to forge closer ties with Western countries, especially the United States. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has in recent months visited several Western countries, including the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, Spain, France, and Germany. President Sirleaf has also visited China and Libya, with whom Liberia maintains close ties.

U.S.-LIBERIA RELATIONS

Congress appropriated $100,000 in 1819 for the establishment of Liberia (and resettlement of freemen and freed slaves from North America) by the American Colonization Society, led by prominent Americans such as Francis Scott Key, George Washington's nephew Bushrod, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and Presidents Monroe, Adams, and Jackson. The first group of settlers arrived in Liberia from the United States in the 1820s.

The United States, which officially recognized Liberia in 1862, shared particularly close relations with Liberia during the Cold War. The outbreak of civil war in Liberia and the long dominance of Charles Taylor soured bilateral relations. However, Liberia now counts the United States as its strongest supporter in its democratization and reconstruction efforts. Since the end of Liberia's civil war in 2003, the United States has contributed some $750 million toward Liberia's reconstruction and development and more than $750 million to support the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). The U.S. plans to commit another $225 million bilaterally and through UNMIL in fiscal year 2008.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) implements the U.S. Government's development assistance program. USAID's post-conflict rebuilding strategy focuses on reintegration and is increasingly moving towards a longer-term development focus. Rehabilitation efforts include national and community infrastructure projects, such as building roads, refurbishing government buildings, and training Liberians in vocational skills. USAID also funds basic education programs, improving education for children, focusing on girls, and training teachers. In the health area, USAID programs include primary health care clinics, HIV/AIDS prevention, and a large malaria program.

USAID supports rule of law programs, establishing legal aid clinics and victim abuse centers, training judges and lawyers, community peace building and reconciliation efforts, and anti-corruption projects to promote transparency and accountability in public sector entities. USAID is also providing support to strengthen the legislature and other political processes. Total USAID funding program for these programs in FY 2007 was $65.9 million.

Principal U.S. Embassy Officials

Last Updated: 2/19/2008

MONROVIA (E) 111 United Nations Drive, 011-231-77-054-826, Fax 231-77-010-370, Workweek: M-F, 8:00a.m.-5:00p.m., Website: http://monrovia.usembassy.gov.

TRAVEL

Consular Information Sheet

June 15, 2007

Country Description: Liberia is a country in West Africa that suffered from years of instability and conflict from 1990—2003, with attendant destruction of buildings, roads, infrastructure and public institutions. A comprehensive peace accord ended the conflict in August 2003 and a United Nations peacekeeping force (UNMIL) was deployed to facilitate disarmament and demobilization, help arrange democratic elections and provide for security of the country. In late 2005, Liberians went to the polls and elected Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as president. The new government was inaugurated in January 2006, and has made tremendous progress towards restoring security and stability to the country.

Despite nearly four years of peace and a renewal of economic growth, Liberia is still one of the poorest countries in the world and many basic services (public power, water and sewage, land line phones) are either limited or unavailable. Facilities for foreign visitors are adequate in the capital, Monrovia, but virtually non-existent in the rest of the country. The official language of Liberia is English.

Entry Requirements: A passport and a visa are required for entry, as is evidence of a yellow fever vaccination and a physician's letter attesting to absence of communicable diseases. Visa applicants may also be asked to provide evidence of health insurance. Immigration officials no longer issue visas at the airport. Persons arriving without a visa may be deported immediately, without leaving the airport. Persons arriving from the United States must obtain a Liberian visa before traveling. There is a US $25 airport tax on departing passengers, although this is usually collected as part of the ticket price. For the latest information on entry requirements, visa fees and airport tax for Liberia, contact the Embassy of the Republic of Liberia, 5201 16th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20011, tel. (202) 723-0437, web site www.embassyofliberia.org. Overseas, inquiries should be made at the nearest Liberian embassy or consulate.

Safety and Security: The Department of State urges U.S. citizens to plan proposed travel to Liberia carefully and to exercise caution when traveling in Liberia. Neither public transport nor taxis are available at the international airport, which is located 40 miles outside of Monrovia; therefore, before traveling to Liberia, Americans are urged to make arrangements for transportation from the international airport into the city center. Americans traveling to Liberia are also urged to ensure that they have confirmed reservations at a reputable hotel, as rooms can be scarce and difficult to find without advance plans.

Americans who travel to or reside in Liberia should realize that Liberia's police force is in the process of being rebuilt. There is a UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), but its mandate is to ensure political stability in Liberia. Americans who travel around Liberia must realize that the role of the UN Police (UNPOL) is to serve as advisors to the Liberia National Police.

Accordingly, they do not have the authority to arrest or detain, and its members are unarmed. The Liberia National Police, for its part, has a limited presence in Monrovia, and even less of a presence outside of Monrovia. In addition, police officers can be a source of problems for visitors as often as a source of aid or assistance. Although problems with corruption have improved, travelers may be detained by police officers who solicit bribes. Americans are encouraged to carry a photocopy of their passports with them at all times so that, if questioned by local officials, proof of identity and U.S. citizenship is readily available. If detained or arrested, U.S. citizens should always ask to be allowed to contact the U.S. Embassy.

U.S. citizens in Liberia should be aware of their surroundings at all times and use caution when moving around, especially at night. The U.S. Embassy recommends that American citizens observe a suggested curfew of 2:00 a.m.—6:00 a.m. Travel outside of Monrovia after dark is strongly discouraged as roads are in poor condition and thus dangerous to navigate at night. U.S. citizens should avoid crowds, political rallies, and street demonstrations and maintain security awareness at all times. For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Internet web site, where the current Worldwide Caution Travel Alert, Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts can be found. Up-to-date information on safety and security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S., or for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll-line at 1-202-501-4444.

For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor at http://travel.state.gov where the current Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts, including the Worldwide Caution Travel Alert, can be found. Up-to-date information on safety and security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and Canada, or for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll-line at 1-202-501-4444.

Crime: Crime in Liberia is rated high and is exacerbated by the high rate of unemployment. Theft, assault, sexual crimes, and murder are problems, and they occur more frequently after dark. Foreigners, including U.S. citizens, have been targets of street crime, robbery, and sexual assault. Women have been attacked on deserted beaches. Residential armed break-ins occur. The police are ill equipped and largely incapable of providing effective protection or investigation. Criminal activity is reported in both urban and rural areas.

Perpetrators of business fraud often target foreigners, including Americans. Formerly associated with Nigeria, these fraud schemes are now prevalent throughout western Africa, including Liberia, and pose a danger of both financial loss and physical harm. An increasing number of American citizens have been the targets of such scams. The best way to avoid becoming a victim of fraud is common sense—if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Any unsolicited business proposal originating in Liberia should be carefully checked before committing any funds, providing any goods or services, or undertaking any travel. There is also an increase in Liberian/American Internet relationships, where there are eventual requests for financial assistance under fraudulent pretenses. For additional information, please see the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs brochures, Advance Fee Business Scams and International Financial Scams.

Petty corruption is rampant; poorly paid government officials are not immune from the temptation to collect fees for doing their job. The result is that travelers may be asked for bribes and inconvenienced for not paying them.

Information for Victims of Crime: The loss or theft abroad of a U.S. passport should be reported immediately to the local police and the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If you are the victim of a crime while overseas, in addition to reporting to local police, please contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate for assistance. The Embassy/Consulate staff can, for example, assist you to find appropriate medical care, contact family members or friends and explain how funds could be transferred. Although the investigation and prosecution of the crime is solely the responsibility of local authorities, consular officers can help you to understand the local criminal justice process and to find an attorney if needed.

Medical Facilities and Health Information: Hospitals and medical facilities in Liberia are very poorly equipped and are incapable of providing many services. Emergency services comparable to those in the U.S. or Europe are non-existent, and the blood supply is unreliable and unsafe for transfusion. Americans with serious medical problems travel or are medically evacuated to the United States, Europe or South Africa. Medicines are scarce, often beyond expiration dates, and generally unavailable in most areas. As there is neither an effective garbage removal service nor a functioning sewer system, the level of sanitation throughout urban areas is very poor, which increases the potential for disease. Upper respiratory infections and diarrhea are common, as well as the more serious diseases, typhoid and malaria. All travelers to Liberia must be vaccinated against yellow fever and should carry a supply of all prescription medication, plus anti-malaria medication, adequate for their entire stay. A typhoid vaccination is also recommended.

Information on vaccinations and other health precautions, such as safe food and water precautions and insect bite protection, may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's hotline for international travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747) or via the CDC's internet site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel. For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad consult the World Health Organization's (WHO) website at http://www.who.int/en. Further health information for travelers is available at http://www.who.int/ith/en.

Medical Insurance: The Department of State strongly urges Americans to consult with their medical insurance company prior to traveling abroad to confirm whether their policy applies overseas and whether it will cover emergency expenses such as a medical evacuation. For travel to Liberia, obtaining separate medical evacuation insurance before arriving in Liberia is strongly recommended.

Traffic Safety and Road Conditions: While in a foreign country, U.S. citizens may encounter road conditions that differ significantly from those in the United States. The information below concerning Liberia is provided for general reference only, and may not be totally accurate in a particular location or circumstance.

Road travel in Liberia can be hazardous. Potholes and poor road surfaces are common, making safe driving extremely challenging. Cars, trucks, and taxis are often overloaded with people and goods and make frequent stops without signaling. Drivers overtake on the right as well as the left. Many vehicles operate with threadbare tires, and blowouts are frequent. Public taxis are poorly maintained and usually overloaded. Intersections must be approached with caution. The absence of public streetlights makes pedestrians walking in the city streets and those walking on country roads difficult to see at night. Drivers and pedestrians are cautioned that high-speed car convoys carrying government officials require all other vehicles to pull off the road until they have passed.

Travelers should expect delays at UNMIL security checkpoints, as well as time-consuming detours around the many bridges and roads damaged by war, neglect, or the heavy annual rains, which occur from May to November. Travelers can expect strict enforcement of border controls by Liberian, Ivorian, Sierra Leonean, and Guinean authorities. At times border crossings to neighboring countries are closed.

Aviation Safety Oversight: As there is no direct commercial air service between the United States and Liberia, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not assessed Liberia's Civil Aviation Authority for compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards. For more information, travelers may visit the FAA's internet website at http://www.faa.gov.

Special Circumstances: Lodging, fuel, transportation, and telephone services are unevenly available in Liberia, and are nonexistent or severely limited in rural areas. Neither water nor electricity is commercially available in Liberia, including the capital of Monrovia. Most hotels have utilities available, but not always on a 24-hour basis.

There is no working landline telephone system in Liberia. Several cell phone companies provide service in Monrovia and some areas outside the capital. US cellular phones do not always work in Liberia and it is advisable to rent or purchase a local cellular phone. The postal system is slow and unreliable. Commercial air courier service is available through UPS, Federal Express (FedEx), and other companies.

The U.S. dollar is readily accepted in Liberia, and there is no limit on the amount of foreign currency that can be transported into and out of the country, provided one follows the specific regulations on how such transfers must be done. Sums in excess of US $10,000 must be reported at the port of entry and no more than US $7,500 in foreign currency banknotes can be moved out of the country at one time. Larger sums must be transferred via bank drafts or other financial instruments; persons without a Liberian bank account are limited to two outgoing US $5,000 over-the-counter cash wire transfers per month. Wire transfers are not widely used and are subject to substantial fees. ATMs are unavailable and Traveler's checks and credit/debit cards are not accepted anywhere in Liberia.

Photographing military installations, air and seaports, and important government buildings is prohibited. Visitors should not take photographs of sites or activities that might be considered sensitive, or police are liable to confiscate the camera.

Criminal Penalties: While in a foreign country, a U.S. citizen is subject to that country's laws and regulations, which sometimes differ significantly from those in the United States and may not afford the protections available to the individual under U.S. law. Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe than in the United States for similar offenses. Persons violating Liberian law, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned. Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs in Liberia are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines. The U.S. Embassy does not always receive timely notification of the arrest of U.S. citizens by Liberian authorities. If arrested, U.S. citizens should ask to be allowed to contact the U.S. Embassy. Americans should carry a photocopy of their U.S. passport with them at all times. The consular section of the U.S. Embassy cannot give legal assistance but can provide a list of Liberian attorneys if one is required. Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime, prosecutable in the United States.

Children's Issues: For information on international adoption of children and international parental child abduction, see the Office of Children's Issues website at http://travel.state.gov/family.

Registration and Embassy Locations: Americans living or traveling in Liberia are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department's travel registration website so that they can obtain updated information on travel and security within Liberia. Americans without Internet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency. The U.S. Embassy is located at 111 United Nations Drive, Mamba Point, Monrovia; telephone 231-77-054-826; fax 231-77-010-370; web site http://Monrovia.usembassy.gov. U.S. citizens who wish to write to the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia may address letters to the Consular Section, 8800 Monrovia Place, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20521-8800, or send emails to [email protected].

International Adoption

August 2007

The information in this section has been edited from a report of the State Department Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of Overseas Citizens Services. For more information, please read the International Adoption section of this book and review current reports online at http://travel.state.gov/family.

Disclaimer: The information in this flyer relating to the legal requirements of specific foreign countries is based on public sources and current understanding. Questions involving foreign and U.S. immigration laws and legal interpretation should be addressed respectively to qualified foreign or U.S. legal counsel.

Patterns of Immigration: Please review current reports online at http://travel.state.gov/family.

Adoption Authority: The government office responsible for adoptions in Liberia is the Ministry of Justice. All petitions for adoption are filed in the Probate Court, which issues a decree of adoption if all legal requirements are met.

Cllr. Frances Johnson-Morris,
Minister of Justice
Ministry of Justice Building
Ashmun Street
(Opposite College of West Africa)
Monrovia, Liberia
Cellphone: +231 6 558851 (Direct)
Special Assistant: +231 6 520140
(Onesimus Bawon)
Secretary: +231 6 566106
(Jartu Johnson)

Eligibility Requirements for Adoptive Parents: There are no marriage requirements or specific age requirements for adoptive parents. The place of birth and residence of the adoptive parent are not determining factors.

Residency Requirements: None

Time Frame: There are no fixed time lines or constraints on the Court's processing of adoptions. The adoption process, including formal relinquishment by the parent(s) if necessary, generally takes 3 to 4 weeks.

Adoption Agencies and Attorneys: The U.S. Embassy maintains a list of attorneys and a list of approved adoption agencies which may be obtained on request.

Adoption Fees: Official government fees associated with adoptions in Liberia are minimal and consist mainly of court filing costs. Such filing fees are normally less than $10 USD.

The cost of employing local counsel varies, but the adoptive parents can expect to pay several hundred dollars at a minimum for an attorney.

Adoption Procedures: Most adoptive parents normally work with an adoption agency in the U.S., which in turn liaises with an orphanage or organization in Liberia prior to initiating the adoption process.

The organization in Liberia must be registered with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. A petition for adoption must be filed with the Probate Court. The petition must contain the name, age, residence and martial status of the petitioners.

The name, date and place of birth of the child, the date and manner in which the petitioners acquired custody of the child, facts (if any) that render consent of either parent unnecessary, the petitioners’ desire to adopt the child and the child's change of name, should also be contained in the petition.

The court will also require written consent by the biological parents. If the child was born in wedlock, the consent of both parents is required. If the child was born out of wedlock, only the mother must consent.

If the child is 16 years of age or older, only the child need consent to the adoption. Parental consent is not required if the parents have abandoned the child, if the parental rights have been legally terminated, if the parents are deceased or if a legal guardian has been appointed by the court.

During the proceedings, the biological parents may withdraw consent, which must be permitted by the court. Consent is irrevocable after the final order of adoption.

Upon receipt of a petition for adoption, the Court schedules a hearing and serves notice on all interested parties.

The petitioners or their legal representative, the parent, parents, or guardian(s) of the child and the child are required to attend the hearing, though the court may waive the appearance of the child for good cause.

This waiver must be stated in the order of adoption. All hearings are public, and held in open court. The court must be satisfied that the “moral and temporal interests” of the child will be satisfied by the adoption. Upon this showing, the adoption is ordered.

In addition, since October of 2004, the Liberian Ministry of Health has required adoptive families to obtain a letter from the Ministry of Health approving the adoption of a specific child.

This is in addition to obtaining a statement of relinquishment from the guardian or caretaker of the child being adopted and an adoption decree from the Liberian Court.

The letter from the Ministry is issued only after a social worker has investigated the case thoroughly and concluded that adoption is in the best interest of the child, and the Minister or one of his deputies has reviewed all of the legal paperwork necessary to process an adoption in Liberia.

Required Documents: Petition for adoption and written consent of the biological parent(s) to the adoption acknowledged before an officer of the court (normally the Justice of the Peace).

While a letter of consent is all that is required by Liberian Courts, a formal letter of relinquishment, in which the parent(s) or guardian(s) irrevocably relinquish their rights, is required by U.S. immigration law in order to classify an orphan as an immediate relative for purposes of immigration, and this letter can be used to meet the requirements of Liberian law.

Other documents required by Liberian courts in adoption cases include normal identity documentation, such as a passport and birth certificate.

Prospective adoptive parents will also need these documents to apply for the immigrant visa at the Embassy.

Embassy of Liberia .
5201 16th Street, N.W.Washington, D.C. 20011
Tel: (202) 723-0437
Fax: (202) 723-0436
Email: [email protected]

U.S. Immigration Requirements: Prospective adopting parents are strongly encouraged to consult USCIS publication M-249, The Immigration of Adopted and Prospective Adoptive Children, as well as the Department of State publication, International Adoptions. Please see the International Adoption section of this book for more details and review current reports online at http://travel.state.gov/family.

U.S. Embassy
111 U.N. Drive
Mamba Point
Monrovia, Liberia
Tel: 231-077-207-326

Additional Information: For further information on international adoption, contact the Office of Children's Issues, U.S. Department of State at 1-888-407-4747 or visit its web site on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov/family.

You may also direct inquiries to: Office of Children's Issues, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC 20520-4811; Phone: (202) 736-9090; Fax: (202) 312-9743.

LIBERIA

Compiled from the January 2006 Background Note and supplemented with additional information from the State Department and the editors of this volume. See the introduction to this set for explanatory notes.

Official Name:
Republic of Liberia

PROFILE

Geography

Area:

111,369 sq. km. (43,000 sq. mi.). Slightly larger than Ohio.

Cities:

Capital—Monrovia (est. 750,000). Principal towns—Buchanan (est. 300,000), Ganta (est. 290,000), Gbarnga (est. 150,000), Kakata (est. 100,000), Harbel (est. 136,000).

Terrain:

Three areas—Mangrove swamps and beaches along the coast, wooded hills and semideciduous shrublands along the immediate interior, and dense tropical forests and plateaus in the interior. Liberia has 40% of West Africa's rain forest.

People

Nationality:

Noun and adjective—Liberian(s).

Population (2004):

3.24 million.

Annual growth rate (2004):

2.4%.

Ethnic groups:

Kpelle 20%, Bassa 16%, Gio 8%, Kru 7%, 49% spread over 12 other ethnic groups.

Religion:

Christian 30%, Muslim 10%, animist 60%.

Language:

English is the official language. There are 16 indigenous languages.

Education:

Literacy (2003)—56%.

Health:

Life expectancy (2003)—47 years.

Work force:

Agriculture—70%; industry—15%; services—2%.

Unemployment:

80% in the formal sector.

Government

Type:

Republic; currently under a national transitional government.

Independence:

From American Colonization Society July 26, 1847.

Constitution:

January 6, 1986.

Political parties:

30 registered political parties, 22 of which had candidates running in the October 11, 2005 presidential and legislative elections. Presidential run-off elections were held on November 8, 2005.

Economy

GDP (2004 est.):

$492 million.

Real GDP growth rate (2004):

2.4%.

Per capita GDP (2004):

$152.

Consumer Price Index (2004):

7.8%.

Natural resources:

Iron ore, rubber, timber, diamonds, gold and tin. The Government of Liberia has reported in recent years that it has discovered sizable deposits of crude oil along its Atlantic Coast.

Agriculture:

Products—coffee, cocoa, sugarcane, rice, cassava, palm oil, bananas, plantains, citrus, pineapple, sweet potatoes, corn, and vegetables.

Industry:

Types—agriculture and fisheries, iron ore, rubber, forestry, diamonds, gold, beverages, construction.

Trade (2004):

Exports—$103.8 million: rubber 93%; cocoa 3.5%. Major markets—Germany, Poland, U.S., Greece. Imports—$268.1 million: mineral fuels and lubricants; food and live animals; machinery and transport equipment; manufactured goods; pharmaceuticals; and tobacco.

PEOPLE

There are 16 ethnic groups that make up Liberia's indigenous population. The Kpelle in central and western Liberia is the largest ethnic group. Americo-Liberians who are descendants of freed slaves that arrived in Liberia early in 1821 make up an estimated 5% of the population.

There also are sizable numbers of Lebanese, Indians, and other West African nationals who make up a significant part of Liberia's business community. Because of the 1989-1996 civil war and its accompanying problem of insecurity, the number of Westerners in Liberia is low and confined largely to Monrovia and its immediate surroundings. The Liberian constitution restricts citizenship only to people of Negro descent.

Liberia was traditionally noted for its hospitality and academic institutions, iron mining and rubber industry booms, and cultural skills and arts and craft works. But political upheavals beginning in the 1980s and the brutal 7-year civil war (1989-1996) brought about a steep decline in the living standards of the country, including its education and infrastructure.

HISTORY

Portuguese explorers established contacts with Liberia as early as 1461 and named the area Grain Coast because of the abundance of grains of Malegueta Pepper. In 1663 the British installed trading posts on the Grain Coast, but the Dutch destroyed these posts a year later. There were no further reports of European settlements along the Grain Coast until the arrival of freed slaves in the early 1800s.

Liberia, which means "land of the free," was founded by freed slaves from the United States in 1820. These freed slaves, called Americo-Liberians, first arrived in Liberia and established a settlement in Christopolis now Monrovia (named after U.S. President James Monroe) on February 6, 1820. This group of 86 immigrants formed the nucleus of the settler population of what became known as the Republic of Liberia.

Thousands of freed slaves from America soon arrived during the following years, leading to the formation of more settlements and culminating in a declaration of independence on July 26, 1847 of the Republic of Liberia. The idea of resettling free slaves in Africa was nurtured by the American Colonization Society (ACS), an organization that governed the Commonwealth of Liberia until independence in 1847. The new Republic of Liberia adopted American styles of life and established thriving trade links with other West Africans.

The formation of the Republic of Liberia was not an altogether easy task. The settlers periodically encountered stiff opposition from African tribes whom they met upon arrival, usually resulting in bloody battles. On the other hand, the newly independent Liberia was encroached upon by colonial expansionists who forcibly took over much of the original territory of independent Liberia.

Liberia's history until 1980 was largely peaceful. For 133 years after independence, the Republic of Liberia was a one-party state ruled by the Americo-Liberian-dominated True Whig Party (TWP). Joseph Jenkins Roberts, who was born and raised in America, became Liberia's first President. The style of government and constitution was fashioned on that of the United States. The True Whig Party dominated all sectors of Liberia from independence until April 12, 1980, when indigenous Liberian Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe—from the Krahn ethnic group—seized power in a coup d'etat. Doe's forces executed President William R. Tol-bert and several officials of his government, mostly of Americo-Liberian descent. As a result, 133 years of Americo-Liberian political domination ended with the formation of the People's Redemption Council (PRC).

Doe's government increasingly adopted an ethnic outlook as members of his Krahn ethnic group soon dominated political and military life in Liberia. This caused a heightened level of ethnic tension, leading to frequent hostilities between the politically and militarily dominant Krahns and other ethnic groups in the country.

Political parties remained banned until 1984. Elections were held on October 15, 1985, in which Doe's National Democratic Party of Liberia (NDPL) was declared winner. The elections were characterized by widespread fraud and rigging. The period after the elections saw increased human rights abuses, corruption, and ethnic tensions. The standard of living, which had been rising in the 1970s, declined drastically. On November 12, 1985, former Army Commanding Gen. Thomas Quiwonkpa invaded Liberia by way of neighboring Sierra Leone and almost succeeded in toppling the government of Samuel Doe. Members of the Krahn-dominated Armed Forces of Liberia repelled Quiwonkpa's attack and executed him in Monrovia.

On December 24, 1989, a small band of rebels led by Doe's former procurement chief, Charles Taylor, invaded Liberia from the Ivory Coast. Taylor and his National Patriotic Front rebels rapidly gained the support of Liberians because of the repressive nature of Samuel Doe and his government. Barely 6 months after the rebels first attacked, they had reached the outskirts of Monrovia.

The 1989-1996 Liberian civil war, which was one of Africa's bloodiest, claimed the lives of more than 200,000 Liberians and further displaced a million others into refugee camps in neighboring countries. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) intervened and succeeded in preventing Charles Taylor from capturing Monrovia. Prince Johnson—who had been a member of Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) but broke away because of policy differences—formed the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL). Johnson's forces captured and killed Doe on September 9, 1990.

An Interim Government of National Unity (IGNU) was formed in Gambia under the auspices of ECOWAS in October 1990, and Dr. Amos C. Sawyer became President. Taylor refused to work with the interim government and continued fighting. By 1992, several warring factions had emerged in the Liberian civil war, all of which were absorbed in the new transitional government. After several peace accords and declining military power, Taylor finally agreed to the formation of a five-man transitional government.

After considerable progress in negotiations conducted by the United States, United Nations, Organization of African Unity (now the African Union), and ECOWAS, disarmament and demobilization of warring factions were hastily carried out. Special elections were held on July 19, 1997, with Charles Taylor and his National Patriotic Party emerging victorious. Taylor won the election by a large majority, primarily because Liberians feared a return to war had Taylor lost.

For the next 6 years, the Taylor government did not improve the lives of Liberians. Unemployment and illiteracy stood above 75%, and little investment was made in the country's infrastructure. Liberia is still trying to recover from the ravages of war; six years after the war, pipe-borne water and electricity were still unavailable, and schools, hospitals, roads, and infrastructure remained derelict. Rather than work to improve the lives of Liberians, Taylor supported the bloody Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone, fomenting unrest and brutal excesses in the region, and leading to the resumption of armed rebellion from among Taylor's former adversaries.

On June 4, 2003 in Accra, Ghana, ECOWAS facilitated the inauguration of peace talks among the Government of Liberia, civil society, and the rebel groups called "Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy" (LURD) and "Movement for Democracy in Liberia" (MODEL). LURD and MODEL largely represent elements of the former ULIMO-K and ULIMO-J factions that fought Taylor during Liberia's previous civil war (1989-1996). Also on June 4, 2003, the Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone issued a press statement announcing the opening of a sealed March 7 indictment of Liberian President Charles Taylor for "bearing the greatest responsibility" for atrocities in Sierra Leone since November 1996. By July 17, 2003 the Government of Liberia, LURD, and MODEL signed a cease-fire that envisioned a comprehensive peace agreement within 30 days. The three combatants subsequently broke that cease-fire repeatedly, which resulted in bitter fighting that eventually reached downtown Monrovia.

On August 11, 2003 under intense U.S. and international pressure, President Taylor resigned office and departed into exile in Nigeria. This

move paved the way for the deployment by ECOWAS of what became a 3,600-strong peacekeeping mission in Liberia (ECOMIL). Since then, the United States has provided limited direct military support and $26 million in logistical assistance to ECOMIL and another $40 million in humanitarian assistance to Liberia. On August 18, leaders from the Liberian Government, the rebels, political parties, and civil society signed a comprehensive peace agreement that laid the framework for constructing a 2-year National Transitional Government of Liberia, effective October 14. On August 21, they selected businessman Gyude Bryant as Chair and Wesley Johnson as Vice Chair of the National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL). Under the terms of the agreement the LURD, MODEL, and Government of Liberia each selected 12 members of the 76-member Legislative Assembly (LA). The NTGL was inducted on October 14, 2003 and will serve until January 2006, when the winners of the October/November 2005 presidential and congressional elections take office.

The October 11, 2005 elections and the subsequent November 8, 2005 run-off elections were the most free, fair, and peaceful elections in Liberia's history. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf defeated George Weah 59.4% to 40.6%. Johnson-Sirleaf became Africa's first democratically elected female president. The National Electoral Commission (NEC) certified Johnson-Sirleaf as the winner on November 23, 2005. Johnson-Sirleaf's inauguration is scheduled for January 16, 2006.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS

Liberia is currently under a transitional government that took office in October 2003 and that will serve until January 16, 2006, when the government of President-elect Johnson-Sirleaf takes office. The transitional government includes a chair and vice chair and a 76-member Legislative Assembly.

On September 19, 2003 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1509, which established a peacekeeping operation (UN Mission in Liberia, or UNMIL) under Chapter VII authority. In keeping with the UN Secretary General's recommendations, it called for a force of 15,000 peacekeepers, with 250 military observers and 160 staff officers, a robust police component of up to 1,115, and a significant civilian component and support staff. Those forces essentially have been close to fully deployed throughout Liberia. By November 1, 2004, UNMIL had disarmed and demobilized over 103,000 individuals characterized as ex-combatants. UNMIL also advised the reformed National Election Commission as it executed the October/November 2005 legislative and presidential elections.

Historically, Liberia has had a bicameral legislature which consists of 64 representatives and 26 senators. The legislature was set up on a proportional representation basis after the 1997 special election. Historically, the executive branch heavily influences the legislature and judicial system, the latter being largely dysfunctional for now.

There is a Supreme Court, criminal courts, and appeals court and magistrate courts in the counties. There also are traditional courts and lay courts in the counties. Trial by ordeal is practiced in various parts of Liberia. The basic unit of local government is the town chief. There are clan chiefs, paramount chiefs, and district commissioners. Mayors are elected in principal cities in Liberia. For now, superintendents appointed by the president (or Chairman under the NTGL) govern the counties. There are 15 counties in Liberia.

Principal Government Officials

Last Updated: 11/18/2003

Chairman: Bryant, Gyude
Vice Chairman: Johnson, Wesley
Min. of Agriculture: Kammie, George
Min. of Commerce & Industry: Wulu, Samuel
Min. of Education: Kandakai, Evelyn
Min. of Finance: Kamara, Lusine
Min. of Foreign Affairs: Nimley, Thomas Yaya
Min. of Gender Development: Gayflor, Vaba
Min. of Health & Social Welfare: Coleman, Peter
Min. of Information, Culture, & Tourism:
Min. of Internal Affairs: Morias, H. Dan
Min. of Justice: Janneh, Kabineh
Min. of Labor: Supuwood, Laveli
Min. of Land, Mines, & Energy: Mulbah, Willie
Min. of National Defense: Chea, Daniel
Min. of National Security:
Min. of Planning & Economic Affairs: Herbert, Christian
Min. of Posts & Telecommunications: Nagbe, Eugene Lenn
Min. of Public Works:
Min. of Rural Development: Jones, E. C. B
Min. of Transport: Kanneh, Vamba
Min. of Youth & Sport: Dixon-Barnes, Wheatonia
Min. of State for Presidential Affairs: Doe , Jackson
Governor, National Bank: Saleeby, Elias
Ambassador to the US: Bull, William
Permanent Representative to the UN, New York: Kawah, Lamine

Liberia maintains an embassy in the United States at 5201 16th Street, NW, Washington DC, 202-723-0094.

ECONOMY

The Liberian economy relied heavily on the mining of iron ore and on the export of natural rubber prior to the civil war. Liberia was a major exporter of iron ore on the world market. In the 1970s and 1980s, iron mining accounted for more than half of Liberia's export earnings. Following the coup d'etat of 1980, the country's economic growth rate slowed down because of a decline in the demand for iron ore on the world market and political upheavals in Liberia. Liberia's foreign debt amounts to about $3.5 billion.

The 1989-1996 civil war had a devastating effect on the country's economy. Most major businesses were destroyed or heavily damaged, and most foreign investors and businessmen left the country. Iron ore production has stopped completely, and Liberia depends heavily on timber and rubber exports and revenues from its maritime registry program. Relatively few foreign investors have returned to the country since the end of the civil war due to the depressed business climate and continuing instability. Timber and rubber are Liberia's main export items since the end of the war. Liberia earns more than $85 million and more than $57 million annually from timber and rubber exports, respectively. Alluvial diamond and gold mining activities also account for some economic activity.

Being the second-largest maritime licenser in the world—with more than 1,800 vessels registered under its flag, including 35% of the world's tanker fleet—Liberia earned more than $15 million from its maritime program in 2004. There is increasing interest in the possibility of commercially exploitable offshore crude oil deposits along Liberia's Atlantic Coast.

Liberia's business sector is largely controlled by foreigners, mainly of Lebanese and Indian descent. There also are limited numbers of Chinese engaged in agriculture. There also are significant numbers of West Africans engaged in cross-border trade.

Liberia is a member of ECOWAS. With Guinea and Sierra Leone, it formed the Mano River Union (MRU) for development and the promotion of regional economic integration. The MRU became all but defunct because of the Liberian civil war, which spilled over into neighboring Sierra Leone and Guinea. There was some revival of MRU political and security cooperation discussions in 2002.

Beyond imposing a travel ban on individuals most closely associated with the Taylor regime, the United Nations imposed sanctions on rough diamond imports from, and arms exports to, Liberia in May 2001 for Liberia's support to the brutal rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in neighboring Sierra Leone. The UN renewed these sanctions in 2002 and in 2003, it sanctioned Liberia's export of timber. In December 2004, the UN essentially renewed these sanctions for one year.

FOREIGN RELATIONS

Liberia has maintained traditionally cordial relations with the West. Liberia currently also maintains diplomatic relations with Libya, Cuba, and China.

Liberia is a founding member of the United Nations and its specialized agencies and is a member of the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Development Bank (ADB), the Mano River Union (MRU), and the Non-Aligned Movement.

U.S.-LIBERIA RELATIONS

U.S. relations with Liberia date back to the 1820s when the first group of settlers arrived in Liberia from the United States. As early as 1819, Congress appropriated $100,000 for the establishment of Liberia (and resettlement of freemen and freed slaves from North America) by the American Colonization Society, led by such statesmen as Francis Scott Key, George Washington's nephew Bush-rod, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and presidents Monroe, Adams, and Jackson. U.S.-Liberia relations have mostly been very cordial since independence. The United States had been Liberia's closest ally until a 7-year civil war (1989-1996), regional instability, gross human rights abuses, and good governance problems led to the souring of bilateral relations. Bilateral ties are once again improving.

During the 1980s, the United States donated hundreds of millions of dollars toward the development of Liberia. The United States also donated hundreds of tons of rice (a staple of Liberians) through its PL-480 Program. The United States, followed by the European Union, is the largest donor of relief aid which is channeled through the United Nations and other international aid and relief agencies working in the country.

In February 2004 in New York, the United States co-hosted an international reconstruction conference on Liberia. Donors pledged over $522 million in total assistance. The United States contributed $200 million for critical humanitarian needs of refugees and displaced persons, reintegration, community revitalization, policing, independent media, rule of law, social services, agriculture, and reform of the judicial system, military, police, financial, and forest sectors. The United States also contributed $245 million for the establishment of UNMIL. In fiscal year 2005, the United States is spending close to $70 million to rehabilitate and reintegrate former combatants, reform Liberia's military, police, and financial sector, and provide humanitarian and medical relief, among other objectives. The United States has joined the European Commission, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Economic Community of West African States, and African Union in supporting and funding the Governance and Economic Management Assistance Program (GEMAP), which aims to improve governance, combat corruption, and build capacity in Liberia.

Principal U.S. Embassy Officials

MONROVIA (E) Address: 111 United Nations Drive; Phone: 011-231 226-370; Fax: 011-231 226-148/226-827; Workweek: M-F, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

TRAVEL

Consular Information Sheet

December 7, 2005

Country Description:

Liberia is a western African country that has suffered from years of instability and conflict. Since 2003, when deposed former President Charles Taylor went into exile, substantial progress has been made in the resettlement of refugees and displaced persons and the reintegration of former combatants. Reconstruction of the country's infrastructure is ongoing. Respect for human rights and the rule of law has improved. Economic development and the elimination of corruption remain problematic. In October 2005, Liberians went to the polls and elected a representative government fashioned after that of the United States. After a run-off election in November between the top two presidential vote getters, Liberians elected the first woman president on the African continent. Harvard-educated and former World Bank economist, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, will be sworn into office in January 2006. Expectations are high for the future, but by most measures Liberia is still one of the poorest countries in the world and noticeable change will take time. Tourism facilities are poor or, in many cases, nonexistent. The capital is Monrovia and the official language is English.

Entry/Exit Requirements:

A passport and a visa are required for entry, as is evidence of a yellow fever vaccination. Immigration officials at the airport may authorize permits for a 48-hour stay only. Those wishing to stay longer must go to the Central Bureau of Immigration on Broad Street between Center and Gurley Streets in downtown Monrovia. The Central Bureau issues permits for stays up to three months for a $100 fee. There is a $25 airport tax on departing passengers. For the latest information on entry requirements, visa fees and airport tax for Liberia, contact the Embassy of the Republic of Liberia, 5201 16th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20011, tel. (202) 723-0437, web site www.embassyofliberia.org. Overseas, inquiries should be made at the nearest Liberian embassy or consulate.

Safety and Security:

The Department of State urges U.S. citizens to carefully consider the risks of travel to Liberia and weigh their personal safety with the importance of their travel. Americans who travel to or remain in Liberia should realize that the ability of Liberia's security forces to maintain law and order in the countryside is uncertain. Actions of the local security forces (and former members of the security forces) also at times threaten travelers. Members of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) provide limited security around Monrovia and the main population centers. Americans who must go to Liberia should check with the U.S. Embassy's Consular Section before undertaking travel and should avoid going to rural areas of Liberia due to security incidents and armed dissident activity.

U.S. citizens in Liberia should be aware of their surroundings at all times and use caution when traveling. Travel outside of Monrovia after dark is strongly discouraged. Due to the potential for violence, U.S. citizens should avoid crowds, political rallies, and street demonstrations and maintain security awareness at all times.

For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, Travel Warnings and Public Announcements can be found. Up-to-date information on safety and security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S., or for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll-line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

Crime:

Crime in Liberia is rated critical and is exacerbated by the high rate of unemployment in the country. Theft, assault, sexual crimes, and murder are problems, and they occur more frequently after dark. Foreigners, including U.S. citizens, have been targets of street crime and robbery. Residential armed break-ins occur. The police are ill equipped and largely incapable of providing effective protection. Despite deployment of peacekeeping forces, criminal activity and occasional looting by criminal elements continue to be reported in urban and rural areas.

Perpetrators of business fraud often target foreigners, including Americans. Formerly associated with Nigeria, these fraud schemes are now prevalent throughout western Africa, including Liberia, and pose a danger of both financial loss and physical harm. Recently, an increasing number of American citizens have been the targets of such scams. Typically, the scams begin with unsolicited communication (usually by e-mail) from an unknown individual who describes a situation that promises quick financial gain, often by assisting in the transfer of a large sum of money or valuables out of the country.

The scenarios are varied, but the final payoff does not exist. The purpose is to get as much money as possible and to gain information about the American's bank account. The best way to avoid becoming a victim of advance-fee fraud is common sense – if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Any unsolicited business proposal originating in Liberia should be carefully checked out before you commit any funds, provide any goods or services, or undertake any travel. For additional information, please see the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs brochure, Advance Fee Business Scams, available at the Bureau of Consular Affairs home page at http://travel.state.gov.

Information for Victims of Crime:

The loss or theft abroad of a U.S. passport should be reported immediately to the local police and to the U.S. Embassy. If you are the victim of a crime while in Liberia, in addition to reporting to local police, please contact the U.S. Embassy for assistance. The Embassy staff can, for example, assist you to find appropriate medical care, contact family members or friends and explain how funds could be transferred. Although the investigation and prosecution of the crime is solely the responsibility of local authorities, consular officers can help you to understand the local criminal justice process and to find an attorney if needed.

Medical Facilities and Health Information:

Hospitals and medical facilities are very poorly equipped and are incapable of providing even basic services. Emergency services comparable to those in the U.S. or Europe are non-existent, and the blood supply is unreliable and unsafe for transfusion. Medicines are scarce, often beyond expiration dates, and generally unavailable in most areas. As there is no garbage removal service or functioning sewer system, even in Monrovia, the level of sanitation throughout the country is very poor, which increases the spread of diseases. Upper respiratory infections and diarrhea are common as well as the more serious diseases typhoid and malaria. All travelers to Liberia must be vaccinated against typhoid and should bring an adequate supply of anti-malaria medication for their entire stay.

Information on vaccinations and other health precautions, such as safe food and water precautions and insect bite protection, may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's hotline for international travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747) or via the CDC's Internet site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel. For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad consult the World Health Organization's (WHO) web-site at http://www.who.int/en. Further health information for travelers is available at http://www.who.int/ith.

Medical Insurance:

The Department of State strongly urges Americans to consult with their medical insurance company prior to traveling abroad to confirm whether their policy applies overseas and whether it will cover emergency expenses such as a medical evacuation.

Traffic Safety and Road Conditions:

While in a foreign country, U.S. citizens may encounter road conditions that differ significantly from those in the United States. The information below concerning Liberia is provided for general reference only and may not be totally accurate in a particular location or circumstance.

Road travel in Liberia can be hazardous. Potholes and poor road surfaces are common, making safe driving extremely challenging. Cars, trucks, and taxis are often overloaded with people and goods and make frequent stops without signaling. Drivers often overtake on the right. Many vehicles operate with threadbare tires, and blowouts are frequent. There are no operating traffic lights in the country, so approach intersections with caution. There are also no public streetlights; pedestrians in Monrovia's streets and those walking on country roads are difficult to see at night. Pedestrians often walk in the streets and cross busy roadways with little or no warning. Drivers and pedestrians are cautioned that high-speed car convoys carrying government officials require all other vehicles to pull off the road until they have passed. All drivers must remain in their vehicles at the roadside with headlights turned off until any such convoys pass. It is advisable to wait at least a couple of minutes after the convoy passes since convoy stragglers often drive at high speed to catch up with the group.

Travelers should expect delays at UNMIL security checkpoints, as well as time-consuming detours around the many bridges and roads damaged by war, neglect, or the heavy annual rains, which occur from May to November. Travelers can expect strict enforcement of border controls by Liberian, Ivorian, and Guinean authorities. At times border crossings to neighboring countries are closed.

Aviation Safety Oversight:

As there is no direct commercial air service between the United States and Liberia, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not assessed Liberia's Civil Aviation Authority for compliance with ICAO international aviation safety standards. For more information, travelers may visit the FAA's Internet web site at http://www.faa.gov/safety/programs_initiatives/oversight/iasa.

Currently five international carriers operate flights to and from Liberia, servicing the Roberts International Airport, which is located 35 miles out-side Monrovia. As public transportation to Monrovia is not always available, travelers should arrange for an expediter and/or driver through their hotel, employer, or business associates.

Special Circumstances:

The U.S. dollar is readily accepted in Liberia, and there is no limit on the amount of foreign currency that can be transported into and out of the country, provided one follows the specific regulations on how such transfers must be done. Sums in excess of US $10,000 must be reported at the port of entry and no more than US $7,500 in foreign currency banknotes can be moved out of the country at one time. Larger sums must be transferred via bank drafts or other financial instruments; persons without a Liberian bank account are limited to two outgoing US $5,000 over-the-counter cash wire transfers per month. Traveler's checks and wire transfers are not widely used and are subject to substantial fees. ATMs are unavailable and credit/debit cards are not accepted anywhere in Liberia.

Photographing military installations, air and seaports, and important government buildings is restricted. Visitors should not take photographs of sites or activities that might be considered sensitive, or police or military officers are liable to confiscate the camera. Travelers are advised not to take photographs, movies, or videos in any public place.

Lodging, fuel, transportation, and telephone services are unevenly available in Liberia, and are nonexistent or severely limited in rural areas. Neither water nor electricity is commercially available in Monrovia. Most hotels have utilities available, but not always on a 24-hour basis. There is no working landline telephone system in Liberia. Several cell phone companies provide service in Monrovia and some areas outside the capital. Public mail delivery is very unreliable, but commercial air courier service is available through DHL and Federal Express.

Criminal Penalties:

While in a foreign country, a U.S. citizen is subject to that country's laws and regulations, which sometimes differ significantly from those in the United States and may not afford the protections available to the individual under U.S. law. Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe than in the United States for similar offenses. Persons violating Liberian law, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested or imprisoned. Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs in Liberia are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines. The U.S. Embassy does not always receive timely notification of the arrest of U.S. citizens by Liberian authorities. If arrested, U.S. citizens should ask to be allowed to contact the U.S. Embassy (see the Registration/Embassy Location section below). Americans should carry a copy of their U.S. passport with them at all times. The consular section of the U.S. Embassy cannot give legal assistance but can provide a list of Liberian attorneys if one is required. Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime, prosecutable in the United States.

Children's Issues:

For information on international adoption of children and international parental child abduction, see the Office of Children's Issues website at http://travel.state.gov/family/family_1732.html.

Registration/Embassy Location:

Americans living or traveling in Liberia are encouraged to register with the U.S. Embassy or through the State Department's travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov, and to obtain updated information on travel and security within Liberia. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency. The U.S. Embassy is located at 111 United Nations Drive, Mamba Point, Monrovia; telephone 231-077-054-826; there is no fax number; web site http://Monrovia.usembassy.gov. U.S. citizens who wish to write to the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia may address letters to the Consular Section, 8800 Monrovia Place, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20521-8800, or send emails to [email protected].

Travel Warning

November 4, 2005

This Travel Warning updates and supersedes the Travel Warning of September 23, 2005 to include security information for the period immediately preceding a scheduled run-off election for President on November 8, through the installation of a new government in January 2006.

The Department of State continues to urge American citizens to consider carefully the risks of travel to Liberia. Notwithstanding the UN's deployment of 15,000 peacekeepers and 1,100 police advisors nationwide, the overall security situation remains fragile and unpredictable. There was no major civil unrest during the elections held on October 11. However, political and social tensions remain high and could result in sporadic violence and instability as Liberia prepares for a run-off election between the two leading presidential candidates on November 8. Social tension and risk of spontaneous demonstrations or outbursts of violence could continue throughout the period immediately preceding the run-off election for President, scheduled for November 8, and up to and including the inauguration of a new President and the installation of a new government on January 16, 2006.

Americans in Liberia should also be aware of the possibility of civil disturbances and/or demonstrations by demobilized armed forces and civil servants who are increasingly disgruntled as a result of non-payment of salaries and other grievances. Owing to the potential for violence, U.S. citizens should avoid crowds, political rallies, street demonstrations, and any gathering of security forces. By most measures, Liberia is one of the poorest countries in the world and the nationwide unemployment rate is very high. Foreigners, including Americans, are high-profile targets for robbery.

U.S. citizens in Liberia should be aware of their surroundings at all times and use caution in traveling. Traveling alone or after dark is strongly discouraged. Poor road conditions, especially during the rainy season, and limited telecommunications limit the U.S. Embassy's ability to assist U.S. citizens outside the Monrovia area. American employees at the U.S. Embassy continue to have a strict 1:00 a.m. curfew, are strongly encouraged to not go out alone, but to use the buddy system, and may travel outside Monrovia only under strict pre-approved conditions. Americans should report any threats or suspicious activity to the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia and monitor the local media for developments that may affect their safety and security.

Americans who remain in or travel to Liberia despite this Warning should register with the Embassy's Consular Section through the State Department's travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency and provide updated security information. Americans without Internet access may register directly with the Embassy, which is located at 111 United Nations Drive, Mamba Point, Monrovia, Liberia; tel. (231) 226-370; fax (231) 226-148. American citizen services are Monday - Thursday 3:00 to 5:00 and Friday 8:00 - 2:00 and 3:00 to 5:00.

For additional information, consult the Department of State's Consular Information Sheet for Liberia, on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov. American citizens may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions in Liberia by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States and Canada, or 1-202-501-4444 from all other countries.

International Adoption

January 2006

The information below has been edited from a report of the State Department Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of Overseas Citizens Services. For more information, please read the International Adoption section of this book and review current reports online at www.travel.state.gov/family.

Disclaimer:

The information in this flyer relating to the legal requirements of specific foreign countries is based on public sources and our current understanding. Questions involving foreign and U.S. immigration laws and legal interpretation should be addressed respectively to qualified foreign or U.S. legal counsel.

Please Note:

There is currently a travel warning for Liberia. Please consult the Consular Affairs web site at http://travel.state.gov for current information.

The Liberian Ministry of Health has informed the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia that effective October 15, 2004, adoptive families must obtain a letter from the Ministry of Health approving the adoption of a specific child. This is in addition to obtaining a Relinquishment (guardian or caretaker of child being adopted) and Adoption Decree (Liberian Court). The U.S. Embassy is seeking clarification as to whether or not adoption cases that began in good faith prior to October 15 will be grandfathered. This site will be updated as more information becomes available.

Availability of Children for Adoption:

Recent U.S. immigrant visa statistics reflect the following pattern for visa issuance to orphans:

FY-1996: IR-3 immigrant visas issued to Liberian orphans adopted abroad - 3; IR-4 immigrant visas issued to Liberian orphans adopted in the U.S. - 0
FY-1997: IR-3 Visas - 29;
IR-4 Visas - 5
FY-1998: IR-3 Visas - 6;
IR-4 Visas - 1
FY-1999: IR-3 Visas - 14;
IR-4 Visas - 0
FY-2000: IR-3 Visas - 21;
IR-4 Visas - 4

Liberian Adoption Authority:

The government office responsible for adoptions in Liberia is the Ministry of Justice. All petitions for adoptions are filed in the Probate Court, which issues a decree of adoption if all legal requirements are met.

Liberian Adoption Procedures:

All adoptive parents recently go through an adoption agency in the U.S. prior to going through the adoption process. A petition for the adoption must be filed with the Probate Court. The petition must contain the name, age, residence, and martial status of the petitioners. The name, date and place of birth of the child, the date and manner in which the petitioners acquired custody of the child, facts (if any) that render consent of either parent unnecessary, the petitioners' desire to adopt the child, and the child's change of name, should also be contained in the petition. The court will also require written consent by the biological parents. If the child was born in wedlock, the consent of both parents is required. If the child was born out of wedlock, only the mother must consent. If the child is 16 years of age or older, only the child needs consent to the adoption. Please note that a child who is 16 years old or older is not considered a "child" by the Immigration and Nationality Act and therefore may be ineligible to immigrate to the United States. Parental consent is not required if the parents have abandoned the child, if the parental rights have been legally terminated, if the parents are deceased, or if a legal guardian has been appointed. The biological parents, during the proceedings, may withdraw consent. However, the court must permit the withdrawal of consent. Consent is irrevocable after the final order of adoption.

Following the filing of the petition, the court serves notice on all interested parties and orders an investigation by an investigator, who is appointed by the court. A written report of the investigation must be filed with the court within 30 days of issuance of the investigation order. Upon receipt of the investigation, the Court schedules the hearing and serves notice on all interested parties. The petitioners and children are required to attend the hearing. The court may waive the appearance of the child for good cause. This waiver must be stated in the order of adoption. All hearings are confidential and held in closed court. The court must be satisfied that the "moral and temporal interests" of the child will be satisfied by the adoption. Upon this showing, the adoption is ordered. The court can process the adoption as fast as they want.

Please see the International Adoption section of this book for more details and review current reports online at travel.state.gov/family.

Age and Civil Status Requirements:

Any adult may adopt children. There are no marriage requirements or specific age requirements. Any minor child present within Liberia may be adopted. The place of birth and residence are irrelevant of the adoptive parent.

Adoption Agencies and Attorneys:

The U.S. Embassy maintains a list of qualified attorneys. The Embassy does not maintain a list of adoption agencies and can not recommend the services of any private attorney or adoption agency.

Doctors:

The U.S. Embassy maintains current lists of doctors and sources for medicines, should either you or your child experience health problems while in Liberia.

Liberian Documentary Requirements:

• Petition for adoption
• Written consent of the biological parents acknowledged before an officer of the court (normally the Justice of the Peace)

There are no documents required within the laws concerning adoption. Normal paperwork such as a passport, and birth certificate may be needed as required by the court in a case-by-case basis. The parents will also need these documents required for the IV process.

U.S. Immigration Requirements:

A Liberian child adopted by an American citizen must obtain an immigrant visa before he or she can enter the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident. Please see the International Adoption section of this book for more details and review current reports online at travel.state.gov/family.

Liberian Embassy (and Consulates) in the United States:

Embassy of the Republic of Liberia
5303 Colorado Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20011
Tel: (202) 723-0437

Liberia also has a consulate in New York, New York.

U.S. Embassy Liberia:

The Consular Section is located at:
Street Address
U.S. Embassy Liberia
111 United Nations Drive
Mamba Point
Monrovia, Liberia

Mailing Address
U.S. Embassy Monrovia
Consular Section
U.S. Department of State
8800 Monrovia Place
Washington, DC 20521-8800
Tel: (231) 226-370 ext. 1490

Additional Information:

Prospective adoptive parents are strongly encouraged to consult BCIS publication M-249, The Immigration of Adopted and Prospective Adoptive Children, as well as the Department of State publication, International Adoptions.

Questions:

Specific questions regarding adoption in Liberia may be addressed to the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia. You may also contact the Office of Children's Issues, SA-29, 2201 C Street, NW, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC 20520-2818, telephone (202) 736-7000 with specific questions.

LIBERIA

Compiled from the February 2005 Background Note and supplemented with additional information from the State Department and the editors of this volume. See the introduction to this set for explanatory notes.

Official Name:
Republic of Liberia

PROFILE

Geography

Area: 111,369 sq. km. (43,000 sq. mi.). Slightly larger than Ohio.

Cities: Capital—Monrovia (est. 750,000). Principal towns—Buchanan (est. 300,000), Ganta (est. 290,000), Gbarnga (est. 150,000), Kakata (est. 100,000), Harbel (est. 136,000).

Terrain: Three areas—Mangrove swamps and beaches along the coast, wooded hills and semideciduous shrublands along the immediate interior, and dense tropical forests and plateaus in the interior. Liberia has 40% of West Africa's rain forest.

People

Nationality: Noun and adjective—Liberian(s).

Population: (2001 est.) 3.3 million.

Annual growth rate: (2001 est.) 2.7%.

Ethnic groups: Kpelle 20%, Bassa 16%, Gio 8%, Kru 7%, 49% spread over 12 other ethnic groups.

Religions: Christian 30%, Muslim 10%, animist 60%.

Languages: English is the official language. There are 16 indigenous languages.

Education: Literacy—15%.

Health: Life expectancy—47 years.

Work force: Agriculture—70%; industry—15%; services—2%.

Unemployment: 70% in the formal sector.

Government

Type: Republic; currently under a national transitional government.

Independence: From American Colonization Society July 26, 1847.

Constitution: January 6, 1986.

Political parties: 13 political parties took part in presidential elections on July 19, 1997 that saw former rebel leader Charles Taylor of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) emerge as President. There are now 18 political parties.

Economy

GDP: (2002) $206.9 million.

GDP growth rate: 3.3%.

Per capita GNP: (2002) $188.

Annual inflation rate: 14%.

Natural resources: Iron ore, rubber, timber, diamonds, gold and tin. The Government of Liberia has reported in recent years that it has discovered sizable deposits of crude oil along its Atlantic Coast.

Agriculture: Products—coffee, cocoa, sugarcane, rice, cassava, palm oil, bananas, plantains, citrus, pineapple, sweet potatoes, corn, and vegetables.

Industry: Types—iron ore, rubber, forestry, diamonds, gold, beverages, construction.

Trade: (2002) Exports—$147 million: agriculture 80%, mining 20%. Major markets—France, China, Italy, Indonesia, Malaysia, Scandinavia, U.S. Imports—$173 million: petroleum products, rice, chemicals, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, machinery, clothing, beverages, and tobacco.

PEOPLE

There are 16 ethnic groups that make up Liberia's indigenous population. The Kpelle in central and western Liberia is the largest ethnic group. Americo-Liberians who are descendants of freed slaves that arrived in Liberia early in 1821 make up an estimated 5% of the population.

There also are sizable numbers of Lebanese, Indians, and other West African nationals who make up a significant part of Liberia's business community. Because of the 1989-1996 civil war and its accompanying problem of insecurity, the number of Westerners in Liberia is low and confined largely to Monrovia and its immediate surroundings. The Liberian constitution restricts citizenship only to people of Negro descent.

Liberia was traditionally noted for its hospitality and academic institutions, iron mining and rubber industry booms, and cultural skills and arts and craft works. But political upheavals beginning in the 1980s and the brutal 7-year civil war (1989-1996) brought about a steep decline in the living standards of the country, including its education and infrastructure.

HISTORY

Portuguese explorers established contacts with Liberia as early as 1461 and named the area Grain Coast because of the abundance of grains of Malegueta Pepper. In 1663 the British installed trading posts on the Grain Coast, but the Dutch destroyed these posts a year later. There were no further reports of European settlements along the Grain Coast until the arrival of freed slaves in the early 1800s.

Liberia, which means "land of the free," was founded by freed slaves from the United States in 1820. These freed slaves, called Americo-Liberians, first arrived in Liberia and established a settlement in Christopolis now Monrovia (named after U.S. President James Monroe) on February 6, 1820. This group of 86 immigrants formed the nucleus of the settler population of what became known as the Republic of Liberia.

Thousands of freed slaves from America soon arrived during the following years, leading to the formation of more settlements and culminating in a declaration of independence on July 26, 1847 of the Republic of Liberia. The idea of resettling free slaves in Africa was nurtured by the American Colonization Society (ACS), an organization that governed the Commonwealth of Liberia until independence in 1847. The new Republic of Liberia adopted American styles of life and established thriving trade links with other West Africans.

The formation of the Republic of Liberia was not an altogether easy task. The settlers periodically encountered stiff opposition from African tribes whom they met upon arrival, usually resulting in bloody battles. On the other hand, the newly independent Liberia was encroached upon by colonial expansionists who forcibly took over much of the original territory of independent Liberia.

Liberia's history until 1980 was largely peaceful. For 133 years after independence, the Republic of Liberia was a one-party state ruled by the Americo-Liberian-dominated True Whig Party (TWP). Joseph Jenkins Roberts, who was born and raised in America, became Liberia's first President. The style of government and constitution was fashioned on that of the United States. The True Whig Party dominated all sectors of Liberia from independence until April 12, 1980, when indigenous Liberian Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe—from the Krahn ethnic group—seized power in a coup d'etat. Doe's forces executed President William R. Tolbert and several officials of his government, mostly of Americo-Liberian descent. As a result, 133 years of Americo-Liberian political domination ended with the formation of the People's Redemption Council (PRC).

Doe's government increasingly adopted an ethnic outlook as members of his Krahn ethnic group soon dominated political and military life in Liberia. This caused a heightened level of ethnic tension, leading to frequent hostilities between the politically and militarily dominant Krahns and other ethnic groups in the country.

Political parties remained banned until 1984. Elections were held on October 15, 1985, in which Doe's National Democratic Party of Liberia (NDPL) was declared winner. The elections were characterized by widespread fraud and rigging. The period after the elections saw increased human rights abuses, corruption, and ethnic tensions. The standard of living, which had been rising in the 1970s, declined drastically. On November 12, 1985, former Army Commanding Gen. Thomas Quiwonkpa invaded Liberia by way of neighboring Sierra Leone and almost succeeded in toppling the government of Samuel Doe. Members of the Krahn-dominated Armed Forces of Liberia repelled Quiwonkpa's attack and executed him in Monrovia.

On December 24, 1989, a small band of rebels led by Doe's former procurement chief, Charles Taylor, invaded Liberia from the Ivory Coast. Taylor and his National Patriotic Front rebels rapidly gained the support of Liberians because of the repressive nature of Samuel Doe and his government. Barely 6 months after the rebels first attacked, they had reached the outskirts of Monrovia.

The 1989-1996 Liberian civil war, which was one of Africa's bloodiest, claimed the lives of more than 200,000 Liberians and further displaced a million others into refugee camps in neighboring countries. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) intervened and succeeded in preventing Charles Taylor from capturing Monrovia. Prince Johnson—who had been a member of Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) but broke away because of policy differencesformed the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL). Johnson's forces captured and killed Doe on September 9, 1990.

An Interim Government of National Unity (IGNU) was formed in Gambia under the auspices of ECOWAS in October 1990, and Dr. Amos C. Sawyer became President. Taylor refused to work with the interim government and continued fighting. By 1992, several warring factions had emerged in the Liberian civil war, all of which were absorbed in the new transitional government. After several peace accords and declining military power, Taylor finally agreed to the formation of a five-man transitional government.

After considerable progress in negotiations conducted by the United States, United Nations, Organization of African Unity (now the African Union), and ECOWAS, disarmament and demobilization of warring factions were hastily carried out. Special elections were held on July 19, 1997,

with Charles Taylor and his National Patriotic Party emerging victorious. Taylor won the election by a large majority, primarily because Liberians feared a return to war had Taylor lost.

For the next 6 years, the Taylor government did not improve the lives of Liberians. Unemployment and illiteracy stood above 75%, and little investment was made in the country's infrastructure. Liberia is still trying to recover from the ravages of war; six years after the war, pipe-borne water and electricity were still unavailable, and schools, hospitals, roads, and infrastructure remained derelict. Rather than work to improve the lives of Liberians, Taylor supported the bloody Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone, fomenting unrest and brutal excesses in the region, and leading to the resumption of armed rebellion from among Taylor's former adversaries.

On June 4, 2003 in Accra, Ghana, ECOWAS facilitated the inauguration of peace talks among the Government of Liberia, civil society, and the rebel groups called "Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy" (LURD) and "Movement for Democracy in Liberia" (MODEL). LURD and MODEL largely represent elements of the former ULIMO-K and ULIMO-J factions that fought Taylor during Liberia's previous civil war (1989-1996). Also on June 4, 2003, the Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone issued a press statement announcing the opening of a sealed March 7 indictment of Liberian President Charles Taylor for "bearing the greatest responsibility" for atrocities in Sierra Leone since November 1996. By July 17, 2003 the Government of Liberia, LURD, and MODEL signed a cease-fire that envisioned a comprehensive peace agreement within 30 days. The three combatants subsequently broke that cease-fire repeatedly, which resulted in bitter fighting that eventually reached downtown Monrovia.

On August 11, 2003 under intense U.S. and international pressure, President Taylor resigned office and departed into exile in Nigeria. This move paved the way for the deployment by ECOWAS of what became a 3,600-strong peacekeeping mission in Liberia (ECOMIL). Since then, the United States has provided limited direct military support and $26 million in logistical assistance to ECOMIL and another $40 million in humanitarian assistance to Liberia. On August 18, leaders from the Liberian Government, the rebels, political parties, and civil society signed a comprehensive peace agreement that laid the framework for constructing a 2-year National Transitional Government of Liberia, effective October 14. On August 21, they selected businessman Gyude Bryant as Chair and Wesley Johnson as Vice Chair of the National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL). Under the terms of the agreement the LURD, MODEL, and Government of Liberia each selected 12 members of the 76-member Legislative Assembly (LA). The NTGL was inducted on October 14, 2003 and will serve until January 2006, when the winners of the scheduled October 2005 presidential and congressional elections take office.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS

Liberia is currently under a transitional government that took office in October 2003 and that will serve until January 2006. The transitional government includes a chair and vice chair and a 76-member Legislative Assembly.

On September 19, 2003 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1509, which establishes a peacekeeping operation under Chapter VII authority. In keeping with the UN Secretary General's recommendations, it called for a force of 15,000 peacekeepers, with 250 military observers and 160 staff officers, a robust police component of up to 1,115, and a significant civilian component and support staff. By June 2004, the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) had deployed over 14,000 peacekeepers and 760 police, and had ostensibly disarmed most of the former combatants.

Historically, Liberia has had a bicameral legislature which consists of 64 representatives and 26 senators. The legislature, which was set up on a proportional representation basis after the 1997 special election, was dominated by President Taylor's National Patriotic Party. The executive branch heavily influences the legislature. The judicial system is functional but extensively manipulated by the executive branch of government.

There is a Supreme Court, criminal courts, and appeals court and magistrate courts in the counties. There also are traditional courts and lay courts in the counties. Trial by ordeal is practiced in various parts of Liberia. The basic unit of local government is the town chief. There are clan chiefs, paramount chiefs, and district commissioners. Mayors are elected in principal cities in Liberia. The counties are governed by superintendents appointed by the president. There are 15 counties in Liberia.

Principal Government Officials

Last Updated: 11/18/03

Chairman: Bryant , Gyude
Vice Chairman: Johnson , Wesley
Min. of Agriculture: Kammie , George
Min. of Commerce & Industry: Wulu , Samuel
Min. of Education: Kandakai , Evelyn
Min. of Finance: Kamara , Lusine
Min. of Foreign Affairs: Nimley , Thomas Yaya
Min. of Gender Development: Gayflor , Vaba
Min. of Health & Social Welfare: Coleman , Peter
Min. of Information, Culture, & Tourism:
Min. of Internal Affairs: Morias , H. Dan
Min. of Justice: Janneh , Kabineh
Min. of Labor: Supuwood , Laveli
Min. of Land, Mines, & Energy: Mulbah , Willie
Min. of National Defense: Chea , Daniel
Min. of National Security:
Min. of Planning & Economic Affairs: Herbert , Christian
Min. of Posts & Telecommunications: Nagbe , Eugene Lenn
Min. of Public Works:
Min. of Rural Development: Jones , E. C. B
Min. of Transport: Kanneh , Vamba
Min. of Youth & Sport: Dixon-Barnes , Wheatonia
Min. of State for Presidential Affairs: Doe , Jackson
Governor, National Bank: Saleeby , Elias
Ambassador to the US: Bull , William
Permanent Representative to the UN, New York: Kawah , Lamine

Liberia maintains an embassy in the United States at 5201 16th Street, NW, Washington DC.

ECONOMY

The Liberian economy relied heavily on the mining of iron ore and on the export of natural rubber prior to the civil war. Liberia was a major exporter of iron ore on the world market. In the 1970s and 1980s, iron mining accounted for more than half of Liberia's export earnings. Following the coup d'etat of 1980, the country's economic growth rate slowed down because of a decline in the demand for iron ore on the world market and political upheavals in Liberia. Liberia's foreign debt amounts to more than $3 billion.

The 1989-1996 civil war had a devastating effect on the country's economy. Most major businesses were destroyed or heavily damaged, and most foreign investors and businessmen left the country. Iron ore production has stopped completely, and Liberia depends heavily on timber and rubber exports and revenues from its maritime registry program. Relatively few foreign investors have returned to the country since the end of the civil war due to the depressed business climate and continuing instability. Timber and rubber are Liberia's main export items since the end of the war. Liberia earns more than $85 million and more than $57 million annually from timber and rubber exports, respectively. Alluvial diamond and gold mining activities also account for some economic activity.

Being the second-largest maritime licenser in the world—with more than 1,800 vessels registered under its flag, including 35% of the world's tanker fleet—Liberia earned more than $13 million from its maritime program in 2002. There is increasing interest in the possibility of commercially exploitable offshore crude oil deposits along Liberia's Atlantic Coast.

Liberia's business sector is largely controlled by foreigners, mainly of Lebanese and Indian descent. There also are limited numbers of Chinese engaged in agriculture. The largest timber concession, Oriental Timber Corporation (OTC) is Indonesianowned. There also are significant numbers of West Africans engaged in cross-border trade.

Liberia is a member of ECOWAS. With Guinea and Sierra Leone, it formed the Mano River Union (MRU) for development and the promotion of regional economic integration. The MRU became all but defunct because of the Liberian civil war, which spilled over into neighboring Sierra Leone and Guinea. There was some revival of MRU political and security cooperation discussions in 2002.

Historically, Liberia has relied heavily on foreign assistance, particularly from the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, China, and Romania. But because of the corrupt nature of the Liberian Government and its disregard for human rights, foreign assistance to Liberia has declined drastically. Taiwan and Libya are currently the largest donors of direct financial aid to the Liberian Government. But significant amounts of aid continue to come in from Western countries through international aid agencies and non-governmental organizations, avoiding direct aid to the government.

The United Nations imposed sanctions on Liberia in May 2001 for its support to the brutal rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in neighboring Sierra Leone. The UN renewed these sanctions in 2002 and 2003. In December 2003, the UN renewed these sanctions for one year, until the transitional government can establish greater sovereignty and fiscal transparency.

FOREIGN RELATIONS

Liberia has maintained traditionally cordial relations with the West. Liberia currently also maintains diplomatic relations with Libya, Cuba, and Taiwan. Liberia accuses Guinea of backing rebels who have fought the Liberian Government to a standstill in the north. Fighting and looting on both sides of the Liberian-Ivoirian border has been fomented between members of the respective Krahn and Guere ethnic groups with their Gio and Yacouba neighbors.

Liberia is a founding member of the United Nations and its specialized agencies and is a member of the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Development Bank (ADB), the Mano River Union (MRU), and the Non-Aligned Movement.

U.S.-LIBERIA RELATIONS

U.S. relations with Liberia date back to the 1820s when the first group of settlers arrived in Liberia from the United States. U.S.-Liberia relations, which have been very cordial since independence, are today strained. The United States had been Liberia's closest ally, but a 7-year civil war (1989-1996), regional stability, gross human rights abuses, and good governance problems have led to the souring of relations between the two countries. The United States imposed a travel ban on senior Liberian Government officials in 2001 because of the government's support to the RUF.

During the 1980s, the United States donated hundreds of millions of dollars toward the development of Liberia. The United States also donated hundreds of tons of rice (a staple of Liberians) through its PL-480 Program. At the moment, the United States is the largest donor of relief aid to Liberia. But this assistance is channeled through the United Nations and other international aid and relief agencies working in the country.

On February 5-6, 2004 in New York, the United States co-hosted an international reconstruction conference on Liberia. Donors pledged over $522 million in total assistance. The United States is contributing $200 million for critical humanitarian needs of refugees and displaced persons, reintegration, community revitalization, policing, independent media, rule of law, social services, agriculture, and reform of the judicial system, military, police, financial, and forest sectors. The United States also has contributed $245 million for the establishment of UNMIL.

Principal U.S. Embassy Officials

MONROVIA (E) Address: 111 United Nations Drive; Phone: 011-231 226-370; Fax: 011-231 226-148/226-827; Workweek: M–F, 8:00a.m.-5:00p.m.

TRAVEL

Consular Information Sheet

November 12, 2004

Country Description: Liberia is a western African country that has suffered from years of instability and conflict. Finally, in August 2003, negotiations among warring parties led to the departure of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, and a national government of transition came into power in October 2003. The transitional government's authority is mainly limited to those areas patrolled by United Nations military contingents. These areas have expanded recently beyond the capital city of Monrovia and its surrounding areas to include many out-lying counties, though are generally limited to the regional centers (county capitals) and most border crossings. Much progress remains to be made toward the following goals: resettlement of refugees and displaced persons, reintegration of former combatants, reconstruction of the country's infrastructure, respect for human rights and the rule of law, a stable environment for economic development, and the elimination of corruption. By most measures, it is one of the poorest countries in the world. Tourism facilities are poor or, in many cases, nonexistent. The capital is Monrovia. The official language is English.

Entry/Exit Requirements: A passport and visa are required, as is evidence of a yellow fever vaccination. Immigration officials at the airport may authorize permits for a 48-hour stay only. Those wishing to stay longer must go to the Central Bureau of Immigration on Broad Street between Center and Gurley Streets in downtown Monrovia. The Central Bureau issues permits for stays up to three months; there is a $25 fee. There is a $25 airport tax on departing passengers. For the latest information on entry requirements, visa fees and airport tax for Liberia, contact the Embassy of the Republic of Liberia, 5201 16th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20011, tel. (202) 723-0437, website: http://www.liberian-connection.com/embassy.htm. Overseas, inquiries should be made to the nearest Liberian embassy or consulate. See our Foreign Entry Requirements brochure for more information on Liberia and other countries. Visit the Embassy of Liberia web site at www.liberiaemb.org for the most current visa information.

Safety and Security: The Department of State continues to urge U.S. citizens to defer non-essential travel to Liberia. Americans who travel to or remain in Liberia despite this advice should avoid travel to the interior of the country. The ability of Liberia's security forces to maintain law and order in the countryside is uncertain. Disarmament of rebel groups throughout much of Liberia is ongoing. Actions of the local security forces (and former members of the security forces) also at times threaten travelers. Members of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) provide limited security around Monrovia and the main population centers. UNMIL's future after the elections in 2005 is uncertain. Given the conflict in Liberia and in nearby Cote d'Ivoire, American citizens should consider carefully the importance of their travel to Liberia and weigh their personal safety. Americans who must go to Liberia should check with the U.S. Embassy's Consular Section before undertaking travel and should avoid going to rural areas of Liberia due to security incidents and armed dissident activity.

U.S. citizens still in Liberia should be aware of their surroundings at all times and use caution when traveling. Travel anywhere after dark is strongly discouraged. Due to the potential for violence, U.S. citizens should avoid crowds, political rallies, and street demonstrations and maintain security awareness at all times. In addition, due to recent animosities among security forces, U.S. citizens should avoid any gathering of such forces.

For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov where the current Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, Travel Warnings and Public Announcements can be found.

Up-to-date information of safety and security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S., or for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll-line at 1-317-472-2328. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

The Department of State urges American citizens to take responsibility for their own personal security while traveling overseas. For general information about appropriate measures travelers can take to protect themselves in an overseas environment, see the Department of State's pamphlet A Safe Trip Abroad.

Crime: Monrovia's crime rate is rated critical and is exacerbated by the high rate of unemployment in the country. Theft, assault, and murder are major problems, and they occur more frequently after dark. Foreigners, including U.S. citizens, have been targets of street crime and robbery. Residential armed break-ins are common. The police are ill equipped and largely incapable of providing effective protection.

The loss or theft abroad of a U.S. passport should be reported immediately to the local police and the nearest U.S. embassy. If you are the victim of a crime while overseas, in addition to reporting to local police, please contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for assistance. The Embassy/Consulate staff can, for example, assist you to find the best available local medical care, to contact family members or friends and explain how funds could be transferred. Although the investigation and prosecution of the crime is solely the responsibility of local authorities, consular officers can help you to understand the local criminal justice process and to find an attorney if needed.

U.S. citizens may refer to the Department of State's pamphlet, A Safe Trip Abroad, for ways to promote a trouble-free journey. The pamphlet is available by mail from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402, via the Internet at http://www.gpoaccess.gov or via the Bureau of Consular Affairs home page at http://travel.state.gov.

Perpetrators of business fraud often target foreigners, including Americans. Formerly associated with Nigeria, these fraud schemes are now prevalent throughout western Africa, including Liberia, and pose a danger of both financial loss and physical harm. Recently, an increasing number of American citizens have been the targets of such scams. Typically, these scam operations begin with an unsolicited communication (usually by e-mail) from an unknown individual who describes a situation that promises quick financial gain, often by assisting in the transfer of a large sum of money or valuables out of the country. The scenarios are varied: an American must pretend to be the next-of-kin to a recently deceased Liberian who left a fortune unclaimed in a Liberian bank, a person claiming to be related to present or former political leaders needs assistance in transferring large sums of cash, or even a business deal that appears to be legitimate. The requests are usually for the payment of advance fees, attorneys' fees, or down payments on contracts. The final payoff does not exist; the purpose of the scam is to get any money possible and to gain information about the American's bank account. The best way to avoid becoming a victim of advance-fee fraud is common sense—if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Any unsolicited business proposal originating from Liberia should be carefully checked out before any funds are committed, any goods or services are provided, or any travel is undertaken. For additional information, please see the Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs brochure, Advance Fee Business Scams, available at the Bureau of Consular Affairs home page at http://travel.state.gov.

Information for Victims of Crime: The loss or theft abroad of a U.S. passport should be reported immediately to the local police and the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If you are the victim of a crime while overseas, in addition to reporting to local police, please contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate for assistance. Their staff can assist you to find appropriate medical care, to contact family members or friends, and explain how funds can be transferred. While the investigation and prosecution of crime is solely the responsibility of local authorities, consular officers can help you to understand the local criminal justice process and to find an attorney if needed. See our information on Victims of Crime at http://travel.state.gov/travel/brochure_victim_assistance.html.

Medical Facilities and Health Information: Hospitals and medical facilities are very poorly equipped and are incapable of providing basic services. Emergency services comparable to those in the global north are non-existent, and the blood supply is unreliable and not safe for transfusion. Medicines are scarce, often beyond expiration dates and generally unavailable in most areas.

Information on vaccinations and other health precautions, such as safe food and water precautions and insect bite protection, may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's hotline for international travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747); fax 1-888-CDC-FAXX (1-888-232-3299), or via the CDC's Internet site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel. For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad consult the World Health Organization's (WHO) website at http://www.who.int/en. Further health information for travelers is available at http://www.who.int/ith.

Medical Insurance: The Department of State strongly urges Americans to consult with their medical insurance company prior to traveling abroad to confirm whether their policy applies overseas and whether it will cover emergency expenses such as a medical evacuation.

Traffic Safety and Road Conditions: While in a foreign country, U.S. citizens may encounter road conditions that differ significantly from those in the United States. The information below concerning Liberia is provided for general reference only, and may not be totally accurate in a particular location or circumstance.

Road travel in Liberia can be hazardous. Cars, trucks, and taxis are frequently overloaded with people and goods and make frequent stops without signaling. Many vehicles operate with threadbare tires, and blowouts are common. There are no operating traffic lights in the country; therefore, intersections should be approached with caution. There are also no public streetlights; pedestrians in Monrovia's streets and those walking on country roads are difficult to see at night. Pedestrians often walk in the streets and cross busy roadways with little or no warning. Drivers and pedestrians are cautioned that high-speed car convoys carrying government officials require all other vehicles to pull off the road until they have passed. All drivers must remain in their vehicles at the roadside with headlights turned off until any such convoy passes. It would be advisable to wait at least ten minutes after the convoy passes since convoy stragglers often drive at high speed in order to catch up with the group.

Despite successful peace talks and deployment of peacekeeping forces, criminal activity and occasional looting of villages by ex-combatants continues to flare up in the countryside. Principal roads to the neighboring countries of Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Guinea are often closed due to tensions between factions or due to attempts to abate arms smuggling. Travel over many roads has become prohibitively dangerous. Travelers should expect frequent delays at armed government or UNMIL security checkpoints, as well as time-consuming detours around the many bridges and roads damaged by war or neglect or by the heavy annual rains which occur from May to November. Travelers can expect strict enforcement of border controls by Liberian, Ivorian, and Guinean authorities. At times border crossings to neighboring countries are closed.

Aviation Safety Oversight: Not assessed: As there is no direct commercial air service between the United States and Liberia, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not assessed Liberia's Civil Aviation Authority for compliance with ICAO international aviation safety standards. For more information, travelers may visit the FAA's Internet web site at www.faa.gov/avr/iasa/index.cfm.

Currently three international carriers operate flights to and from Liberia, servicing the Roberts International Airport located 35 miles outside Monrovia, and an armed paramilitary security force provides airport security. As public transportation to Monrovia is not always available, travelers should attempt to arrange for an expediter and chauffeur through their hotel, employer, or business associates.

Special Circumstances: The U.S. Embassy does not always receive timely notification of the arrest of U.S. citizens by Liberian authorities. If arrested, U.S. citizens should always ask to be allowed to contact the U.S. Embassy (please see the Registration/Embassy Location section below). Americans should carry a copy of their U.S. passport with them at all times.

The U.S. dollar is readily accepted in Liberia, and there is no limit on the amount of foreign currency that can be transported into and out of the country, provided one follows the specific regulations on how such transfers can take place. Sums in excess of $10,000 (US) must be reported at the port of entry and no more than $7,500 (US) in foreign currency banknotes can be moved out of the country at one time. Larger sums must be transferred via bank drafts or other financial instruments; persons without a Liberian bank account are limited to two outgoing $5,000 (US) over-the counter cash wire transfers per month. Traveler's checks and wire transfers are not widely used and are subject to substantial fees, ATMs are unavailable, and credit/debit cards are not accepted anywhere in Liberia.

Photographing military installations, air and seaports, and important government buildings is restricted. Visitors should not take photographs of sites or activities that might be considered sensitive, or police and military officers are liable to confiscate the camera. Travelers are advised not to take photographs, movies or videos in any public place.

Lodging, fuel, transportation, and telephone services are unevenly available in Liberia, and are nonexistent or severely limited in rural areas. Neither water nor electricity is commercially available in Monrovia. Most hotels have utilities available, but not on a 24-hour basis. Few facilities and homes have telephones, and disruption of telephone service is common. Public mail delivery is very unreliable, but commercial air courier service is available through DHL and Federal Express.

Criminal Penalties: While in a foreign country, a U.S. citizen is subject to that country's laws and regulations, which sometimes differ significantly from those in the United States and may not afford the protections available to the individual under U.S. law. Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe than in the United States for similar offences. Persons violating Liberian law, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested or imprisoned. Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs in Liberia are strict and convicted offenders can expect jail sentences and heavy fines. Engaging in illicit sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime, prosecutable in the United States.

Children's Issues: For information on international adoption of children and international parental child abduction, see the Office of Children's Issues website at http://travel.state.gov/family/index.html.

Registration/Embassy Location: Americans living or traveling in Liberia are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department's travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov, and to obtain updated information on travel and security within Liberia. Americans without Internet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency.

The U.S. Embassy is located at 111 United Nations Drive, Mamba Point, Monrovia, Liberia, tel. (231) 226-370, fax (231) 226-148. U.S. citizens who wish to write to the U.S. Embassy may address letters to the Consular Section, 8800 Monrovia Place, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20521-8800.

Due to the security situation, the ability of the U.S. Embassy to provide direct Consular assistance to U.S. citizens outside of the Monrovia area is severely limited. The lack of a working nationwide telephone system or reliable means of communication complicates efforts to establish or maintain contact in the capital city or communicate at all with anyone in the rural areas. Moreover, the U.S. Embassy in Liberia may temporarily close for general business from time to time to review its security posture.

Travel Warning

July 30, 2004

This Travel Warning is being issued to update security information on Liberia. The Department of State continues to urge American citizens to defer non-essential travel. This supersedes the Travel Warning of January 7, 2004.

There is no effective police force in Liberia at this time, and UNMIL peacekeepers likely will not be fully deployed for several more months. On December 7, 2003, the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) began its disarmament program, through which armed combatants exchange their weapons for payment. The influx of personnel to that site resulted in increased incidents of armed robbery in the area of the weapons collection zone. Subsequent disarmament exchanges have gone more smoothly, but the potential for volatility remains.

The disarmament program is expected to continue for many months, at multiple sites throughout the country. For the immediate future, more occurrences of localized violence are possible, particularly in and around disarmament sites.

Although the Department of State lifted the Ordered Departure status for non-emergency employees of the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia in September 2003, the Department of State continues to urge U.S. citizens to defer non-essential travel to Liberia. The US Embassy has imposed restrictions on travel outside Monrovia by personnel due to security concerns. Private Americans who remain in or travel to Liberia despite this Warning should avoid travel into the interior of the country. The situation in Monrovia and other areas outside the zones of conflict remains unpredictable, and resident Americans are urged to exercise caution in their activities. Airlines continue limited flights into and out of Monrovia, although this may change periodically.

The frequency of armed clashes between factions has dropped steeply since the end of the 2003 conflict. Sustained fighting has not occurred for some time. However, despite successful peace talks and deployment of ECOMIL forces earlier in 2003 and UNMIL forces in October, low-intensity fighting between various armed factions could flare up in the countryside unpredictably. Due to the fighting, principal roads to Sierra Leone and Guinea, and from Monrovia to western Liberia, are sometimes closed. Travel over many roads has become prohibitively dangerous. There is also a growing threat of violent crime in Monrovia and elsewhere.

The security situation in general, both government and rebel roadblocks, and the lack of reliable communications systems in Liberia limit the Embassy's ability to provide assistance to U.S. citizens outside the Monrovia area.

U.S. citizens in Liberia should be aware of their surroundings at all times and use caution in traveling. Travel anywhere after dark is strongly discouraged. Owing to the potential for violence, U.S. citizens should avoid crowds, political rallies, street demonstrations, and any gathering of security forces. Americans should report any threats or suspicious activity to the Embassy in Monrovia and monitor the local media for developments that may affect their safety and security.

International Adoption

January 2005

The information below has been edited from a report of the State Department Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of Overseas Citizens Services. For more information, please read the International Adoption section of this book and review current reports online at www.travel.state.gov/family

Disclaimer: The information in this circular relating to the legal requirements of specific foreign countries is provided for general information only. Questions involving interpretation of specific foreign laws should be addressed to foreign legal counsel.

The Liberian Ministry of Health has informed the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia that effective October 15, 2004, adoptive families must obtain a letter from the Ministry of Health approving the adoption of a specific child. This is in addition to obtaining a Relinquishment (guardian or caretaker of child being adopted) and Adoption Decree (Liberian Court). The U.S. Embassy is seeking clarification as to whether or not adoption cases that began in good faith prior to October 15 will be grandfathered. This site will be updated as more information becomes available.

Availability of Children for Adoption: Recent U.S. immigrant visa statistics reflect the following pattern for visa issuance to orphans:

FY-1996: IR-3 immigrant visas issued to Liberian orphans adopted abroad – 3, IR-4 immigrant visas issued to Liberian orphans adopted in the U.S.—0

FY-1997: IR-3 Visas—29,
IR-4 Visas – 5
FY-1998: IR-3 Visas—6,
IR-4 Visas – 1
FY-1999: IR-3 Visas—14,
IR-4 Visas – 0
FY-2000: IR-3 Visas—21,
IR-4 Visas—4

Liberian Adoption Authority: The government office responsible for adoptions in Liberia is the Ministry of Justice. All petitions for adoptions are filed in the Probate Court, which issues a decree of adoption if all legal requirements are met.

Liberian Adoption Procedures: All adoptive parents recently go through an adoption agency in the U.S. prior to going through the adoption process. A petition for the adoption must be filed with the Probate Court. The court will also require written consent by the biological parents. Parental consent is not required if the parents have abandoned the child, if the parental rights have been legally terminated, if the parents are deceased, or if a legal guardian has been appointed. The biological parents, during the proceedings, may withdraw consent. However, the court must permit the withdrawal of consent. Consent is irrevocable after the final order of adoption.

Following the filing of the petition, the court serves notice on all interested parties and orders an investigation by an investigator, who is appointed by the court. Upon receipt of the investigation, the Court schedules the hearing and serves notice on all interested parties. The petitioners and children are required to attend the hearing. The court may waive the appearance of the child for good cause. This waiver must be stated in the order of adoption. All hearings are confidential and held in closed court. The court must be satisfied that the "moral and temporal interests" of the child will be satisfied by the adoption. Upon this showing, the adoption is ordered. The court can process the adoption as fast as they want.

Age and Civil Status Requirements: Any adult may adopt children. There are no marriage requirements or specific age requirements. Any minor child present within Liberia may be adopted. The place of birth and residence are irrelevant of the adoptive parent.

Adoption Agencies and Attorneys: The U.S. Embassy maintains a list of qualified attorneys. The Embassy does not maintain a list of adoption agencies and can not recommend the services of any private attorney or adoption agency.

Doctors: The U.S. Embassy maintains current lists of doctors and sources for medicines, should either you or your child experience health problems while in Liberia.

Liberian Documentary Requirements:

• Petition for adoption
• Written consent of the biological parents acknowledged before an officer of the court (normally the Justice of the Peace)

There are no documents required within the laws concerning adoption. Normal paperwork such as a passport, and birth certificate may be needed as required by the court in a case-by-case basis. The parents will also need these documents required for the IV process.

U.S. Immigration Requirements: A Liberian child adopted by an American citizen must obtain an immigrant visa before he or she can enter the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident. Please see the International Adoption section of this book for more details.

Liberian Embassy (and Consulates) in the United States:
Embassy of the Republic of Liberia
5303 Colorado Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20011
Tel: (202) 723-0437

Liberia also has a consulate in New York, New York.

U.S. EMBASSY LIBERIA:
Street Address
U.S. Embassy Liberia
111 United Nations Drive
Mamba Point
Monrovia, Liberia

Mailing Address
U.S. Embassy Monrovia
Consular Section
U.S. Department of State
8800 Monrovia Place
Washington, DC 20521-8800
Tel: (231) 226-370 ext. 1490

Questions: Specific questions regarding adoption in Liberia may be addressed to the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia. You may also contact the Office of Children's Issues, SA-29, 2201 C Street, NW, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC 20520-2818, telephone (202) 736-7000 with specific questions.

LIBERIA

Republic of Liberia

COUNTRY OVERVIEW

LOCATION AND SIZE.

Liberia is situated on the West African coast, bordered by Sierra Leone to the northwest, Guinea to the north, and the Côte d'Ivoire to the east. Liberia also has 300 kilometers (186 miles) of coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. Its land area is 111,370 square kilometers (43,000 square miles). The capital, Monrovia, is on the Atlantic coast.

POPULATION.

Liberia's population was estimated at 3,255,837 in July of 2001, and in normal circumstances the country has had a high population growth rate of 3.3 percent (1980-87). However, the most recent estimate puts the figure at 2.3 percent for 1990-96 and just 1.92 percent for 2001, as war has lowered the birth rate and raised the mortality rate. An estimated 5 percent of the population died in the civil war of 1989-96.

Even before the war, the urban population was high at 40 percent, but during the conflict it rose to 46 percent, as people sought refuge in the towns. In early 1995, the capital's population stood at 1.3 million, a tripling of its size compared with 1986.

During the war about 1 million Liberians fled abroad, some of whom returned during the lulls in fighting, often to flee again as violence intensified in 1992, 1994, and 1996. Since the end of the war, further tensions have meant the refugees in neighboring countries have been reluctant to return, and an outflow has continued. In 1997, with international help, the government began resettling refugees.

The vast majority—95 percent—of Liberia's people are members of indigenous African tribes, with descendants of U.S. immigrants and Congolese both making up 2.5 percent of the population. Forty percent of the people practice indigenous religious beliefs, 40 percent are Christians, and 20 percent are Muslims.

OVERVIEW OF ECONOMY

Liberia has traditionally relied on mining (of iron-ore, gold, and diamonds), rubber, timber, and shipping registration revenues as its major sources of income. Nearly 8 years of war ending in the mid-1990s destroyed much of the country's infrastructure and has brought mining to a halt. Most of the country's inhabitants are engaged in agriculture. Apart from small farmers producing rubber, however, almost all agriculture is subsistence farming . The government has not produced systematic data since 1989, and such information that is available has come from limited surveys by prospective aid donors.

Liberia's economic boom in the late 1960s and early 1970s was due to strong rubber and iron exports, with the real gross domestic product (GDP) growing at 9 percent a year. In the late 1970s, with a general slowdown in the world economy, growth slowed to 1 percent. In the 1980s the economy declined. Real GDP was 10 percent lower in 1986 than in 1979, as companies cut back on investment. The civil war—which lasted from 1989 to 1996—displaced much of the population and destroyed the productive infrastructure. Iron ore output ceased relatively early on in the hostilities, although other resources, particularly diamonds, continued to be exploited by the various factions. The formal economy came to a standstill as the population turned to subsistence production for survival. Since the end of the war in 1997, the formal sector has started up again in the major towns, but the lack of reliable data makes it difficult to be confident about the extent of the recovery. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), domestic production has rebounded strongly, though it still only stands at one-third of its pre-war level. The GDP is thought to have doubled in 1997 and grew at 25-30 percent in 1998 due to increases in agricultural output. The CIA World Factbook estimates that the GDP grew at the rate of 15 percent in 2000, reaching US$3.35 billion at purchasing power parity in that year.

The abrupt stop in formal economic activity at the start of the war produced a drastic fall in revenues and substantial capital flight . The rise in military spending took an increasing share of government revenues. A string of interim governments relied principally on funds from the Liberian maritime shipping registry, which was largely unaffected by the war. In 1999 agriculture and reconstruction were allocated funds far below the levels required to revive the economy. Alleged human rights abuses and allegations of Liberian government support for destabilizing forces in neighboring Sierra Leone caused some donors to be reluctant to resume aid.

In Liberia, unlike most of Africa, a high proportion of revenue comes from direct taxation on incomes and profits, particularly from iron ore mining and shipping registration fees. However, revenues have invariably been inadequate to meet spending plans, and until a return to budgetary control in 1999, the government failed to pay salaries, accumulated debts, and financed budget deficits by printing money.

From January to June 2000, the Liberian government operated an IMF-monitored program to improve the country's fiscal position, liberalize import controls, and reform the civil service and the state-owned enterprises. The initial response by the government to this program has been encouraging, but the task facing the government in reforming the economy is considerable, and it will take several years to improve tax revenues, re-structure the civil service, and privatize the state-owned enterprises.

POLITICS, GOVERNMENT, AND TAXATION

Liberia is the only West African state never to have been formerly colonized. The country was formed in 1820 when U.S. philanthropists negotiated rights to settle freed slaves from the United States in the area. Liberia was declared a republic in 1847 and operated with political institutions modeled on those of the United States.

For the next 133 years the True Whig Party, which mostly consisted of the descendants of freed slaves, was the only significant political force. The party's rule ended in 1980 when President William Tolbert was assassinated. Following Tolbert's death Sergeant Samuel Doe took power as head of the ruling 15-member military People's Redemption Council (PRC).

The following decade was marked by growing opposition to the military regime, with many alleged or actual coup attempts resulting in executions. Rigged multi-party elections in 1985 brought Doe back to power as president with a tiny majority. In the next month a coup led by Brigadier General Quiwonkpa was put down, 600 people died, and reprisals were taken against Quiwonkpa's ethnic group, the Gio, adding further to the tensions.

On 24 December 1989, Charles Taylor, a former government employee, invaded the country with a small armed force from Côte d'Ivoire. Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) gained popular support, and by June 1990 only Monrovia remained under Doe's control. The fight for the capital became a 3-way contest with the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), the NPFL, and a splinter group from the NPFL, the INPFL, vying for control.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), anxious about regional destabilization, sent in a 6,000-strong monitoring group, ECOMOG, to take control of the capital. ECOMOG was made up of many nations, but the main constituent was Nigerian. Despite ECOMOG also offering Doe protection, Doe was kidnapped and killed. A cease fire was signed in November 1990, but the NPFL refused to recognize the interim government.

By March 1991, fighting had resumed, spilling over into Sierra Leone, with the NPFL backing a Sierra Leonian rebel group, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). The Sierra Leone army was backed by the new United Liberation Movement for democracy in Liberia (Ulimo), who went on to attack the NPFL in north-west Liberia.

Amid this shifting chaos of armed rebel groups and failed peacemaking, diplomatic efforts continued. Finally, in June 1995, Charles Taylor visited Nigeria, and all sides agreed to a peace accord in August. The accord set out plans for elections in 1996, with an interim 6-man Council of State that included representatives of the main factions and civilians. Renewed violence in April 1996 threw this initial agreement off track, but a second peace agreement, again signed in Nigeria, called for disarmament and elections, with the threat of sanctions if this was not achieved. Disarmament started slowly but in early 1997 was completed, and the militias were formally disbanded.

Elections took place in July 1997, which allowed time for preparations and campaigning and were undertaken in a calm and relatively peaceful atmosphere. Taylor won 75 percent of the vote, and Taylor's National Patriotic Party (NPP) won a majority in both Houses. However, prospects for a viable multiparty system receded by 1998 with all the main opposition leaders in exile. Currently the country is not completely secure, as witnessed by invasions from armed bands in 1999 and 2000.

Liberia's political history has been dominated both by the struggle between American Liberians and ethnic Liberians (which was resolved in the 1980 coup with the ethnic Liberians gaining the upper hand) and conflicts between ethnic groups within Liberia (both to gain power and avenge past wrongs). Ethnically motivated killings and harassment were undertaken by all sides during the civil war, and reconciliation has proved to be slow and difficult. Taylor was initially seen as a welcomed alternative to Doe but was later seen as preventing stability by not honoring the peace agreements. The murder of Samuel Dokie, a former member of the NPFL, and the intimidation of other opposition leaders led to greatly reduced opposition power and to fears of Liberia becoming a de facto 1-party state, with all power in the hands of the president.

Under the 1986 constitution, the president and vice-president have executive roles, and legislative power rests in Congress and the House of Representatives. Both houses were elected for 6 years, although this was reduced to 4 years before the 1997 elections. New legislation has endorsed the 1986 constitution, although the rebuilding of democratic institutions has been hampered by limited funding and enduring tensions.

The links with Sierra Leone's rebel RUF and the allegations of material support for the group have caused significant problems for Taylor's regime. Taylor has used his influence over the RUF in constructive ways, for example, by helping to negotiate the release of captured United Nations troops. However, renewed violence in May 2000 prompted the United Kingdom to accuse Liberia of supplying arms for diamonds and led to the suspension of a US$60 million European Union (EU) aid package for Liberia. Recently, government forces have reinforced the Sierra Leone border, and the Liberian government has accused the United Kingdom of trying to destabilize Taylor's regime.

Relations with Guinea, in the light of reports of armed incursions being launched from there as well as from Sierra Leone, have improved little despite the president of Mali's attempts to broker a reconciliation. Relations with the United States have got better since 1998, but Liberia's oldest ally is critical of civil rights abuses.

There is little recent information on government finances. In 1988 total government revenue was 18 percent of the GDP, with taxes on income of individuals and corporations raising 33 percent of government income, indirect taxes 25 percent, customs duties and export levies 34 percent, and other sources contributing 8 percent. General administration accounted for 24 percent of expenditure, defence 10 percent, health 5 percent, economic activities 28 percent, and other expenditures (including social services) 33 percent.

Extensive corruption and a near complete lack of respect for the law makes Liberia an extremely unfriendly place for foreigners to do business. According to the U.S. State Department, corruption and lawlessness permeates every level of the government: requests for bribes, red tape, and a lack of enforcement for legal contracts has kept investment to a minimum. The government has done little to address these problems.

INFRASTRUCTURE, POWER, AND COMMUNICATIONS

Liberia has a limited infrastructure that was severely damaged by the country's long civil war. Roads in Liberia are in poor condition due to poor maintenance and heavy rains. Only 6 percent of the national road network of 10,600 kilometers (9,942 miles) is paved. There are no passenger rail services, and the iron ore rail transport links are in need of serious repair as large sections of the rail network were dismantled and sold for scrap during the civil war.

The country's 5 ports of Monrovia, Buchanan, Greenville, Harper, and Robertsport handle 200,000 tons per year in general cargo (80 percent of which is iron-ore deposits) and 400,000 tons a year of petroleum products. Ports in the south-east of the country handle timber exports.

Robertsport had an international airport until it was destroyed by fighting in 1990. It now carries some regional commercial flights but will need major repairs to carry international flights. Harbel, 56 kilometers (35 miles) from Monrovia, remains the only international airport.

Liberian state television, ELTV, was off the air for most of the war but has resumed broadcasts as a largely commercial station. There are 2 private TV stations broadcast for a proportion of the day, and there are 6 FM radio stations and 4 shortwave stations. Independent newspapers emerge from time to time, but invariably fail to establish themselves. There were only 6,000 telephone main lines in the country in 1997 and no cellular phones.

In 1999 Liberia produced 432 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity, but much of the electricity-generating infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged. Two-thirds of electricity is generated from diesel and one-third from hydro-electric sources. Access to electricity is very restricted, and those who can afford it use private diesel generators. Poor provision of electricity is a major cause of criticism of the new government. All petroleum products are imported, and so far surveys have shown no local oil reserves. 38 percent of diesel consumed in Liberia is used to produce electricity, and most domestic energy needs are provided by charcoal and wood.

ECONOMIC SECTORS

Agriculture (including fishing and forestry) employed an estimated 70 percent of the labor force in 1999 and contributed 60 percent of the GDP in 2000. Industry

(including mining, manufacturing, construction, and power) employed an estimated 8 percent of the workforce in 1999 and provided just 10 percent of the GDP in 2000. The services sector employed 22 percent of the work-force in 1999, and contributed an estimated 30 percent of GDP in 2000. Each sector of the economy was impacted by the civil war, and each is still recovering from the damage done by that war.

AGRICULTURE

The devastation caused by Liberia's civil war has helped to make agriculture the dominant sector in the economy. That dominance, however, reflects not the strength of the agricultural sector but rather the complete failure of the other sectors. Liberia's agricultural production is primarily aimed toward subsistence—providing enough food for individual farmers to survive. Liberia's main staple food is rice, but the country has low yields despite improvements arising from new varieties. Taylor's government has given high priority importance to the sector. In 1998 the FAO reported that rice and cassava production reached 70 percent and 90 percent of prewar levels respectively, and the IMF estimates indicate good growth in the 2000 harvest.

Rubber is the most important cash crop , though cocoa, coffee, and palm oil are also produced. The U.S.-based Bridgestone company is a major producer in Liberia's rubber sector and owns 30 percent of rubber plantations. Despite falling world prices, rubber production rose to 106,000 tons in 1989 and was high throughout the 1980s, though the coming of war brought desertion of the plantations and production fell to a fifth of its pre-war level. Recovery has been steady, reaching 28,000 tons of production in 1997 with some reports suggesting output is now more than 50,000 tons. Depressed world prices have hampered recovery.

Liberia has large forest reserves, with estimated production of 317,000 cubic meters of commercial production in 1997, and 4.8 million cubic meters consumed as fuelwood. There is considerable possibility for expansion. Some Asian companies involved in the logging operations have been criticized for their poor environmental practices, and it has been suggested that they have been able to ignore environmental considerations because of involvement by key figures in the government, or their relatives, in the companies concerned.

INDUSTRY

In the 1960s Liberia was one of the biggest exporters of iron-ore, with deposits of 800 million tons of 35-to 67-percent purity ore, and new deposits of 1 billion tons of high grade ore had been discovered. Many international companies were exploiting the ore from Liberia, but in the 1980s the industry suffered from depressed steel prices and the parastatal NIOC closed in 1985. Other companies made cutbacks, leading to a reduction in production to only 1 million tons in 1989, from a high of 15 million tons in the mid-1980s. All production halted early in the war, and no figures have been produced since 1992, when production was estimated at 145,000 tons. Revival of the sector will take huge investments to repair mines and replace equipment, though several international companies have appeared interested.

Diamonds and gold are produced by small-scale mining, though reliable figures have never been available due to smuggling. In 1988, diamonds accounted for US$9 million of exports officially, and gold production yielded an estimated US$6 million a year in the mid-1980s. The illicit mining and export of diamonds remains widespread. In early 1999, the government estimated that there were 5,000 unlicensed and 1,000 licensed mines in Liberia. The government does not have the resources to tackle the problem of unlicensed mines. Official diamond exports tripled between 1998 and 1999, but this is almost entirely due to smuggling of diamonds from Sierra Leone now that there are restrictions on Sierra Leone diamond export to prevent the proceeds supporting the rebel movement there.

Before the civil war manufacturing and construction accounted for around 20 percent of the GDP; that figure dropped to 10 percent by 2000. Manufacturing was dominated by iron-ore production and rubber processing, but domestic and industrial consumption goods were also produced. The size of the local market in Liberia is very small (the United States market is 15,000 times larger in terms of purchasing power), and this makes investment to produce goods for domestic consumption in Liberia unattractive. Political instability has further discouraged investment, particularly from foreign sources. Looting during the civil war means substantial investment is needed to revive the sector. Construction should be stimulated in the post-war period due to reconstruction.

SERVICES

The services sector consists mainly of wholesale and retail distribution, telecommunications, postal service, transport, hotels and restaurants, repairs, financial services, tourist services, and government administration, but all such services are quite limited. For the most part, these services support the other sectors of the economy. The main exception is the charges made for the use of Liberian registration by merchant ships owned by private shipping companies from other countries, the so-called "flag of convenience."

Liberia's standing as the second largest flag of convenience was scarcely affected by the war, with revenue amounting to about US$20 million in 1995, providing the interim government with virtually its only source of income. Registration fees were collected by the International Trust Company of Liberia (ITC) on behalf of the Washington, D.C.-based Liberian Maritime Programme, which has controlled the Liberian registry since 1948. In 2000 the registry was taken over by the Liberian International Ship and Corporation Registry.

The financial sector is made up of 12 banks, but 8 were closed in 1996 when fighting erupted in Monrovia. By the end of 1997, about 80 percent of the loans held by Liberian banks were non-performing (that is, borrowers were not making interest payments or repaying the principle). Only 17 percent of the notes and coins in circulation in the country were thought to be in the banking system in 1995, implying a great lack of confidence in the banking system and reducing the ability of the banks to make loans. In April 2000 the Central Bank of Liberia stepped in to administer a leading bank, LUBI, due to liquidity problems and insolvency.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

In normal times, Liberia was highly dependent on external trade; trade generated some 44 percent of the GDP in 1989. But the civil war severely limited Liberia's ability to produce goods for export and led to huge deficits in the trade balance. In 2000 the value of exports stood at US$55 million, compared to US$170 million in imports. However, there is a substantial unrecorded trade in diamonds, which in part explains the financing of Liberia's apparent trade deficit .

In 1999, Belgium took 53 percent of Liberia's exports, followed by Switzerland (9 percent,) the United States (6 percent), and France (4 percent). Imports in 1999 came from South Korea (30 percent), Italy (24 percent), Japan (15 percent), and Germany (9 percent).

MONEY

The Liberian dollar and the U.S. dollar are the 2 legal currencies and are officially interchangeable (that is, the official exchange rate is L$1:US$1). However, it is not possible for the public to purchase U.S. dollars at this rate, and in 1999 the actual exchange rate stood at L$40:US$1. Huge volumes of capital flight (the movementof money out of the country) after the coup in 1980 caused the government to mint new coins to fill the resulting gap. In 1989, coins were replaced by notes, but due to the theft of notes from the banks during the civil war, the notes were replaced by the liberty dollar in 1992. This attempt to restore monetary stability was also designed to undermine the position of the rebel leaders, whose wealth was mainly in the old currency. Hence the liberty dollars were not allowed by the rebels in rebel territory, and old notes became illegal in government territory. During the 1997 election campaign, the successful candidate, Charles Taylor, announced that he wanted U.S. dollars to be the only currency

in Liberia, but a commission in 1998 argued that a new family of notes and coins, which entered circulation in 2000, would allow the government to benefit, on the new issues, from seigniorage (the situation that occurs when increased amounts of new notes and coins are allowed to enter circulation, allowing the issuer to make a profit to the extent that the face value of the notes and coins is greater than their cost of production).

In October 1999 the ineffective National Bank of Liberia was replaced by the Central Bank of Liberia with Mr. Saleeby, the former finance minister, at its head. The Central Bank of Liberia is pledged to a tight monetary policy by limiting the supply of base money to cover replacement only, and will not lend to the government to monetize budget deficits (budget deficits are monetized when the central bank prints money to lend to the government to meet its budget deficit, sparking off an increase in inflation ). Inflation in 1999 averaged 4 percent, one of the best inflation performances in Africa.

POVERTY AND WEALTH

Using the exchange rate conversion, the GDP per head was around US$175 in 1999, with the purchasing power parity conversion (which allows for the low price of many basic commodities in Liberia) setting the GDP per head at around US$1,000. Both these measures place Liberia among the poorest 20 or so countries in the world. It was estimated in 1999 that 80 percent of Liberia's population was living below the poverty line, most of them engaged in subsistence agriculture, farming small plots of land.

Before the war there were 1,635 schools, 8,804 teachers, and 303,168 pupils. Primary and secondary education was free, though only 50 percent of the primary school age groups attended school. Although most education provision broke down during the war, new efforts to rehabilitate schools and pay wages to teachers have brought about some recovery. The adult literacy is still low at 48 percent, compared to the sub-Saharan average of 58 percent.

Life expectancy at birth was 41 years in 1960, 39 during the war, and 47 in the post-war period. Infant mortality stands at 194 per 1,000 live births (as compared with 7 per 1,000 in the United States). The good health care and nutrition levels of the pre-war period have fallen, and disease is rife. In 1995 clean water was available to 79 percent of urban dwellers and 13 percent of rural dwellers, and sanitation was available to 56 percent of urban dwellers. About half the pre-war medical centers have been rehabilitated since the war.

WORKING CONDITIONS

The government is the largest employer in Liberia, but it is a sad truth of Liberia's decimated economy that there is little formal employment. In 1999, estimates indicated that large-scale agriculture engaged 8 percent of the labor force, industry 8 percent, and services 22 percent, with the remaining 62 percent of the working population engaged in small-scale, family, mostly subsistence, agriculture. However, it was also estimated that 70 percent of the country's workforce was unemployed. Clearly, the majority of the population of Liberia works outside the formal economy, most likely in subsistence agriculture, bartering , illegal mining, and other informal economy activities.

What little legislation there is for the protection of workers is often ignored. The civil war in Liberia has seen a collapse in government services, and regulation of employment conditions is not seen as a priority by the government. There is no minimum wage, and children are often made to work in agriculture on small family farms from the age of 5 upwards, contributing to low attendance figures at schools. Slavery is officially banned in Liberia, but the civil war has produced a situation where it has been possible for people to be intimidated or coerced into working without any payment or the right to leave. Recent regimes in Liberia have given international observers great cause for concern over human rights, particularly over employment conditions and the plight of children.

COUNTRY HISTORY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1820. U.S. philanthropists establish a settlement for U.S. freed slaves in Liberia.

1847. Liberia becomes a republic and adopts governmental institutions similar to those in the United States.

1945. William Tubman becomes president.

1971. Tubman dies, and William Tolbert succeeds him as president.

1980. After Tolbert is assassinated, Sergeant Samuel Doe rules through a military council.

1989-96. Civil war hurts the country. In 1989, Doe is returned to power in multi-party elections, but the elections are widely considered to be flawed. Violence between ethnic and political factions begins a civil war.

1990. A coup led by Brigadier General Quiwonkpa is crushed, and 600 are killed in post-coup violence. Samuel Doe is kidnapped and killed as violence worsens.

1991. Forces led by Charles Taylor invades from Côte d'Ivoire, and the civil war becomes more violent and concentrated. For a time, fighting spills over into neighboring Sierra Leone.

1995. After many failed attempts, a peace accord is signed in Nigeria calls for future elections.

1997. The disarmament of the various military forces is completed, and Charles Taylor is elected president in multi-party elections.

1998. Opposition leaders are sent into exile. Taylor continues his support for rebel forces in Sierra Leone.

FUTURE TRENDS

Though the long civil war that so devastated Liberia's economy ended in 1996 and economic growth has increased since that time, Liberia still faces real obstacles to economic stability and recovery. With the Liberia-backed Revolutionary United Front (RUF) continuing to destabilize Sierra Leone in 2001, international donors have remained reluctant to extend aid to Liberia, and UN sanctions are a possibility. Border confrontations can be expected to continue to hinder development. This ongoing situation makes for negligible economic progress in Liberia, and the misery of most people there will continue. In 2001, it was estimated that 80 percent of the people do not have enough income to meet the barest minimum requirements for food, shelter, and clothing.

Economically, President Taylor has demanded more control over strategic commodities, there have been calls for an embargo on timber exports, and oil exploration permits for foreign companies have been withheld. These measures, while increasing the power of the government over the economy, are not calculated to improve the conditions of ordinary people. The government has announced plans to privatize the main public utilities, which, when implemented, should introduce improvements in electricity, water, and telecommunication services. However, it will be many years before economic stability returns to Liberia, and prosperity remains a distant dream.

DEPENDENCIES

Liberia has no territories or colonies.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Economist Intelligence Unit. Country Profile: Liberia. London: Economist Intelligence Unit, 2001.

Hodd, Michael. "Liberia." The Economies of Africa. Aldershot:Dartmouth, 1991.

Kelly, R. C., et al., eds. Country Review, Liberia 1998/1999. Commercial Data International, Inc., 1998.

Liberia: Embassy of the Republic of Liberia, Washington D.C. <http://www.liberiaemb.org>. Accessed October 2001.

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency . CIA World Factbook 2000: Liberia. http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/li.html

U.S. Department of State. FY 2000 Country Commercial Guide: Liberia. <http://www.state.gov/www/about_state/business/com_guides/2000/africa/index.html>. Accessed September 2001.

Michael Hodd

CAPITAL:

Monrovia.

MONETARY UNIT:

Liberian dollar (L$). One dollar equals 100 cents. The dollar is equivalent to the U.S. dollar. There are coins of 5, 10, 25, and 50 cents and 1 and 5 dollars. No Liberian notes are in circulation, and U.S. notes are used as the paper currency.

CHIEF EXPORTS:

Diamonds, iron ore and concentrates, natural rubber and gum, timber, coffee, cocoa.

CHIEF IMPORTS:

Machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, food and live animals, mineral fuels, lubricants.

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT:

US$3.35 billion (purchasing power parity, 2000 est.).

BALANCE OF TRADE:

Exports: US$55 million (f.o.b., 2000). Imports: US$170 million (f.o.b., 2000).