Liberia - History in a Nutshell

Liberia is Africa's oldest republic, but it became better known in the 1990s for its long-running, ruinous civil war and its role in a rebellion in neighbouring Sierra Leone.

Although founded by freed American and Caribbean slaves, Liberia is mostly made up of indigenous Africans, with the slaves' descendants comprising 5% of the population.

The Liberian nation was relatively calm until 1980 when William Tolbert was overthrown by Sergeant Samuel Doe after food price riots. 

By the late 1980s, arbitrary rule and economic collapse culminated in civil war when Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) militia overran much of the countryside, entering the capital in 1990. Mr Doe was executed. 

The coup marked the end of dominance by the minority Americo-Liberians, who had ruled since independence, but heralded a period of instability.

14 years of civil war ensued

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf became president in 2006 with the task of rebuilding a Liberia whose infrastructure is in ruins.

A ban on timber exports was lifted in 2006 and the ban on diamond exports, which fuelled the civil war, in April 2007.

With 15,000 UN peacekeepers in place, Liberia now is making its first tentative steps to rebuilding itself with refugees remaining scattered across the region.