Editing Armed Forces of Liberia (section)

===Rebuilding the AFL===
[[File:AFL soldiers 2008.jpg|thumb|alt=A colour photograph of soldiers on a naval vessel being inspected by President Ellen Johnson Sirlef and a senior military officer. The soldiers are wearing disruptive pattern camouflage uniforms and are standing in ranks across the deck|President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf inspecting AFL soldiers on board [[USS Fort McHenry (LSD-43)|USS ''Fort McHenry'']] in 2008]]

Part 4 (Articles VI and VII) of the August 2003 [[Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement]] (CPA) which ended the Second Liberian Civil War addressed security sector reform.<ref name=CPA>{{cite web|url=http://www.usip.org/resources/peace-agreements-liberia|title=Link to Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement, August 18, 2003|website=[[United States Institute of Peace]]|access-date=January 7, 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101016160631/http://www.usip.org/resources/peace-agreements-liberia|archive-date=October 16, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref> It declared that future recruits for the new AFL would be screened for their fitness for service as well as prior human rights violations, that the new force would be ethnically balanced and without political bias, and that the new force's mission would be to defend national sovereignty and "in extremis" respond to natural disasters.<ref name=CPA />

By March 1, 2005, over a year after the war ended, the [[United Nations Mission in Liberia]] (UNMIL) had disarmed and demobilized 103,018 people<ref>National Commission on Disarmament, Demobilization, Rehabilitation and Reintegration, DDRR Consolidated Report Phase (Status of Disarmament and Demobilization Activities as at January 16, 2005). 1,2 & 3, cited in Ebo, 2005. The UN Secretary-General's 6th Report on UNMIL, S/2005/177, dated March 17, 2005, paragraph 22, gives 101,495.</ref> who claimed to have fought for former president [[Charles G. Taylor|Charles Taylor]] or the two rebel groups, [[Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy]] (LURD) or the [[Movement for Democracy in Liberia]] (MODEL). That year most former AFL elements were concentrated at Camp Schiefflin.<ref name="globalsecurity.org"/> The previous AFL personnel, including those of the Navy and Air Force, were slowly retired with pensions obtained by the MND and international partners from a number of international donors.<ref>{{cite web|author=[[United Nations Mission in Liberia]]|title=History|url=http://unmil.org/1content.asp?ccat=history&zdoc=1|access-date=October 3, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122132845/http://unmil.org/1content.asp?ccat=history&zdoc=1|archive-date=January 22, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

In 2005, the United States provided funding for [[DynCorp International]] and Pacific Architects & Engineers, [[private military contractor]]s, to train a new 4,000-man Liberian military.<ref>{{cite web |title=Liberia: US Hires Private Company to Train 4,000 strong military |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2005/02/mil-050215-irin01.htm |date=February 15, 2005 |publisher=IRINNEWS.org |access-date=April 25, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617105556/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2005/02/mil-050215-irin01.htm |archive-date=June 17, 2010 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} See funding for 2007–2009 at [http://2001-2009.state.gov/t/pm/64675.htm US State Dept] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524230604/https://2001-2009.state.gov/t/pm/64675.htm |date=May 24, 2019 }}</ref> DynCorp was made responsible for individual training and PA&E unit training. In June–July 2005 the projected force strength was reduced to 2000 men. DynCorp and the U.S. Embassy scrutinized the personnel for the new armed forces thoroughly. Recruits had to pass a literacy test, an aptitude test, a drug test and an HIV test, and their names and faces were put on posters which are distributed to try to make sure none have a history of war crimes or other human rights violations.<ref>{{cite news |title=An Army unsullied by past |author=Michael M. Phillips |url=https://www.wsj.com/public/article/SB118703899075796334-_s116GbyvQ_1_yklnMDN_yk4uTw_20070820.html?mod=regionallinks |date=August 14, 2007 |work=Wall Street Journal }}{{Dead link|date=December 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> A new batch of 500 screened personnel started to arrive at the Camp Ware base at VOA [[Careysburg]], inland from Monrovia, for initial training in early November 2007,<ref>D. Webster Cassell, [http://allafrica.com/stories/200711080792.html Liberia: New AFL Recruits Go Into Training] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109182342/http://allafrica.com/stories/200711080792.html |date=November 9, 2007 }}, allAfrica.com, November 8, 2007</ref> joining 608 others who had graduated earlier.<ref>The Analyst Newspaper, Liberia : AFL Regaining Shape, September 2007 (Nonfunctioning link removed).</ref>

The Minister of Defense that President [[Ellen Johnson Sirleaf]] appointed in early 2006, [[Brownie Samukai]], had a good public reputation.<ref>IRIN, [http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=57835 LIBERIA: Sirleaf unveils first members of new peacetime government] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013063459/http://irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=57835 |date=October 13, 2007 }}, January 17, 2006</ref>

[[File:Major Keith Vital with AFL big.jpg|thumb|A [[U.S. Marine Corps]] officer speaks to AFL troops during a 2009 training exercise.]]
There appears to be some lack of coordination, at least according to ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', between the [[Ministry of National Defense (Liberia)|Ministry of National Defense]] and [[DynCorp]], who is training the new army. 
The newspaper said in an August 2007 report:
<blockquote>Mr. Samukai also complains that he feels sidelined from the formation of an army that, as defense minister, he is supposed to oversee. Neither the State Department nor DynCorp will let him see the company's contract, for instance. And the U.S. insists that instead of talking directly to DynCorp managers, he go through Major Wyatt [chief of the [[United States Security Assistance Organizations|Office of Defense Cooperation]] at the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia] on all matters related to the training.<ref>Michael M. Phillips, [https://www.wsj.com/public/article/SB118703899075796334-_s116GbyvQ_1_yklnMDN_yk4uTw_20070820.html?mod=regionallinks An Army unsuilled by past]{{Dead link|date=December 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', August 14, 2007</ref>  </blockquote>

Whether well regarded or not, Samukai has been accused of misusing his power; there have been allegations that he has ordered soldiers to manhandle other senior Liberian government officials—the Comptroller General of the Ministry of Finance in August 2008.<ref>The Inquirer (Monrovia), [http://allafrica.com/stories/200808220866.html Liberia: Prince Johnson wants investigation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920035455/http://allafrica.com/stories/200808220866.html |date=September 20, 2008 }}, August 22, 2008</ref>

On January 11, 2008, a total 485 soldiers graduated from Initial Entry Training class 08–01.  The addition of this third class of soldiers, consisting of 468 men and 17 women, raised the total strength of the AFL from 639 to 1,124.<ref>International Crisis Group, [http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/africa/west-africa/liberia/148-liberia-uneven-progress-in-security-sector-reform.aspx ''Liberia: Uneven Progress in Security Sector Reform'', Africa Report No. 148] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100805072803/http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/africa/west-africa/liberia/148-liberia-uneven-progress-in-security-sector-reform.aspx |date=August 5, 2010 }}, January 13, 2009, p.13, and Lieutenant Colonel William C. Wyatt's blog, [http://monroviamonitor.blogspot.com/ Monrovia Daily Monitor] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708053653/http://monroviamonitor.blogspot.com/ |date=July 8, 2011 }}</ref> As the new Liberian force developed, UNMIL started winding down its initially 15,000 strong peacekeeping mission; by 2008 the force had been reduced to 11,000.<ref>[http://allafrica.com/stories/200802220937.html Liberia: Govt pleads for UNMIL's full presence] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226045057/http://allafrica.com/stories/200802220937.html |date=February 26, 2008 }}, February 22, 2008</ref>

In the interim buildup period, President Johnson-Sirleaf decided that a Nigerian officer would act as the Command Officer-In-Charge of the new armed forces. Major General [[Suraj Abdurrahman]] succeeded the previous incumbent, Lieutenant General [[Luka Yusuf]], in early June 2007; Lieutenant General Yusuf had been posted home to Nigeria to become [[Chief of Army Staff (Nigeria)|Chief of Army Staff]].<ref>Charles B. Yates, [http://allafrica.com/stories/200706110911.html Liberia: Army Gets New Commander] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002222248/http://allafrica.com/stories/200706110911.html |date=October 2, 2012 }}, The Inquirer (Monrovia), June 11, 2007, See also AfriqueJet.com, [http://www.afriquejet.com/news/africa-news/liberia-gets-new-nigerian-chief-of-staff-2009011119309.html Liberia gets new Nigerian Chief of Staff] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005231408/http://www.afriquejet.com/news/africa-news/liberia-gets-new-nigerian-chief-of-staff-2009011119309.html |date=October 5, 2011 }}, 2009</ref>

Luka had succeeded the previous Liberian Chief of Staff, Kpenkpa Y. Konah, in 2006. In mid-July 2008, five reinstated AFL officers returned from the Nigerian Armed Forces Command and Staff College after training there. These officers include Lt Cols. Sekou S. Sheriff, Boakai B. Kamara, Aaron T. Johnson, Daniel K. Moore and Major Andrew J. Wleh.<ref>New Liberian, {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160305184029/http://newliberian.com/?p=438 Five Reinstated AFL Officers Complete Senior Leadership Training in Nigeria]}}, July 16, 2008</ref> Subsequently, Aaron T. Johnson was promoted to colonel and confirmed by the Liberian Senate as Deputy Chief of Staff of the AFL, immediately subordinate to General Abdurrahman.<ref>[[Ministry of National Defense (Liberia)]], 'Profile of AFL Deputy Chief of Staff (DCOS),' ''Armed Forces Today,'' Vol. 3, No. 1, February 11, 2009</ref> A number of the current senior AFL officers have been drawn from the ranks of the previous 1993–94 Interim Government of National Unity paramilitary police force, the 'Black Berets.'<ref>Thomas Kai Toteh, [http://www.liberianforum.com/Articles/Progressives-Deception-to-create-Black-Berets-and-their-trail-of-violence.html Progressive Deception to create Black Berets and their trail of violence] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713203800/http://www.liberianforum.com/Articles/Progressives-Deception-to-create-Black-Berets-and-their-trail-of-violence.html |date=July 13, 2011 }}. Retrieved August 18, 2010</ref>

Facility reconstruction has not been limited to VOA/Camp Ware and Schiefflin/EBK. The Chinese Government offered in 2006 to rebuild Camp Tubman in [[Gbarnga]],<ref>AllAfrica, [http://allafrica.com/stories/200611080489.html Liberia: Chinese to Build Camp Tubman] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007232500/http://allafrica.com/stories/200611080489.html |date=October 7, 2012 }}, link verified April 2009, and AllAfrica, [http://allafrica.com/stories/200707240882.html Liberia: GOL breaks ground for military barracks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007232507/http://allafrica.com/stories/200707240882.html |date=October 7, 2012 }}, July 2007</ref> and the new facility was opened in April 2009. There is also a plan to rebuild Camp Todee in [[Todee District]], upper [[Montserrado]].<ref>'Citizens of Todee Celebrate Road Rehabilitation and Development Initiatives Gifts from American People,' Monrovia ''Daily Observer,'' Wednesday, May 27, 2009, p.6b</ref> The Barclay Training Center (BTC) was handed back to the Government of Liberia on July 31, 2009, at a ceremony attended by the Minister for National Defense and the United States Ambassador after four years of management by [[DynCorp]].<ref>The Informer (Monrovia), [http://allafrica.com/stories/200907300704.html Barclay Training Center to be handed over to Defense Ministry] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604105756/http://allafrica.com/stories/200907300704.html |date=June 4, 2011 }}, July 31, 2009</ref>

In October 2009 a [[State Partnership Program]] relationship was begun between the AFL and the U.S. state of Michigan's [[Michigan National Guard]].<ref>TSgt Dan Heaton ([[127th Wing]]), [https://www.ang.af.mil/News/story_print/id/123199311/ Multi-State Efforts Support West African Partner], Air Force Print News Today, April 12, 2010, and The Inquirer, [http://theinquirer.com.lr/story.php?record_id=4281&sub=14 Defense Minister hosts Michigan National Guard's Adjutant General]{{dead link|date=September 2018|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, June–July 2011</ref> Of the other large number of security agencies, plans existed as of mid-2008 at least to dissolve the Ministry of National Security, the National Bureau of Investigation and the [[Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency]]. The 2009–2010 budget appears to indicate however that this consolidation has not taken place.