Final Communque of the All-Liberia National Conference, Virginia, Liberia

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Country/entity: Liberia
Region: Africa (excl MENA)
Agreement name: Final Communque of the All-Liberia National Conference, Virginia, Liberia
Date: 18 Apr 1991
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Interstate/intrastate conflict(s)
Liberian Civil Wars (1989 - 1997) (1999 - 2005)
In 1989, the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) attacked border posts as part of a campaign to oust the dictatorship of Samuel Doe. This triggered a violent civil war that by 1995 had killed around 150,000 and displaced an estimated 850,000 people. The outbreak of war is attributed to the domestic socio-economic and political environment in the country of the 1980s, such as poverty, discrimination and repression. However, its sustenance is also related to past discrimination against indigenous Liberians by ‘Americo-Liberians’, and deep ethnic divisions that resulted.

Peace negotiations began in 1992 and completed by 1997. However, the peace lasted only a short period and in 1999 there was renewed fighting against the elected president, Charles Taylor. The Guinea-backed organisation, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), together with the armed Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL) controlled two thirds of the country by 2003 and besieged the capital Monrovia, forcing Charles Taylor into exile in Nigeria. In August that same year, the conflict parties signed the Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement and in 2005 new general elections were held.
Stage: Framework/substantive - partial
Conflict nature: Government
Peace process: Liberia peace process
Parties: Not signed. Agreement mentions the following parties as having produced it:

Conference Chairs:
Ambassador Herbert R.W. Brewer
Archibishop Michael Kpakala Francis
Shiekh Kafumba Konneh

Delegates
1. Political Parties :
Liberia Action Party (LAP)
Liberia People's Party (LPP)
Liberia Unification Party (LUP)
Unity Party (UP)
United People's Party (UPP)
National Democratic Party of Liberia (NC;'IL)

2. Warring Factions
National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL)
Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL)

3. Interest Groups
Press Union of Liberia (PUL)
National Bar Association of Liberia (NBA)
National Medical and Dental Association of Liberia (NMDAL)
National Teachers' Association of Liberia
Liberian National Students of Liberia (LINSU)
Liberian Federation of Labour Union (LFLU)
Liberian Marketing Association (LMA)
Movement for Justice in Africa (MOJA)
Federation of Liberia Youth (FLY)
Liberian Council of Churches (LCC)
Muslim Council of Liberia (MCL)
Liberian Association of Writers (LAW)
Women Development Association of Liberia (WODAL)
Rubber Planters Association of Liberia (RPAL)

4. County Representatives
While all of the twenty-six (26) county representatives were accredited, only the thirteen representatives from the Monrovia Assembly were actually in attendance at the Conference.

The ECOWAS Standing Mediation Committee was represented as follows:
Honourable Major-General (rtd) Ike Nwachukw, Minister of External Affairs, Nigeria.
Honourable Mr. Yaoui Adodo, Minister of External Affairs, Togo
Honourable Dr. Mohammed lbn Chambas, Deputy Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Ghana
Honourable Mr. O. Yaga Bagayogo, Deputizing for the Honourable Minister of External Affairs, Mali
Honourable Alhaji Abdul Karim Koroma, Minister of Foregin Affairs, Sierra Leone
Third parties: Other dignitaries present at the Conference included:
The Special Representatives of the Secretary-General of the United Nations
The Special Representatives of the Secretary-General of the Organisation of African Unity
Members of the Diplomatic Corps residing in Monrovia.

Also in attendance were a large number of Liberians, many of whom had returned from abroad, and members of the international press.
Description: This agreement establishes an interim government and an interim elections commission in Liberia.

Agreement document: LR_910420_Virginia All-Liberia National Conference.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF

Main category: Page 1, Untitled Preamble: The All-Liberia National Conference was held in Virginia, Liberia from March 15 to April 20, 1991 under the Triumvirate Chair of Ambassador Herbert R.W. Brewer, Archbishop Michael Kpakala Francis and Shiekh Kafumba Konneh. The Conference was attended by one hundred and fifty-one (151) delegates of thirty-six (36) delegations from the following Political Parties, warring factions, interest groups and county representatives:
...3. Interest Groups:
...Women Development Association of Liberia (WODAL)

Page 3, THE INTERIM ELECTIONS COMMISSION, Composition: An Independent Interim Elections Commission was established by the Conference and composed of Representatives from the following Interest Groups:
...The Women Development Association of Liberia

Women, girls and gender

Participation: Participation→Other
Page 3, THE INTERIM ELECTIONS COMMISSION, Composition: An Independent Interim Elections Commission was established by the Conference and composed of Representatives from the following Interest Groups:
...The Women Development Association of Liberia
Equality: No specific mention.
Particular groups of women: No specific mention.
International law: No specific mention.
New institutions: No specific mention.
Violence against women: No specific mention.
Transitional justice: No specific mention.
Institutional reform: No specific mention.
Development: No specific mention.
Implementation: Implementation→Other
Page 1, Untitled Preamble: The All-Liberia National Conference was held in Virginia, Liberia from March 15 to April 20, 1991 under the Triumvirate Chair of Ambassador Herbert R.W. Brewer, Archbishop Michael Kpakala Francis and Shiekh Kafumba Konneh. The Conference was attended by one hundred and fifty-one (151) delegates of thirty-six (36) delegations from the following Political Parties, warring factions, interest groups and county representatives:
...3. Interest Groups:
...Women Development Association of Liberia (WODAL)
Other: No specific mention.

Final Communque of the All-Liberia National Conference, Virginia, Liberia

The text of the Final Council issued at the end of the All-Liberia National Conference held at the Unity Conference Center in Virginia, Liberia from March 15 to April 18, 1991 is found below:

The All-Liberia National Conference was held in Virginia, Liberia from March 15 to April 20, 1991 under the Triumvirate Chair of Ambassador Herbert R.W. Brewer, Archibishop Michael Kpakala-Francis and Shiekh Kafumba Konneh.

The Conference was attended by one hundred and fifty-one (151) delegates of thirty-six (36) delegations from the following Political Parties, warring factions, interest groups and county representatives:

1. Political Parties:

Liberia Action Party (LAP)

Liberia People's Party (LPP)

Liberia Unification Party (LUP)

Unity Party (UP)

United People's Party (UPP)

National Democratic Party of Liberia (NCPL)

2. Warring Factions

National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL)

Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL)

3. lnterest Groups

Press Union of Liberia (PUL)

National Bar Association of Liberia (NBA)

National Medical and Dental Association of Liberia (NMDAL)

National Teachers' Association of Liberia

Liberian National Students of Liberia (LINSU)

Liberian Federation of Labour Union (LFLU)

Liberian Marketing Association (LMA)

Movement for Justice in Africa (MOJA)

Federation of Liberia Youth (FLY)

Liberian Council of Churches (LCC)

Muslim Council of Liberia (MCL)

Liberian Association of Writers (LAW)

Women Development Association of Liberia (WODAL)

Rubber Planters Association of Liberia (RPAL)

4. County Representatives

While all of the twenty-six (26) county representatives were accredited, only the thirteen representatives from the Monrovia Assembly were actually in attendance at the Conference.

The ECOWAS Standing Mediation Committee was represented at the Conference as follows:

Honourable Major-General (rtd) Ike Nwachukw Minister of External Affairs, Nigeria.

Honourable Mr. Yaoui Adodo Minister of External Affairs, Togo

Honourable Dr. Mohammed lbn Chambas Deputy Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Ghana

Honourable Mr. O. Yaga Bagayogo Deputizing for the Honourable Minister of External Affairs, Mali

Honourable Alhaji Abdul Karim Koroma Minister of Foregin Affairs, Sierra Leone

Other dignitaries present at the Conference included;

the Special Representatives of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Secretary-General of the Organisation of African Unity, respectively, and members of the Diplomatic Corps residing in Monrovia.

Also in attendance at the Conference were a large number of Liberians, many of whom had returned from abroad, and members of the international press.

INTERIM.GOVERNMENT:

NEGOTIATIONS

As the purpose of the Conference was to restore peace to Liberia through the formatio'n of an interim government, acceptable to the Liberian People, with the capacity to hold free and fair elections, delegates were engaged in numerous, long, tedious, serious and delicate negotiations, the NPFL Delegation insisted on taking a week's break and walked out of the Conference shortly after presenting the NPFL Proposals on the interim government and outlining the reasons for the walk-out

The core of the NPFL Proposals are as follows:

1. A Triumvirate Council of co-equals, called the Council of National Unity, should run the Executive arm of Government;

in effect, there should be three heads of State serving as co-equals;

2. The Legislature should be called the Assembly of National Unity with twenty-six (26) members, two of whom coming from each of the thirteen (13) counties, and

3. The present structure of the Judiciary should be in force, with principal emphasis on its independent posture.

In terms of the walk-out, the NPFL Delegation cited as reasons, the lack of adequate consideration of the NPFL Proposals, the continuous presence of Archbishop Michael Kpakala Francis and Shiekh Kafumba Konneh as Conference Co-Chairman, whom they have accused of being

biased by tile Delegation, and the failure of the Credentials committee to respond to the application for the seating of representatives from NPFL held counties.

The Conference responded to the grounds for the NPFL walk-out by (a) accepting, in principle, the concept of a triumvirate ruling

council while making an adjustment to have a Chairman and two Co-Chairmen for the Council of National Unity;

(b) expressing an overwhelming vote of confidence in the chairing abilities of Archbishop Francis and Shiekh Konneh, and (c) accrediting the county representatives.

Continuous efforts were exerted by the Conference to encourage the NPFL Delegation to return to the Conference hall.

These efforts were unsuccessful.

As the NPFL Delegation was not in attendance at the Conference immediately prior to elections, the Conference decided to

revert to the republican structure of government.

INTERIM GOVERNMENT

The Executive

The Conference formed an interim government, known as the Government of National Unity.

Upon the joint nomination by the Political Parties and interest groups, Dr. Amos Claudius Sawyer was endorsed by the Conference as President of the Interim Government of National Unity, Republic of Liberia.

The Independent National Patriotic front of Liberia {INPFL) nominated the Vice President of the government, in the person of Dr. Peter Naigow, who was endorsed by the Conference.

The Legislature

A unicameral Interim Legislative Assembly is the Legislature for the government.

This Assembly is composed of 51 members as follows:

1. Twenty-six (26) members from the thirteen (13) counties of Liberia with thirteen (13) Representatives coming from the Assembly in Gbarnga and thirteen (13) Representatives from the Assembly in Monrovia,

2. Twelve (12) members, two of whom come from each of the six (6) existing Political Parties;

3. Six (6) members from the NPFL and five (S) members from the INPFL;

and

4. Two (2) members from the Interest Groups not serving on the Interim Elections Commission.

The Speaker and 1be Deputy Speaker shall be elected by the Interim Legislative Assembly.

The Judiciary

All Justices of the Supreme Court and Judges of the Subordinate Courts shall be appointed by the President in consultation with the National Bar Association.

THE INTERIM ELECTIONS COMMISSION

Composition

An Independent Interim Elections Commission was established by the Conference and composed of Representatives from the following Interest Groups:

The National Bar Association of Liberia

The Press Union of Liberia

The Liberia Medical and Dental Associations

The Women Development Association ot Liberia

The Muslim Council of Liberia

The Liberia Council of Churches

The Liberian Business Caucus

Eligihilitv of Members

Interim Elections Commission shall make the necessary preparations in formulating an Elections Programme for general and presidential elections, scheduled to be held on the date constitutionally provided for, that is the Second Tuesday in October, 1991.

Contesting in the Ensuing Elections

All employees of Government wishing to contest in the ensuing general and presidential elections, shall resign their positions prior to the commencement of the campaign period.

Monitoring of General and Presidential Elections

The activities of the Interim Elections Commission during ensuing general and presidential elections shall be monitored by international agencies such as:

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

The United Nations (UN)

The Organisation of African Unity (OAU)

The Republican Institute for International Affairs (RllA) of the United States of America

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) of the United States of America

And, individuals as well as other organisations selected by the Interim Elections Commission.

RESOLUTIONS

The Conference made the following resolutions;

(a) That conditional amnesty be granted to all Liberians who served as combantants in the civil war in Liberia;

(b) That appropriate tributes be made throughout Liberia to the memory of the people who died as a result of the civil war;

(c) That the Nation's gratitude goes to Bishop Ronald J. Diggs for his tenure of service as Interim Vice President of Liberia;

and

(d) That the NPFL-backed military incursion into Sierra Leone be denounced and that solidarity be expressed with the government and people of Sierra Leone as they defend their territorial integrity.

INDUCTION

The President-Elect, Dr. Amos Claudius Sawyer and the Vice-President-elect, Dr. Peter Naigow, were inducted into their respective offices by Associate Justice J. Bayogar Junius on April 20, 1991 at the Unity Conference Centre, Virginia, Liberia

SUBMITTED BY:

THE ALL-LIBERIA NATIONAL CONFERENCE