Monrovia
President Charles Taylor said this week that he’s changed his mind about stepping down—backpedaling on a pledge that was seen as a key step toward bringing his country’s bloody civil war to an end. At peace negotiations in Ghana last week, Taylor had agreed to leave office, drawing cheers from fellow African leaders who blame him for carrying the war into neighboring Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ivory Coast. Now he claims that “the vast majority” of Liberians are “protesting that I can’t step aside without their approval.” Founded in the 19th century by freed American slaves, Liberia has been wracked by civil war for the past decade. Taylor, a prominent warlord, was elected president in 1997 by voters who feared he would continue the conflict unless they put him in power.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What to see at GlastonburyThe Week Recommends Whether you've got your tent and your ticket or you're watching from home, these are the hottest acts to catch at Worthy Farm
-
Lovestuck: a 'warm-hearted' musical with a 'powerhouse score'The Week Recommends Team behind the hit podcast My Dad Wrote a Porno have created a hilarious show about a disastrous viral Tinder date
-
Outrageous: glossy Mitford family drama is full of 'fun, fashion and froth'The Week Recommends Adaptation of Mary Lovell's biography examines the scandalous lives of the aristocratic sisters
