Kevin Dover

Creation and the End: Liberia and Sierra Leone

Preliminary Remarks
Sierra Leone and Liberia do not just share geography; they share history. Since
their inception in the late eighteenth century (for Sierra Leone and the early nineteenth
century (for Liberia up to the current day! overlap and si"ultaneity have su""ed up
their relationship. #ut they ca"e at it fro" different! but sa"e! directions. $hat % hope to
cover are four passages of ti"e: &irst! the creation phase! covering fro" around '()(
until ')*+; Second! the soft phase! fro" ')*( until ',(,; -hird! the ending phase! fro"
',). until ',,( (/..01; &ourth! the present phase! fro" ',,) (/..*1. -he first and
third period 2ill capture "ost of the attention of this paper! 2hile the second and fourth
period 2ill garner brief "entions. $hat % hope to sho2! throughout! is the parallelis" and
affection bet2een Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Phase One: Creation
Sierra Leone and Liberia e3isted before the incursions of the 2est. -hey just 2ere
not called that. Sierra Leone and Liberia 2ere both liberal constructions of the "ind.
-hey 2ere created entities forcibly superi"posed onto a physically locality! 2ith nary a
respect given. -he intent of these 4states5 2as to create a bastion of Christianity that
2ould then spread civility throughout all the land! a vanguard of sorts! "ore aptly ter"ed!
a harbinger.
Sierra Leone 2as drea"ed up by a "an na"ed 6ranville Sharp
'
. %n his "ind! he
called it a 47rovince of &reedo".5 8e envisioned it as a beacon! in 2hich Christian
"orals and values 2ould s2eep over the land! but he 2as i"practical! and the beginnings
2ere inauspicious. %n '()(! a ship of about *..
/
settlers set sail to a hun9 of land that
6reat #ritain had 4negotiated5 (dispossessed a2ay fro" King -o"
0
. % say dispossession
solely because previous to this! there had been i"plicit agree"ents! landlord and stranger
*
arrange"ents! in 2hich the stranger 2ould pay rent to the landlord! but the landlord
2ould still hold clai" to possession of the land. $hat King -o"! and "ost :fricans! did
not understand! 2as that this 2as not to be a nor"al arrange"ent! but rather that this
2ould be a per"anent settle"ent! and that the treaty they had signed! but could not read!
2as essentially a deed giving up their rights to the land. -he settlers settled and 2ere
;uic9ly run a"o9
<
! not only by disease and the cli"ate! but also by the indigenous
peoples! 2ho ;uic9ly sur"ised that their deal had run a2ry. Sharp lac9ing the resources
+

'
&yfe! Christopher. 4&reed Slave Colonies in $est :frica.5 -he Ca"bridge 8istory of :frica. =ol.<. Ed.
>ohn E. &lint. Ca"bridge: Ca"bridge ?niversity 7ress! ',(+. p. '(*
/
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0
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had to hand over &reeto2n to the Sierra Leone Co"pany! 2ho 2hile sharing his high
"inded idealis"! 2ere also business "en desiring to turn a profit.$hilst this 2as
happening! a ne2 group of settlers had landed! the so called Aova Scotians
(
! 2ho arrived
in '(,/.
% have not really "ade "ention of their govern"ental structure! not directly at
least. %t 2as infor"ally run by elected representatives at the start! but after Sharp 2as
forced to hand it over! it beca"e "ore rigid! and the po2er shifted bac9 to 6reat #ritain
)
!
2ith their "orality and racial sense of superiority. 6iven this sense! and their desire for
profit! head;uarters ordered a land ta3! no2 this 2ould see" nor"al to "ost in the 2est!
but the settlers 2ere for"er slaves! pro"ised free land! inso"uch as they beca"e
identified 2ith the land as a sy"bol of their freedo"! so they too9 it as an affront! and
launched a revolt in ')... #ut as luc9 2ould have it a group of ne2 settlers 2as just
arriving! the >a"aican "aroons
,
along 2ith a garrison of soldiers! the revolt 2as ;uic9ly
put do2n. -he Sierra Leone Co"pany! realiBing that it 2as losing "oney convinced
6reat #ritain to for"aliBe their ties! and in ').)! Sierra Leone beca"e a colony of the
Cro2n. Sierra Leone then beca"e the linchpin in their anti@slaving operations! as not
only their naval base to launch! but "ore i"portantly! as the place 2here all of the
4liberated :fricans5! the 4recaptives5
'.
2ould be placed! 2hich 2ould beco"e the fourth
set of people to be settled there. #ut no2! because of their colonial status! there 2as not
even an infor"al leadership basis! all of the po2er 2as no2 held by the cro2n and the
governors they put into place. : period of EuropeaniBation began! and yet another class
of fol9s arose! the Creoles
''
! 2ho 2ere created by the inter"i3ing of the Europeans 2ith
:fricans. -he indigenous 2ere co"pletely divested and 2orse yet! as 2as the land.
&ro" the very onset! save fro" the une3pressed e3pressed intentions! it 2as
une;ual. Everything only 2ent in one direction! and the assi"ilation 2as bac92ards. -he
old :tlantic triangle
'/
! of :frican Slaves! :"erican ra2 goods! and #ritish processing
2as replaced by just dra2ing a straight line! fro" :frica to #ritain. -he slaves 2ere no2
called 2or9ers! sending their ra2 goods (ti"ber! oils! etc. directly to #ritain! 2ho in turn
processed the" and sold the" bac9 to the :fricans. :ll the profits 2ere one sided! and
the e;uation had not changed at all.
Liberia 2as founded on nearly the sa"e principles
'0
as Sierra Leone: Christianity
and CiviliBation. -he seeds for this project ger"inated in the "inds of t2o "en!
Ceverend Cobert &inley and Sa"uel >ohn Dills! 2ho in ')'+ founded the :"erican
ColoniBation Society. :nd in ')/. and ')/'! they sent t2o groups of fol9s; the first had
about ), and the second around 00. %n ')/'! they for"ally 4purchased5 land! fro" King
7ete! due to Cobert Stoc9ton
'*
Es uncanny diplo"atic abilities (8e pointed a gun at the
(
%bid. ! p. '(+
)
$est! Cichard. #ac9 to :frica. London: Cape. ',(.. p. (/
,
&yfe! 4&reed Slave Colonies!5 p. '()
'.
%bid. ! p. ')'@')/
''
%bid. !p. ')(
'/
%bid. ! p. ')+
'0
&yfe! 4&reed Slave Colonies!5 p. ')(
'*
$est! 4#ac9 to :frica!5 p. ''*
KingEs head.. :nd in ')//! the settlers "oved in! but they faced "any of the sa"e
proble"s that Sierra Leone had: cli"ate! disease! and of course the enraged indigenous
(4insurgents5. #ut unli9e Sierra Leone! they 2ere able to repulse all of the attac9s!
perhaps because unli9e Sierra Leone they 2ere not first abandoned by their god@fearing
host country. :nd it is really here that began to diverge fro" Sierra Leone! instead of
going do2n the coloniBation route! than9s to $illia" 6arrison
'<
! they 2ere instead
granted their independence in ')*(
'+
! and beca"e a sovereign state! and held their first
election for president (>oseph >en9ins Coberts.
What can be drawn from the creation phase? A few things: 1. the lack of
legitimacy of the government; 2. a sense of elitism; 3. antiassimilation !s"periorinferior
dynamic#; $. dispossession !deception#% and it is from all of these things that we reach the
end. &his was the beginning of their c"lt"re% as previo"s to this' inc"rsion% the states
were none(istent. )t was here% as with most things% at the beginning% that their co"rse was
decided. &hey became path dependent% and were "nable to "nhitch themselves from the
ride. &here also a racist*religio"s*ethnic component "nderlying everything. &hese things
wo"ld pervade thro"gho"t.
Phase Two: Soft
-he first phase 2as do"inated by Sierra Leone! but they had a distinct advantage
they ca"e first! but one could see the lines of si"ilarity and the areas of difference. %n
this ne3t phase! Sierra Leone 2ill still ta9e the lead! even 2ith the independence of
Liberia! in ')*(.
-here is not "uch to "ention about Liberia in this phase. -hey 2ere 4relatively5
stable (although it 2as rife 2ith corruption! but the :"erico@Liberian sub@sect of the
population held pri"ary control of the country fro" ')*( until ',).
'(
(2hen they 2ere
overthro2n by the Krahn
')
contingent led by Doe! "ore on that in the ne3t section
though.. -he other 9ey event 2as rubber
',
. :round the turn of the century (',..! a
grand invention 2as created: the car. :n essential part of the car is its tires! "ade of
rubber. 6reat #ritain held a virtual "onopoly over rubber and its prices. -he ?nited
States 2as no so fond of this! and so they set out to circu"vent the syste". Liberia
happened to be ripe 2ith rubber! and so &irestone (2ith the ?nited States assistance set
up to begin e3porting the resource! by the ti"e of its e3it! it co"posed a "assive chun9
of LiberiaEs revenue
/.
.
Sierra Leone 2as also rather hu"dru" during this ti"e period (% believe it pretty
"uch follo2ed the route of any colony! but they did have so"e significant events that
deserve "entioning. -he first 9ey event happened in ',/*! 2hen Sierra Leone 2as split
into a colony and a protectorate! 2hich also "eant t2o different political syste"s! this
'<
%bid. ! p. '*/
'+
%bid. ! p. '<'
'(
Kieh! 6eorge Klay. -he &irst Liberian Civil $ar. Ae2 For9: 7eter Lang! /..). p. ')
')
%bid. ! p. ')
',
%bid. ! p. </
/.
%brahi"! >ibrin. De"ocratic -ransition in :nglophone $est :frica. Da9ar: CGDESC%:! /..0. p. *,
caused considerably center@periphery strife! 2hich ca"e to a head in ',*(! and 2as
resolved by Dilton Dargai
/'
! 2hen he helped draft a ne2 constitution! 2hich also so2ed
the seeds of decoloniBation! elections 2ere soon held after! and then finally in ',+'
//
they
2ere granted their independence under the leadership of Dilton Dargai and his Sierra
Leone 7eopleEs 7arty. Ao2 2e have co"e to so"e serve overlap. %n ',+( Sia9a
Stevens
/0
! leader of the opposition :ll 7eopleEs Congress 2as elected! but he 2as
overthro2n in a coup by #rigadier David Lansana! 2ho three days later 2as also
overthro2n in a coup led by Colonel :ndre2 >u3o"@S"ith 2ho for"ed the Aational
Cefor"ation Council! 2ho in :pril ',+) 2as also overthro2n in a coup! led by #angura
2ho then placed Stevens bac9 into his elected position. :s a great shoc9 to everyone!
Stevens did not i"ple"ent de"ocratic refor"s! but instead co"pletely consolidated
po2er! and in ',(0
/*
declared Sierra Leone a one@party state. -his 2as then for"aliBed
by a referendu" in ',()
/<
.
&his second phase was +"st an e(tension of the first% b"t they added some things to
the mi( as well. )n this phase% corr"ption !d"e in part to cartography and c"lt"ral
disorientation# became the norm. )t was also here that they dispelled even the notion of
incl"sion% and consolidation of power into individ"al personalities% tied to the party% was
now +"st r"n of the mill% b"t it was also an era of relative peace and stability.
)ndependence was also an iss"e% granted to ,iberia in 1-$. and /ierra ,eone in 1011.
&here was still a distinct divide drawn along ethnic lines% b"t with an added dimension
the centerperiphery phenomenon.
Phase Three: End
:nd no2 begins the end. %t 2as hard to decide ho2 to brea9do2n the passages of
ti"e! but % feel that Sa"uel Doe represents a distinct brea9 fro" the rest of their shared
history. $hile corruption 2as surely ra"pant in both countries! violence 2as not really an
accepted nor"! and certainly not the violence that Doe 2as about to bring. -his 2as the
ti"e of the 2arlord! and it is a period that 2ill al2ays be co"pletely unforgettable! and
2hat is "ost shoc9ing! is that it 2as all essentially perpetrated by one "an: Charles
-aylor.
-2o people need to be "entioned before 2e get to Doe. % could have placed the"
in the second phase! but % felt that they fit better here! and they are $illia" -ub"an and
his cohort $illia" -olbert >r. $illia" -ub"an granted citiBenship to all
/+
Liberians
(before it had been held by the elite e3cluding the indigenous. -his 2as not an altruistic
"ove! but rather one to "aintain control! 2hich he did until his death. 8is successor!
-olbert! 2as significantly 2ea9er. 8e tried to bring in a broader spectru" of players! but
/'
&yle! Dac Di3on and Conteh@Dorgan! Earl. Sierra Leone at the End of the -2entieth Century. Ae2 For9:
7eter Lang! ',,,. p. <)@+*
//
%brahi"! 4De"ocratic -ransition!5 p. *0
/0
%bid. ! p. *0
/*
7ha"! 4Liberia!5 p. '<)
/<
%bid. ! p.'<)
/+
:debajo! :de9eye. LiberiaEs Civil $ar. #oulder: Lynne Cienner! /../. p. /.@/'
then! in an al"ost co"pletely une3plainable "ove! he i"ple"ented a rice ta3 in ',(,
/(

(2hich 2as the Liberians staple food source! and this 2as the proverbial stra2! and on
:pril '/! ',).! Daster Sergeant Sa"uel Kenyon Doe
/)
toppled -olbert in a coup! and
installed the 7eopleEs Cede"ption Council! as a side note! he 2as also LiberiaEs first
indigenous leader. -o give an e3a"ple of his political bent! let us just ta9e a glance at the
fate of his original Council
/,
: Si3 had been e3ecuted; Gne died in an auto"obile
4accident5; Gne fled for his life; and four had involuntarily 4retired.5 -o add so"e
legiti"ate flair to his regi"e! he held elections in ',)*
0.
! 2hich 2ere 2idely believed to
be co"pletely rigged. :r"y Chief of Staff -ho"as Hui2on9pa
0'
led a failed coup 2hich
2as brutally put do2n by Doe! and this brought about the for"ation
0/
of Aational
7atriotic &ront of Liberia (A7&L! headed by Charles -aylor. %n Dece"ber ',),! aided by
Libya
00
! #ur9ina &aso
0*
! %vory Coast
0<
! and Sierra Leone
0+
! -aylor invaded Liberia fro"
the %vory Coast. -his 2as to beco"e an elongated affair! than9s "ostly to AigeriaEs
hege"onic overreach! -aylorEs "essianic fi3ation! and DoeEs un2illingness to see the
reality of the situation. %n ',,.! ECG$:S (Econo"ic Co""unity of $est :frican
States! headed by Aigeria created ECGDG6 (Econo"ic Co""unity of $est :frican
States Donitoring 6roup! 2ho then invaded
0(
Liberia propping up Doe. 7rince For"ie
>ohnson
0)
! split fro" -aylor! and for"ed the %ndependent Aational 7atriotic &ront of
Liberia! and they eventually captured! tortured! and 9illed Doe! right underneath the
noses
0,
of ECGDG6 (they also videotaped it. :fter DoeEs death ECGDG6 placed :"os
Sa2yer
*.
in po2er! but li9e Doe! he only ever had control over the capital. :lso! in
conjunction 2ith DoeEs death! >ohnson and -aylor both "ade clai"s on the presidency.
&inally! in ',,<! Aigeria! led by 6eneral Sani :bacha
*'
! began to negotiate 2ith
-aylor directly! and an effective ceasefire and peace agree"ent 2as i"ple"ented. >uly
',! ',,(! -aylor 2as elected
*/
! 2hich is notable! but even "ore notable is that these 2ere
probably the fairest elections ever (for every /). voters there 2as ' observer! and he
2on 2ith an over2hel"ingly "ajority
*0
((< percent of the electorate. :nother note is
that up to this point there had been '/ failed peace plans and /.
**
ceasefires. 8is party
also s2ept nearly all of the seats in the 8ouse or Cepresentatives and the Senate. Fou
/(
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/)
%bid. ! p. /*@/<
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7ha"! 4Liberia!5 p. )0
0.
%brahi"! 4De"ocratic -ransition!5 p. <.
0'
%bid. ! p. <.
0/
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00
Kieh! 4-he &irst Liberian Civil $ar!5 p. '*,@'<.
0*
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0<
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0)
7ha"! 4Liberia!5 p.'./
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**
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2ould thin9 this 2ould be the end! but of course it 2as not. %n ',,,
*<
! Liberians ?nited
for Ceconciliation and De"ocracy coupled 2ith their brea9a2ay group Dove"ent for
De"ocracy in Liberia attac9ed! 2hich then escalated into a full scale 2ar 2hich ended in
/..0
*+
(ECGDG6 intervened 2ith the resignation of -aylor and his e3ile to Aigeria.
:s "entioned previously! Stevens had centraliBed po2er in hi"self! but he had
tired of the ga"e by ',)<! and na"ed Dajor 6eneral >oseph Saido Do"oh
*(
as his
successor! but 2hen co"pared to Stevens! Do"oh 2as a relatively 2ea9 leader! and
capitaliBing on this! on Darch /0! ',,'! &oday San9oh
*)
and his Cevolutionary ?nited
&ront (C?& invaded fro" Liberia! supported by -aylor. (San9oh and -aylor had an
understanding
*,
! 2here the C?& supported -aylor in ta9ing Liberia! and in turn -aylor
2ould support the" in their ta9ing of Sierra Leone. Dodeling hi"self after Doe (and
-aylor! he 9illed
<.
his co"patriots! :bu Kanu and Cashid Danssray! 2ho originated the
C?& "ove"ent 2ith hi". :nd li9e -aylor! he 2as dra2n into the fray under the auspice
of rigged elections. %n ',,/! another group overthre2
<'
Do"oh! and instituted the
Aational 7rovisional Culing Council under the leadership of Captain =alentine Strasser!
2ho then invited the C?& to ta9e part in the junta. -here 2as collaboration
</
bet2een the
C?& rebels and StrasserEs "ilitary (sobels! and in ',,0
<0
he proffered a ceasefire! 2hich
allo2ed! the then 2ea9ened! C?& to regroup and relaunch. Strasser 2as then overthro2n
by >ulius Daada #io
<*
! 2ho then tried to postpone
<<
the elections of ',,+ by e3tending
peace tal9s 2ith C?&. -he elections 2ere held and :h"ad -ejan Kabbah 2as elected
<+
!
2ho 2as then ousted
<(
by a coup led by the :r"ed &orces Cevolutionary Council
(:&CC! 2ho anointed Dajor >ohnny 7aul Koro"a their leader. Koro"a then invited
4(follo2ing Strasser before the C?& to join the junta. -he C?& and the :&CC then
for"ed the 4peopleEs ar"y.5 %n an interesting political t2ist! they also included Do"oh!
the for"erly overthro2n president! into the junta as 2ell. : peace process 2as begun
2hich ended 2ith the Cona9ry
<)
7eace 7lan! 2hich granted i""unity :&CC! and ended
by placing Kabbah bac9 in po2er. %n >anuary ',,,
<,
! there 2as another coup! 2hich 2as
s2iftly defeated by the Aigerians! but Kabbah (through his peace through appease"ent
doctrine signed the Lo"e
+.
7eace :ccord! granting blan9et a"nesty to all of the rebels!
*<
%bid. ! p. ')<@')+
*+
%bid. ! p. '))
*(
%brahi"! 4De"ocratic -ransition!5 p. *0
*)
%bid. ! p. **@*<
*,
:bdullah! %brahi". 4#ush 7ath to Destruction: -he Grigin and Character of the Cevolutionary ?nited
&ront.5 #et2een De"ocracy and -error. Ed. %brahi" :budllah. Da9ar! Senegal: Council for the
Develop"ent of Social Science Cesearch in :frica! /..*. p. <+
<.
%bid. ! p. +'
<'
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<<
Glonisa9in! I&un"i. 7eace9eeping in Sierra Leone. #oulder: Lynne Cienner! /..). p. '(
<+
%bid. ! p. '(@')
<(
%bid. ! p. /'
<)
Conteh@Dorgan and Di3on@&yle! 4 Sierra Leone!5 p. '*(
<,
%brahi"! 4De"ocratic -ransition!5 p. *(
+.
%bid. ! p. *(
and re2arding
+'
so"e of the" 2ith "inisterial posts (including "a9ing San9oh the =ice
7resident. 6iven KabbahEs i"pressive record (bringing the econo"y fro" @+.* per cent
gro2th rate to J+ per cent gro2th rate! and his bringing of peace (even if by
unconventional "eans got hi" reelected in /../.
2nly one word can be "sed to s"m "p the end: atrocio"s. 3ow why do ) call this
the end? ) call it that% mainly beca"se of two factors: 1. the br"tality of all sides and 2.
2"t of this scr"m came a"thentic elections% b"t more will come into play.
)nstit"tionali4ed mass amp"tation is a rare e(perience% while it does have some
precedents !5elgi"m in the 6ongo% 78A92 in 9o4ambi:"e% and in 6ol"mbia#% the scale%
the intent% and the strategic*tactical components% ) feel% make this rather "ni:"e. &he
point of them% at least from &aylor;s and /ankoh;s point of view% was "tter terror% b"t it
was really a smart move% on their part. 5oth of their parties% the 3<=, and the 7>=%
were rather meager% relatively% b"t their spread of terror made them appear m"ch larger
than they act"ally were% aiding them in winning power for themselves. 9ass
?isplacement !creating a spillover effect#% minor inc"rsions into the s"rro"nding nations
!)vory 6oast% @"inea#% the lowintensity conflict !lack of conventional warfare#% all added
together gave both &aylor and /ankoh positions to negotiate down from.
5"t one always has to ask% in the face of s"ch violence% how did it come to this?
And it was something reali4ed too late by 86292@ and 3igeria. )t was all +"st abo"t
power. 3ot +"st the power% b"t who act"ally had the power. )t was all really senseless.
&here were at least two points% before all o"t war that co"ld have prevented the
wantonness. &he first was aro"nd 100A*1001 when &aylor had control over 0A per cent of
the co"ntry% and instead of granting him some recognition a 3igerian led 86292@
invaded to protect the capital% which had no effective control. 5"t an even more damning
event took place in /ierra ,eone in 1003% when instead of doing an all o"t p"sh against
the 7>=% they backed off% allowing him to rec"perate !thanks also in large part to
/trasser#. ) am foc"sing on &aylor% beca"se he really is the key fig"re% while /ankoh%
formally held power over the 7>=% they were only able to s"rvive beca"se of &aylor;s
backing and his leadership. 5"t this really was the logical c"lmination of their history. )
think people have a tendency to forget that. )t was all b"ilding to this moment% the water
boiling in the pot% and when it finally blew its top% everyone was shocked at the res"lt% b"t
why sho"ld they be? Bo" can only p"sh a people so far% and then when p"shed too far%
what are they left with? <rotests? Against who% against what? &hey were completely
locked o"t% by not only their government% b"t also the international comm"nity. !2ne
wonders where all of that 6hristian charity went.# And when yo"r voice cannot be heard%
yo" are repressed% s"ppressed% oppressed% yo" lash o"t% irrationally% illogically% witho"t
tho"ght% and yo" b"rn down yo"r village% b"t who is to blame? /omeone is at fa"lt? And
that is when it dawns on yo"% it is their fa"lt% and now whipped into fren4y% convinced of
yo"r righteo"s position% yo" go thro"gho"t all the land% decimating and annihilating
everything in yo"r path. And how did it end? 9"ch like it began. &his was an era of
warlordism and state collapse !) say collapse% as the state was never ever really
solidified% so it is diffic"lt to call this a fail"re#. &hat a man like &aylor% or a lackey like
/ankoh% co"ld ever come to possess any sort of power% says a lot abo"t the people;s belief
+'
7ha"! 4Liberia!5 p. '++
in the good governance of the state% and this goes back to its creation. )t was deep
seeded% and co"ld not simply be glossed over with apparent airs of the elite. &aylor arose
beca"se there was a grave complaint that was not being corrected% and he offered
rectit"de to those of the "nderclass% and they offered their lives for his personal
enrichment. )t was only too late before everyone% and ) do mean everyone% saw the game.
And who paid the cost of this mistake? &he same people that pay for almost all of the
mistakes of the elite: the people.
Phase Four: Present
-he present day state of affairs of both states could be called a return to nor"alcy
(in the 2estern sense. Liberia held a successful transition of po2er fro" the Aational
-ransitional 6overn"ent of Liberia (/..0@/..< to their current president! elected in
/..<! Ellen >ohnson Sirleaf (2ho! as it should be noted! supported both Doe and -aylor!
and had lived outside of Liberia for decades. %n /..+! facing "ounting international
pressure! she re;uested that Aigeria e3tradite -aylor and forced hi" in front of the
8ague! 2hose trial shall be ending soon. Charles 6yude #ryant! 2ho headed the
transitional govern"ent! 2as charged 2ith e"beBBle"ent in Darch /..(! he 2as later
ac;uitted.
%n Sierra Leone! they held elections in /..(! 2here Ernest #ai Koro"a 2as
elected. -heir Special Court has also been active! although perhaps not ti"ely. %n Darch
/..0! they indicted San9oh! #oc9arie! >ohnny 7aul Koro"a! and 8inga Aor"an.
#oc9arie 2as 9illed in Liberia. Koro"a is ru"ored to have been 9illed. San9oh and
Aor"an both died 2hile in custody.
Summary Remarks
#oth nations 2ere founded in e3actly the sa"e fashion (by Christians desiring to
spread civiliBation. -hey then diverged for a bit! as Sierra Leone re"ained a colony
2hile Liberia gained its independence! but converged in that sa"e period 2hen one loo9s
at their govern"ental structure! based solely on elitis". %n the third phase! they again
ca"e bac9 together! crashing into each other! as -aylor 2aged 2ars in both countries
causing devastation! unseen previously. :nd out of all of this! they have converged again!
this ti"e peacefully! and have leaders that have been duly elected. :nd 2ith the Special
Court of Sierra Leone and the -ruth and Ceconciliation Co""ission! % thin9 they are 2ell
on their 2ay to co"ing to ter"s 2ith their history.
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