| 1994 Liberian coup attempt | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofFirst Liberian Civil War | |||||||
 Map of Liberia | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Liberian National Transitional GovernmentArmed Forces of Liberia ECOMOG | AFL Dissident faction | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| David D. Kpormakpor | Charles Julu | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 100 soldiers | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| At least 1 civilian | |||||||
The1994 Liberian coup attempt was a failedcoup d'état inLiberia by dissident elements of theArmed Forces of Liberia (AFL),[1] led byGeneralCharles Julu, against theLiberian National Transitional Government (LNTG), during theFirst Liberian Civil War. Peacekeeping forces part of theEconomic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) crushed the attempted military overthrow.[2]
The coup attempt was launched on September 15, with some hundred AFL soldiers led by General Charles Julu under the banner of theNew Horizon for New Direction seizing control of the administrativeExecutive Mansion inMonrovia.[3][4] The dissident forces also attempted to take control of the country's state radio and telecommunications but were later routed by peacekeeping forces.[5] The last holdout of the failed coup, the coastal mansion was continually shelled by peacekeeper gunboats and tanks.[5][6] A shell fired from one of the gunboats accidentally landed near the localInternational Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) office, resulting in a single civilian casualty.[5][6] After a successful assault on the mansion which saw peacekeeping forces regain control, the coup attempt was at last thwarted.[5]
Following the failed coup d'état, ECOMOG troops detained General Charles Julu along with around eighty others, taking them into their custody.[7] The coup leader was sentenced tolife imprisonment forsedition yet was later released in 1996.[3]President Kpormakpor of the transitional government sought to punish the AFL for not intervening to stop the coup despite knowing about it in advance, using his role asCommander-in-Chief to call for the removal of top AFL officials from their posts.[8] Non-compliance by the AFL regarding President Kpormakpor's orders led to further clashes between them and ECOMOG forces.[8]
During Charles Julu's testimony to theTruth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Liberia, the retired general explained the primary motive to the coup attempt was to prevent a perceived power vacuum from occurring, as the mandate for the transitional government was soon expiring.[3] Thus, he found it necessary to intervene militarily and make sure Liberia didn't suffer from chaos and political instability.[3] Charles Julu also aimed to prevent rebel leaderCharles Taylor from seizing power, fearing he would only further destabilize the country.[3] By temporarily occupying the Executive Mansion, he believed he could thwart Taylor's efforts.[3]
