Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia
Encyclopedia
The Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL) was a rebel group that participated in the First Liberian Civil War under the leadership of Prince Johnson
. It was a breakaway faction of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia
(NPFL).
The INPFL was formed by Prince Johnson after a leadership dispute with NPFL leader Charles Taylor over his authority as self-proclaimed head of the National Patriotic Reconstruction Assembly Government
(NPRAG), an alternative government that was based in the Bong County
town of Gbarnga
.
Initially estimated at less than 500 troops, the INPFL was a significant force in the early stages of the war. It controlled a number of strategic points within the capital city of Monrovia
and facilitated the deployment of Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) cease-fire monitoring group forces, known as ECOMOG.
It was the INPFL, which captured and murdered President Samuel Doe
in September 1990.
The faction disintegrated in the wake of internal wrangling over its level of co-operation with the interim government, ECOMOG and the NPFL. Through 1991, its role in the conflict substantially declined and the faction formally disbanded in late 1992.
Prince Johnson
Prince Yormie Johnson is a Liberian politician and the current Senior Senator from Nimba County."Prince" is a common given name for males in Liberia, rather than a royal title...
. It was a breakaway faction of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia
National Patriotic Front of Liberia
The National Patriotic Front of Liberia was a rebel group that initiated and participated in the First Liberian Civil War from 1989 to 1996.-Leadership:...
(NPFL).
The INPFL was formed by Prince Johnson after a leadership dispute with NPFL leader Charles Taylor over his authority as self-proclaimed head of the National Patriotic Reconstruction Assembly Government
National Patriotic Reconstruction Assembly Government
The National Patriotic Reconstruction Assembly Government was a self-declared, alternative administration established in early 1991 in areas held by the rebel National Patriotic Front of Liberia during the country's civil war. It was formed in opposition to the internationally recognized Interim...
(NPRAG), an alternative government that was based in the Bong County
Bong County
Bong is a county in the north-central portion of the West African nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has twelve districts. Gbarnga serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring...
town of Gbarnga
Gbarnga
Gbarnga is the capital city of Bong County, Liberia, lying north east of Monrovia. Bong County is one of the over 13 political subdivisions of Liberia known as counties. During the First Liberian Civil War, it was the base for Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia...
.
Initially estimated at less than 500 troops, the INPFL was a significant force in the early stages of the war. It controlled a number of strategic points within the capital city of Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
and facilitated the deployment of Economic Community of West African States
Economic Community of West African States
The Economic Community of West African States is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region....
(ECOWAS) cease-fire monitoring group forces, known as ECOMOG.
It was the INPFL, which captured and murdered President Samuel Doe
Samuel Doe
Samuel Kanyon Doe was the 21st President of Liberia, serving from 1986 until his assassination in 1990. He had previously served as Chairman of the People's Redemption Council from 1980 to 1986. He was the first indigenous head of state in Liberian history.Doe was a part of a rural tribe in inland...
in September 1990.
The faction disintegrated in the wake of internal wrangling over its level of co-operation with the interim government, ECOMOG and the NPFL. Through 1991, its role in the conflict substantially declined and the faction formally disbanded in late 1992.