Military - note:
the Lesotho Government in 1999 began an open debate on the future
structure, size, and role of the armed forces, especially
considering the Lesotho Defense Force's (LDF) history of intervening
in political affairs
Transnational Issues Lesotho
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
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@Liberia
Introduction Liberia
Background:
Settlement of freed slaves from the US in what is today Liberia
began in 1822; by 1847, the Americo-Liberians were able to establish
a republic. William TUBMAN, president from 1944-71, did much to
promote foreign investment and to bridge the economic, social, and
political gaps between the descendents of the original settlers and
the inhabitants of the interior. In 1980, a military coup led by
Samuel DOE assassinated President William TOLBERT (1971-80) and
ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule followed by a prolonged
civil war, in which DOE himself was killed. In August 2003, a
comprehensive peace agreement ended 14 years of intermittent
fighting and prompted 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. The UN Mission in Liberia
(UNMIL), which maintains a strong presence throughout the country,
completed a disarmament program for former combatants in late 2004,
but the security situation is still volatile and the process of
rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn
country remains sluggish.
Geography Liberia
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote
d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone