SUMMARY
During a few weeks in the early summer of 1996 fierce battles raged in the Liberian capital Monrovia. These clashes, which are commonly referred to as the third battle for Monrovia were extremely violent and were fought between NPFL (National Patriotic Front of Liberia) and ULIMO-K (United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (Alhaji Kromah faction)) on the one side, and ULIMO-J (United Liberation Front of Liberia for Democracy (Roosevelt Johnson faction)), LPC (Liberian Peace Council) and AFL (Armed Forces of Liberia) on the other.
The general situation in Liberia at the time was one of great uncertainty as the country had seen more or less continuous violence since 1989, with groups fighting each other for control of both government power and valuable natural resources. Following the resignation of interim president Amos Sawyer in 1994 Liberia was ruled by a Transitional Ruling Council of State. This transitional government carried out the de facto leadership of Liberia during the turbulent and violent years after Sawyer’s resignation. Both sides of this conflict were represented in the Transitional Government, which was set up as a power-sharing mechanism and ensured that all warring factions were represented. Thus, Charles Taylor, leader of NPFL, and General Roosevelt Johnson of ULIMO-J were both involved in the power-sharing government. The actions taken by the transitional government in March 1996 would prove to be of importance for the ensuing months in Liberia. During February 1996 Johnson was relieved of his duties as leader of ULIMO-J, and since he represented ULIMO-J in the transitional government he was also removed from that function.
The context in which these former competing groups were fighting side by side was the conflict that raged between numerous groups in Liberia during the last months of which there was intense fighting in the capital, Monrovia. Prior to the violence, Taylor secretly negotiated with ULIMO-J, encouraging them to hold on to the diamond fields that they had besieged. This was contrary to the disarmament program, which stipulated that ULIMO-J were to evacuate the diamond fields. When ECOMOG (Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group) attempted to enforce the agreed disarmament program they subsequently met resistance from ULIMO-J, causing a rift in the relationship between the two. Taylor used the confusing situation to point out the lack of respect for law and order on ULIMO-J’s part, and allied himself and his forces, NPFL, with the Nigerian officers of ECOMOG. Taylor, attempting to use the turbulent situation to his advantage and gain support from the Liberian people, used a harsh rhetoric, accusing ULIMO-J to be lacking in respect for law and order. As the situation grew even tenser, Taylor, with the backing of ULIMO-K, and the indirect support of ECOMOG moved against ULIMO-J. The starting point for the action was a warrant for the arrest of Johnson, issued by the Transitional Ruling Council of State, in connection to a murder. Johnson had just been removed as leader of ULIMO-J. Johnson did not give himself up voluntarily, and as police and militiamen moved to arrest him, supporters of Johnson clashed with them, sparking the violence that would claim the lives of at least 2000 people and rage in Monrovia for the next seven weeks.
The ensuing battles that followed once the warrant for Johnson’s arrest was issued were extremely violent, and given the location of the fighting there were many casualties. Deaths occurring as a result of being caught in the cross-fire and from stray bullets were commonplace. The AFL, LPC, ULIMO-J were pushed into a small area of Monrovia, an area in which mortars were fired, anti-aircraft grenades launched an indiscriminate bombing took place. The fighting was thus confined to Monrovia, and specifically the areas surrounding Barclay training center. The location, and tactics, of the fighting, resulted in a large number of casualties; during the seven weeks of fighting 2000 people were reported to have died.
The fighting was divided along ethnic lines, with the AFL, LPC, ULIMO-J coalition being Krahn, while NPFL, ULIMO-K were of Mandingo, Gio and Mano ethnicity. This divide was the lowest common denominator and subsequently the violence was determined by the ethnicity of the groups. The immediate reaction to the attempted arrest of Johnson was clashes between supporters of Johnson, and police, and militiamen. The police were assisted in their work by militiamen namely from NPFL, ULIMO-K, thereby fuelling the ethnic dimension of the clashes.
The non-state conflict between NPFL, ULIMO-K and AFL, LPC, ULIMO-J is first included in UCDP data in 1996. In April that year, clashes between the two sides resulted in hundreds of battle-related deaths.
