SUMMARY
The non-state conflict between NPFL (National Patriotic Front of Liberia) and ULIMO (United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy) was played out in the context of the ongoing intrastate conflict in Liberia. While fighting the government several of these groups found themselves at odds with each other, one such example is the conflict between NPFL and ULIMO. The conflict was first acknowledged in May 1991, when ULIMO adopted a resolution in Conakry, Guinea, declaring themselves a non-tribal, non-sectarian organization borne out of the desire of displaced Liberians to return home. In addition to that statement, another one was released a couple of weeks later, in June, declaring that Charles Taylor, leader of NPFL, had 15 days to surrender, or the ULIMO fighters would initiate an offensive aimed at capturing and bringing Taylor to justice.
ULIMO viewed NPFL as being a great obstacle for their cause – the return of displaced Liberians - and as stated, they initiated their attack when the fifteen days had passed. It was, however, not until September of 1991 that the first deaths were reported. The September clash was fought on the Sierra Leonean border, and the number of fatalities is disputed Taylor claims that his forces killed 200 ULIMO soldiers, and admitted to the loss of seven of his own men. The figure of 200 should be considered with some caution, as it is reported by Charles Taylor, and in the UCDP data it is represented as a high estimate of fatalities for this specific event. The rhetoric used by the ULIMO leadership was clear. By the time of the September clash a spokesperson for ULIMO was quoted describing Charles Taylor as an evil monster that had to be held responsible for his heinous acts. Following the initial violence was a period of large troop movements and a subsequent claiming of territory by ULIMO. After nearly two months of relative calm in the conflict a major clash was reported on 23 October, a clash that ended with 300 casualties for NPFL. The following year clashes between ULIMO and NPFL were common and ULIMO who were based in the north-western parts of Liberia, close to, or on the Sierra Leonean border, expanded their territory gradually. As of late 1992 ULIMO had advanced and controlled the strategic Po-river Bridge, just fifteen kilometers outside the capital Monrovia. The advances by ULIMO were oftentimes challenged by NPFL, and many of the clashes in this dyad over these particular years were focused on the struggle for strategic control of the land. This was particularly true in the diamond-rich areas of Lofa- and Bong County.
The ethnic factor in this dyad would prove to be of importance. While ULIMO claimed to be a non-tribal, non-sectarian organization, it was mainly made up of members of the Krahn and Mandingo ethnicities, while NPFL was made up of members of the Mano and Gio ethnicities. The clear ethnic division led to a situation where people, regardless of their potential affiliation with either side, were treated as either ULIMO, or NPFL, based on their ethnic markers. This led to one-sided violence being perpetrated by both actors in the conflict.
Concerning the dynamics of the conflict, in terms of casualties, NPFL suffered far more fatalities during these two years than ULIMO. The general pattern of fighting was that of ULIMO advancing their positions, thereby attacking NPFL posts. This might be an explanation for the majority of the casualties being recorded on NPFL’s side. The tactics used were often surprise attacks by ULIMO rushing NPFL strongholds, and in many of the cases forcing NPFL to retreat.
The violence in this dyad was concentrated in the north-western parts of the country. ULIMO was originally based in Sierra Leone, from where they made incursions into mainly Lofa County, as ULIMO progressed towards the capital NPFL retreated. In general the geographic aspect can be described as a south-eastern progress by ULIMO ending when they reached the capital Monrovia.
The non-state conflict between NPFL and ULIMO is first included in UCDP data in 1991. In October that year, clashes between the two groups resulted in at least 300 battle-related deaths.
