-To Mend Liberia’s War Wounds
By Shallon S. Gonlor
Sanniquellie, Nimba County – 35 years after fleeing Liberia’s violence, Celue Doe-Addo, daughter of late President Samuel Doe, stood before Nimba County leaders Thursday with an urgent plea: “Let us throw behind what happened yesterday.”
The emotional reconciliation tour marks the first time a member of the Doe family has publicly addressed wartime tensions between Nimba and Grand Gedeh counties since the civil war that claimed over 250,000 lives.
Meeting with county officials in Sanniquellie’s administrative complex, the 42-year-old exile-turned-peacebuilder confronted the legacy of ethnic violence between the Gio/Mano communities of Nimba and Krahn people of Grand Gedeh – divisions weaponized during her father’s presidency and the subsequent Taylor rebellion.
“We were intermarried then. We’re still intermarried now,” Doe-Addo implored, her voice breaking. “Brothers against brothers. Sisters against sisters. That’s not what our forefathers wanted.”
Her March 28 return – exactly 35 years after fleeing Liberia at age seven – launches a personal crusade to heal wounds from the 1989-2003 conflict that began when NPFL rebels exploited tensions following the execution of Nimba-born Thomas Quiwonkpa, a rival to President Doe.
The conflict’s scars remain fresh: Doe’s alleged “scorched earth” retaliation against Gio/Mano communities, NPFL’s brutal counter-campaigns against Krahn civilians and Generations traumatized by mass killings and displacement
“These bitterness scars still mark our society,” acknowledged Nimba County Superintendent David Dorr Cooper during the closed-door talks. “But Madam Doe-Addo’s courage in coming here starts a necessary conversation.”
Blueprint for Reconciliation
The peace initiative focuses on: Inter-County Dialogues: Regular meetings between traditional and religious leaders, Youth Exchange Programs: Rebuilding broken social ties, and Memorial Projects: Honoring victims from all sides.
“God makes no mistakes,” Doe-Addo told the gathering. “As Grand Gedehans and Nimbaians, we must return to where we once stood together.”
The peacebuilder issued a stark warning against manipulation: “Politicians fooled us before. We cannot let them divide us again with lies.” Her message resonated in a county preparing for contentious senatorial elections.
The tour continues next week in Grand Gedeh, where Doe-Addo will meet Krahn leaders. The Carter Center has offered to document the process as a model for post-conflict reconciliation. “Today isn’t about Samuel Doe or Charles Taylor,” she concluded. “It’s about our children having a Liberia where ‘county of origin’ doesn’t determine your fate.”
