Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy
Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) was a rebel group in
Liberia that had been active since
1999. The group's only stated political purpose during the civil war that followed its rebellion against President
Charles Taylor was to force him out of office. It was believed that the group was strongly supported or controlled by the government of neighboring
Guinea, and it has been accused of widespread atrocities during its war against Taylor's government. This was proven after the group's first incursion in April of 2000 on Lofa County, the border area between Guinea and Liberia.
The group controlled northern Liberia and had its headquarters at
Tubmanburg in Bomi County. A large majority of the group's fighters were
Muslims from the Mandingo and Khran ethnic groups. On June 4, 2003, the group laid siege to Liberia's capital,
Monrovia, and assaulted the city during several bloody battles, although it was unable to capture it. During the siege, the group was accused of firing mortar shells into civilian areas of the city, killing dozens, if not hundreds of people.
But independent investigations conducted by civil society groupings said the widespread death caused was also due to Charles Taylor's
Anti Terrorist Unit and other militias.
LURD's successes in occupying northern Liberia and besieging Monrovia, in addition to the successes of another rebel group in southern Liberia (the
Movement for Democracy in Liberia, or MODEL) and heavy pressure from the
United States and the international community, effectively forced President Taylor to resign and go into exile in
Nigeria on
August 11,
2003, as part of a peace agreement. A transitional government headed by
Gyude Bryant was established on
October 14, and it included many representatives of LURD, most notably one of its founders,
George Dweh, as speaker of parliament.
George Dweh was suspended indefinitely as Speaker of the House of Representatives on April 28, 2005 along with his deputy Eddington Varmah and Ways, Means & Finance's Committee Chairman Tarplah Doe for widespread corruption.
In
January 2004, LURD was divided by a power struggle between its chairman,
Sekou Conneh, and his wife
Aisha Conneh, who is an adviser to the President of
Guinea,
Lansana Conté. The group has promised to disarm as part of the
2003 peace agreement, although it has been accused of simply moving most of its weapons into safe keeping across the border in
Sierra Leone.
The United Nation Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) have completed the disarmament of 100,000 ex-combatants from LURD, MODEL and the ex-government of Liberia. The process commenced on December 7, 2003 but was abruptly stopped after militia men demanded money for handing in their guns. The process re-commenced and each ex-combatant received 300 United States dollars.
