The people of Monrovia (and Liberia in general) have gone through alot during the 14 years of civil war that had only just ended. I saw many armless and legless people - victims of not only landmines but the brutal rebel forces who chopped off limbs of ordinary civilians. The rebels were often child soldiers kidnapped from their parents, or whose parents were killed by rebels. These children were brainwashed, fed with drugs and then encouraged to kill without impunity. Civilians were often forced to witness atrocities.
Now the cruelest warlord, Charles Taylor stands trial in front of an international tribunal for war crimes. Not satisfied with merely winning the Liberian presidency, he went on to support bandits masquerading as rebel groups in neighbouring countries such as Sierra Leone, Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire, with the aim of capturing the rich mineral resources of these countries to enrich himself. Eventually, he was forced to step down and now faces international justice.
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