The Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement or Accra Peace Agreement was the final peace agreement in the
Second Liberian Civil War
The Second Liberian Civil War was a civil war in the West African nation of Liberia that lasted from 1999 to 2003. The war was mainly caused by transition failures after the First Civil War, especially the peace-building process which would res ...
. It was signed on 18 August 2003 in
Accra
Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...
,
Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
. It was created following the signing of a ceasefire agreement on 17 June 2003 and "intensive back-door negotiations" beginning on 4 June in
Akosombo
Akosombo is a small town in the south of the Asuogyaman District, Eastern Region, Ghana with notable street names of some African countries in the sub-region like Ghana, Congo, Namibia, Lagos-town, and Freetown. It is occupied by people of ...
,
Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
.
The Agreement called for the establishment of a post-war two-year transitional government ( National Transitional Government of Liberia) which would consist of 76 members: 12 each from the three warring parties; 18 from political parties; seven from civil society and special interest groups; and one from each of Liberia's 15 counties. The warring parties, the opposition parties and civil society groups agreed to share ministerial portfolios and employment opportunities in the cabinet and parliament and elections were to be held no later than 2005.
The peace agreement covered a broad range of intended reforms; committing to a human rights inquiry through a truth commission, and vetting of the security forces on human rights grounds. Former Nigerian Head of State General
Abdulsalami Abubakar
Abdulsalami Abubakar (; born 13 June 1942) is a retired Nigerian army general who served as the military head of state of Nigeria from 1998 to 1999. He was also Chief of Defence Staff from 1997 to 1998. He succeeded General Sani Abacha upon ...
facilitated the negotiations that led to the agreement. However,
civil society
Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.shelling of Monrovia and the violence in their country. These women were organized by the '
Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace
Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace is a peace movement started in 2003 by women in Monrovia, Liberia, Africa, that worked to end the Second Liberian Civil War. Organized by Crystal Roh Gawding and social workers Leymah Gbowee and Comfort Free ...
'.
Timeline before signing of Agreement
* 4 August 2003 - 198 Nigerian commandos arrived in Monrovia aboard United Nations helicopters.
* 11 August 2003- Charles Taylor resigned and flew to Nigeria.
* 15 August 2003- 200 American Marines under
Joint Task Force Liberia
Joint Task Force Liberia was a joint task force formed from August to October 2003 in response to the crisis that developed during the Second Liberian Civil War. The ongoing civil war destabilized the area and created a large number of refugees as ...
landed in Monrovia joining a marine platoon that had been protecting the U.S. Embassy over the previous month.
* 18 August 2003- Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement is signed in Accra.
Aftermath
Some fighting still continued following the signing of the Peace Agreement. In October. 2003 the
UN Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
authorized a Chapter VII mandate (allowing for intervention) and established a UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), which included the deployment of 15,000 peacekeepers.
On 14 October 2003 an interim government under
Gyude Bryant
Charles Gyude Bryant (17 January 1949 – 16 April 2014) was a Liberian politician and businessman. He served as the Chairman of the Transitional Government of Liberia from 14 October 2003 to 16 January 2006. The installation of the transitional ...
was sworn into power and ruled until the 2005 national elections.
The Liberian general election of 2005 took place on 11 October 2005; a runoff election was held on 8 November 2005 which resulted in
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Ellen Eugenia Johnson Sirleaf (born 29 October 1938) is a Liberian politician who served as the 24th president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. Sirleaf was the first elected female head of state in Africa.
Sirleaf was born in Monrovia to a Gol ...