Battered by war from 1989 to 2003, Liberians are now on a long, difficult road to recovery and stability. With the departure in August 2003 of warlord-turned-president Charles Taylor – after months of fierce fighting – the warring sides signed a peace accord.
The subsequent installation of a transitional government, the establishment of the UN mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and the deployment of peacekeeping forces provided the backdrop required to provide security and move toward recovery.
The war displaced nearly one million Liberians, left the country’s infrastructure in shreds and wiped out health and education systems. Unemployment in Liberia stands at a staggering 85 percent. A sustainable peace is crucial not only for Liberia but for the entire sub-region – Guinea, Sierra Leone and Côte d’Ivoire.
An outbreak of violence in Côte d’Ivoire in November 2004 sent thousands fleeing into Liberia, threatening communities facing their own post-conflict recovery and demonstrating once again the volatility of the region. In Liberia, by early November 2004 – nearly a year after the UN launched its disarmament process – 96,326 ex-combatants disarmed (handed in their weapons to UN military operation) and 85,239 demobilised (disarmed and received food and other assistance from the UN).
In October-November 2004, the United Nations launched its resettlement programme for Liberians – both refugees and internally displaced. Food assistance for people returning home is just one of the ways WFP is helping Liberians reconstruct their lives and their country. For long periods of time during the war, vast areas of the country were closed off.
Since the end of hostilities, the disarmament process and the increased deployment of UN peacekeepers have enabled WFP and other humanitarian organisations to extend their access inland and especially to communities where former refugees or displaced are resettling in large numbers.
WFP is working to connect farmers in Liberia to markets through the Purchase for Progress initiative. Learn more
WFP’s operation in Liberia is part of the West African Coastal operation, which also covers Guinea and Sierra Leone. The countries are in different stages of recovering from war, and WFP’s interventions are tailored accordingly.
WFP is assisting hundreds of thousands of Liberians including returning refugees, displaced people, the malnourished and people living with HIV/AIDS.
With the gradual restoration of stability, WFP is shifting increasingly from emergency to recovery activities aimed at facilitating resettlement and reintegration, such as food-for-training and other asset-creation programmes.
WFP is also providing food rations to ex-combatants and their families.
The agency plans to continue assisting ex-fighters in their rehabilitation through food-for-work projects. WFP is working with UNICEF and the World Health Organisation to enhance the capacity of the Ministry of Health to integrate food assistance with health care, providing special supplementary feeding to over 10,000 children and pregnant/nursing women, as well as 8,000 orphans and disabled people.
Since it began in Liberia in November 2003, WFP’s school feeding programme has reached nearly 400,000 students in 1,065 schools. With the improved security situation in the country WFP is now operating in 12 of Liberia’s 15 counties. In 2004, the agency opened sub-offices throughout the country in order to be closer to beneficiaries and to better monitor its interventions. Pending availability of resources, WFP plans to assist 942,000 people in Liberia in 2005.
