In 1980, Samuel K. Doe organized and led a violent coup that executed William R. Tolbert and established the People’s Redemption Council, which suspended the constitution and granted him the presidency. It also marked the end of Americo-Liberian supremacy in political affairs. Doe was of indigenous Liberian, specifically Krahn, descent and his rule took on an ethnic base as the Krahn people dominated politics under his government, spurring the ethnic animosity that has plagued the country.

The first civil war broke out in 1989, when Charles Taylor led rebels in an invasion strongly supported by surrounding countries and oppressed minorities. In 1996, Nigeria negotiated a ceasefire, ending one of Africa’s most brutal wars with 200,000 dead and the country ravaged.

In 1997, Taylor won special elections and two opposition groups arose. The main one was the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), creating an insurgency in the north, and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), began an offensive effort in the south. In 2002, a state of emergency was declared by Liberia. The war reached its peak in 2003, and a cease-fire was agreed to in June. That August, Taylor left the presidency for safe haven in Nigeria.