Civil war in Liberia - Admission/Application Essay Example

Civil War in Liberia Causes Several key factors can be traced to be the causes of the Civil War in Liberia. Large portions of society were excluded and marginalized with regards to the institutions of political governance and access to important economic assets in the form of land, etc. A closed political system was followed in Liberia with overconcentration of power that resulted in corruption among the various other instigating reasons. The others included restricted access to decision making with particular focus on the indigenous population.

Consequently ethnic strife and class animosities and rivalries developed quickly. Fuelling all this was the collapse of the economy, because of the bad economic policies followed by the government. All these factors set the ideal conditions for the civil war in Liberia. (1). Effects The Civil War led to severe destruction and several negative long-term consequences. The death toll was estimated to be around 270,000. Several hundred thousand of the population was internally displaced, turning them into refugees with ruined lives.

Most of the civil and national institutions became nonexistent, removing the checks and balances in the society, and leading to the absence of the rule of law. Furthermore, the media was thoroughly weakened and corruption in its different forms became the rule of the day. The external debt rose to $3.7 billion, constituting 800% of the GDP and 3,000% of the export earnings of Liberia. Almost 75% of the population found themselves below the poverty line of $1 per day. The major proportion of the population, including the youth, became bereft of employment and a means to livelihood, stemming from the disastrous political, social, and economic effects that included the international sanctions against Liberia.

Most of the population was devoid of the basic needs of life that included health, education, food security, and drinking water. This situation as a consequence of the Civil war called for immediate mitigation to prevent destabilization of Liberia. (1). Works Cited 1. International Monetary Fund. Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy: Republic of Liberia. Washington, D.C.: IMF Publications, 2007.