Liberia

On a recent trip to Liberia I wrote the following in an email:

I've arrived in Liberia. This is my first time in West Africa. There is no way for me to explain this experience - words fail me. Pictures won't do it justice. It is heartbreaking. The drive form the airport to the Country Directors home nearly put me to tears. This country is still ravaged by the 15 year civil war. Though it ended 5 years ago the effects are everywhere - absolutely everywhere. There are still remnants of burnt cars, looted and burnt structures, bullet holes in building facades, destroyed roads, and poverty, abject poverty, all around. The United States has some culpability in the origins the Liberia civil war. When we freed slaves we dumped those who wanted to return to Africa in Liberia. They are known here as "the Congo people." Well, they came here and took over. They held positions of power and dominated those who had been here. Eventually the indigenous people had an uprising to take back their power from the Congo people. Once the violence started it ran rampant and even ignited a tribal war here. It lasted until the UN stepped in. There are still UN peacekeeping troops everywhere. In the area I am in, the Pakistan army is keeping the peace. We arrived by helicopter under heavy guard from the Pakistan army. They have posts everywhere and we passed a couple of bases. Our pilots were from Russia. I couldn't help but wonder what will happen when the UN pulls out, will war return?

We are about to discover the answer to my question. The UN is pulling out "cautiously and gradually" according to an article from Irin. I pray Liberia does not digress in to a new civil war and the transition to the people of Liberia is without event.