Thread by @ManjaKoi

The 1980 coup in #Liberia 🇱🇷 altered the course of the country’s #history. The Coup was supposedly led by illiterate Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe.

He didn’t really plan the coup against President Tolbert however, he served greater #CIA 🇺🇸 interest.

A Thread🧵…

Liberia in the late 70s was going through turbulent times. Long standing issues such as the price of food, wealth inequality and political freedom where present.
Former President William Tubman was able to keep everything stable, but the current President Tolbert wasn’t as adept.

Despite his flaws and lack of charisma, William Tolbert was much more bolder with his foreign policy than his predecessor.
Tolbert fully embraced Pan Africanism, new African states, training leftist ANC anti apartheid Guerrillas in Liberia, and had relations with the socialists.

Tolbert grew up, up river St Paul in a Kpelle speaking area. He spoke the language fluently and gave speeches in Kpelle.
He also would commonly dress in traditional clothing and encouraged “Americo” Liberians to embrace their African identity.

The Liberian economy was also growing during Tolberts administration and was one of the fastest growing economies in Africa.

The Rubber industry was flourishing and the Iron ore industry was doing very well. Tolbert also took back control of the Mesurado group from the Swiss🇨🇭.

Despite all the success there where still long standing, and current issues in Liberia that all reared their head under Tolberts tenure.
The Rice Riots of 1979 caused chaos in the Capital and made the Tolbert regime look weak and unable to take care of or suppress the population.

The “Progressive” opposition who planned the riots wanted a peaceful protest, but they just ended up trashing Monrovia for 3 days straight.
Their demands for cheap rice and multi party democracy where lost in the chaos they caused. Tolbert order the leader to be brought to him.

The opposition leader Gabriel Baccus Matthews, crossed the line in Tolbert’s eyes.
Tolbert told Barcus if he pulled anything like the riots again he’d sign his death warrant.
Tolbert was a preacher and Freemason, not a cold blooded killer, but his execution warning was serious.

Washington grew tired and of Tolbert.
They disliked his strong voice in African Affairs
despite Liberias tiny size. Liberias self sufficiency was seen as a threat.
Scared Tolbert would flip to the socialist block, the CIA organized a coup in Liberia. It was Cold War politics.

The Liberian security forces incompetence during the Rice Riots was obvious. Jets from Guinea where even called in to intimidate the mob.
This prompted the United States🇺🇸 to offer to send in “outside help” to “train” some Liberian security forces get better at “crowd control”.

President Tolbert was dissatisfied with the performance of Liberias security forces, they not only failed to stop the riots, but they also killed several civilians. Tolbert accepted the assistance in training from US special forces.

This decision would cost Tolbert his life.

The US sent in special forces units to train a select few squads in Liberia. One private in these squads was Samuel Doe. He did well in his training and was promoted to Master Sergeant.

These trainees where poor Liberians who resented the elite Congo dominated True Whig party.

They also sympathized with the opposition and resented Tolbert for threatening Barkus Mathews with a death warrant.
The American special forces presented the trainees with their plans to overthrow the Liberian government.
Tired of a century long True Whig rule, they accepted.

The Americans planned the entire thing operation.
Tolbert was doomed to certain death, they had assassination squads planted at his house and the executive mansion.
These low level squads now had training from special forces and could easily overwhelm Execute Mansion security.

A group led by Major Jerbo was stationed at Tolbert’s house in Bensonville where the president was expected to return at night to assassinate him.
Doe’s squad was sent to take the executive mansion.
Tolbert unexpectedly changed his mind that night and stayed in his office.

The coup was launched. Doe’s squad attacked the Executive Mansion.
There was a firefight. The guards resisted Doe’s men but their training with US special forces gave the rouges the upper hand. The assassins also had the element of surprise.
The Liberian cabinet was captured.

Tolbert was captured and assassinated in the Executive Mansion Penthouse.
Many Liberian cabinet ministers where unceremoniously executed on a beach.
The squad that carried out the bloody coup declared themselves the ruling Junta of Liberia and Doe promoted himself to General.

After the executive Mansion was captured the Government was overthrown. Emboldened with US support the individual squad members decided they could rule Liberia themselves.
The only problem was no one wanted to be president. Not even the living ex cabinet members.

The Junta members formed the “Peoples Redemption Consul”(PRC) with Doe, their highest ranking official, as chairman.
The consul was an incompetent corrupt far right junta controlled by the United States, but the consul cloaked itself with a fake leftist pro indigenous aesthetic.

Many Liberians especially indigenous celebrated that the True Whig Party was overthrown. They had ruled Liberia for a century straight up until 1980.
Doe said to them on the radio “You have da powwa now!”
Indigenous Liberians where happy but this honeymoon period didnt last long.

The Congo Liberian community was in shock and mourning about the coup and immediately hated the Junta.
Average Liberians would change their mind and also hate the new PRC when they proved unable to improve their lives and their leadership proven to be a band of criminal rouges.

Samuel Doe told all enlisted men not to obey their officers and he ordered soldiers to kill all his rivals in the Junta consul.
One of these people purged was Major Jerbo. Doe’s own junta was Turing on him. He relied totally on Washington for support until their fallout in 1985.

End of 🧵.
Doe tried to get educated, but he still ruled Liberia as a stupid tyrant.
The US would try regime change again soon after they lost control of him.
Historic opinion treats US involvement in the Coup as a conspiracy theory despite all the evidence.
Thanks for reading👋🏿

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