Liberia, Africa's oldest republic, was founded by freed American slaves more than 150 years ago. The country was once considered a model African nation, prosperous and stable. Today it is a war-torn country, shattered from decades of conflict that have claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and destroyed the economy.
Much of Liberia's miseries can be traced to one man: President Charles Taylor. The former guerrilla leader has fanned misery throughout West Africa. Comments and reports from Africa say that for Liberia's sake, and that of the region as a whole, Mr. Taylor must go.
President Taylor first took power in Liberia in 1997, winning a landslide election after fighting a guerrilla war for nearly a decade. That war resulted in the loss of 200,000 lives, but hopes were high that exhaustion from fighting and an internationally backed ceasefire might provide a foundation for peace and reconstruction in Liberia.