Ogiri John Ogiri

Peace-keeping Intervention in Liberia By Ogiri John Ogiri INTRODUCTION Since the end of the cold war (1948-1989), states and international organizations have repeatedly engaged in Peace-keeping, peace-building and peace-making to help solve international and intra-national problems (Dawson, 2004) One of the countries which has witnessed protracted intra-national conflicts in Africa is Liberia. Liberia has had Peace-keeping intervention in the course of her civil war years. Hence the choice of the country for this discussion. Liberia’s civil war began in 1989. Though most violence ended in 1997, renewed clashes in 2003 drew international attention, and led to the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping force to the country. An estimated 150,000 people – one in twenty Liberians – died in the conflict. The fighting involved widespread killing and rape of civilians and forced recruitment of child soldiers. From Liberia’s founding in 1847, its politics were dominated by Ame