page_title: First Liberian Civil War
section_title: Fighting in Monrovia (1996)
hierarchical_section_title: First Liberian Civil War / First Liberian Civil War (1989-1997) / Fighting in Monrovia (1996)
caption_attribution_description: English: National Patriotic Liberation Front fighters skirt the southern edge of the American Embassy compound in search of United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy militia members.
context_page_description: The First Liberian Civil War was an internal conflict in Liberia from 1989 until 1997. The conflict killed about 250,000 people and eventually led to the involvement of the Economic Community of West African States and of the United Nations. The peace did not last long, and in 1999 the Second Liberian Civil War broke out.
  Samuel Doe had led a rebellion that overthrew the elected government in 1980, and in 1985 held elections that were widely considered fraudulent. There had been one unsuccessful coup by a former military leader. In December 1989, former government minister Charles Taylor moved into the country from neighboring Ivory Coast to start an uprising meant to topple the Doe government.
  Taylor's forces, the National Patriotic Front of Liberia battled with Prince Johnson's rebel group, the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia – a faction of NPFL – for control in Monrovia. In 1990, Johnson seized the capital of Monrovia and executed Doe brutally.
  Peace negotiations and foreign involvement led to a ceasefire in 1995 that was broken the next year before a final peace agreement and new national elections were held in 1997.
context_section_description: Heavy fighting broke out again in April 1996. This led to the evacuation of most international non-governmental organizations and the destruction of much of Monrovia.
  In August 1996, these battles were ended by the Abuja Accord in Nigeria, agreeing to disarmament and demobilization by 1997 and elections in July of that year. 3 September 1996, Sankawulo is followed by Ruth Perry as chairwoman of the ruling council, who served until 2 August 1997.
caption: NPFL fighters search for ULIMO militants in Monrovia.
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