Paper short abstract:

This paper analyses the exercise of violence by the rural sector against the Liberian government in Monrovia during the First Liberian Civil War. Special attention is given to the Poro secret society’s ability to use violence to realize its political objectives through its metaphysical beliefs.

Paper long abstract:

With the national election in Liberia scheduled for October 2017, and remaining tension from two recent civil wars, it is important to revisit Liberia's violent past as we look towards its future.

The war that began in 1989 and ended in 1996 is a clear case of how rural African religious institutions can pursue their political objectives through violence. This is not a new phenomenon of course. The 500 year old Poro secret society of Liberia that operates as both a religion and an agency of population control is a case in point. I argue in this paper that the Poro joined forces with the National Patriotic Front of Liberia, (NPFL), to oust Samuel Doe and his regime in Monrovia, the capital city. Poro members incorporated the organization's metaphysical beliefs relating to life, death and spiritual power as war tactics. Therefore, the civil war in Liberia was a NPFL insurgency fueled by a Poro insurrection that eventually destroyed Monrovia.

This study is needed because many of the warlords and protagonists responsible for horrific war crimes have gone unpunished. Some, as in the case of Prince Johnson, one of the original members of the NPFL and later the leader of the Independent National Front of Liberia (INPFL), were elected to high office after the First Liberian Civil War (FLCW). Understanding the mechanics of the violence can help facilitate peace and mitigate the suffering should conflict consume Liberia once more. This paper is based on my doctoral research.