This was supposed to be Liberia s year. In recent decades the country repeatedly ripped itself apart in one of the most brutal civil wars in Africa s history. The bulk of its population has been traumatized, massacred or had fled to neighboring states and the country itself often appeared on the point of total disintegration. But change has been in the air since last year and many of the nearly 500,000 Liberian refugees living in nearby states were expected to return home in 1998 in the continent s biggest current repatriation program.
Enormous difficulties lie ahead.
On a recent visit to the region, I saw that much of the country remained prostrate from its self-inflicted war wounds. A few huge rubber and coffee plantations have restarted operations, but military checkpoints still dot roads in Monrovia and command intersections in the countryside. There are few schools or health centers in the interior and returning refugees often try to migrate to the capital, Monrovia, in search of jobs. Many refugees trek back and forth between their villages and their countries of asylum, starting work on their homes while depending on better camp facilities. The Liberian Refugee Repatriation and Reintegration Committee assigned two-man teams to even the remotest border regions to help the homecomers.