Relationship dossier
Liberia
Sierra Leone
Relationship assessment
Mano River Union cooperation alongside conflict-era tensions
Liberia toward Sierra Leone
-20Charles Taylor’s Liberian government supported Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front during Sierra Leone’s civil war, contributing to severe bilateral tensions. Later regional cooperation through the Mano River Union provides a countervailing element.
Sierra Leone toward Liberia
+15Sierra Leone participated in regional security efforts, including the ECOWAS intervention in Liberia during the Liberian civil war, and has cooperated with Liberia through the Mano River Union. The extent of later direct bilateral cooperation is unclear.
Overall relationship
0The relationship combines a durable regional framework for cooperation, particularly through the Mano River Union, with the damaging effects of Liberia’s support for Sierra Leone’s rebel movement during the civil war. Postwar regional cooperation has reduced the prominence of that conflict, but its scope and durability are not clear enough to characterize the relationship as substantially cooperative.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Liberia and Sierra Leone have a history of regional cooperation through the Mano River Union, alongside serious conflict-related tensions. Charles Taylor’s Liberian government supported Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front during Sierra Leone’s civil war. Subsequent postwar cooperation has taken place through regional mechanisms, but the relationship’s full scope and implementation are unclear.
Areas of tension
- Liberian support for Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front during the civil war.
- Conflict-related cross-border security concerns.
Key developments
Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea established the Mano River Union as a framework for regional cooperation.
Charles Taylor’s Liberian government supported Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front during Sierra Leone’s civil war.
Sierra Leone participated in the ECOWAS intervention in Liberia during the Liberian civil war.
Major uncertainties
- The extent and continuity of postwar bilateral security and economic cooperation are unclear.
- The scope of current government-to-government cooperation through the Mano River Union is unclear.