The United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO) was a pro-government militia that participated in the

First Liberian Civil War The First Liberian Civil War was the first of Second Liberian Civil War, two civil wars within the West African nation of Liberia which lasted between 1989 and 1997. President Samuel Doe's regime of totalitarianism and widespread Political cor ...

(1989–1996). ULIMO was formed in May 1991 by

Krahn The Krahn are an ethnic group of Liberia and Ivory Coast. This group belongs to the Kru language family and its people are sometimes referred to as the Wee, Guéré, Sapo, or Wobe. It is likely that Western contact with the Kru language is the p ...

and Mandingo refugees and soldiers who had fought in the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) fighters.Damrosch, Lori Fisler. ''Enforcing Restraint: Collective Intervention in Internal Conflicts'', 1993. Page 170. It was led by Alhadji Kromah and Raleigh Seekie, a deputy

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

in the Doe government. After fighting alongside the Sierra Leonean army against the

Revolutionary United Front The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was a rebel group that fought a failed eleven-year war in Sierra Leone, beginning in 1991 and ending in 2002. It later transformed into a political party, which still exists today. The three most senior surv ...

(RUF), ULIMO forces entered western Liberia in September 1991. The group scored significant gains in areas held by another rebel group – the

National Patriotic Front of Liberia The National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) was a Liberian rebel group that initiated and participated in the First Liberian Civil War from 24 December 1989 – 2 August 1997. The NPFL emerged out of rising ethnic tensions and civil unrest du ...

(NPFL), notably around the

diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...

mining areas of Lofa and Bomi

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

. From its outset, ULIMO was beset with internal divisions and the group effectively broke into two separate militias in 1994: ULIMO-J, an ethnic

faction led by General

Roosevelt Johnson David Roosevelt Johnson (died October 23, 2004) was a Liberian military officer and warlord who led the ULIMO rebel group during the First Liberian Civil War. He was not a member of the Krahn ethnic group that he fought for; however, his wife w ...

, and ULIMO-K, a Mandingo-based faction led by Alhaji G. V. Kromah. ULIMO-J was poorly ruled, which led to leadership struggles and general discontent among its fighters. It had approximately 8,000

combatants Combatant is the legal status of a person entitled to directly participate in hostilities during an armed conflict, and may be intentionally targeted by an adverse party for their participation in the armed conflict. Combatants are not afforded i ...

. ULIMO-K was relatively united under Kromah, in contrast to the fractious nature of the ULIMO-J. It had approximately 12,000 combatants. The group, both before and after its breakup, committed serious violations of

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

List of ULIMO Commanders

Mohammed Jabbateh Mohammed Jabbateh (born September 1966, sometimes Jabateh), also known by his nom de guerre Jungle Jabbah, is a Liberian war criminal and former United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO) and ULIMO-K commander who was convicted ...

aka "Jungle Jabbah" (ULIMO-K since 1994) *

(ULIMO-J since 1994) * Kunti Kamara * Alieu Kosiah * Alhadji Kromah (ULIMO-K since 1994) * General Butt Naked (ULIMO-J since 1994) * Raleigh Seekie * Armah Youlo

References

{{Authority control 1991 establishments in Liberia Rebel groups in Liberia Krahn people