Liberia at a crossroads: A preliminary look at the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and the protection of civilians

This research paper examines the role of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) in protecting civilians following a 14-year civil war, while also analyzing the preceding contributions of ECOWAS and ECOMIL to conflict resolution.

• The paper argues that the deliberate targeting of civilians in intra-state conflicts since the Cold War necessitates a shift in peacekeeping from a traditional consent-based approach to a multidimensional approach that includes peace enforcement, particularly when crimes against humanity and gross human rights abuses occur.
• The document analyzes the protection of civilians in Liberia by reviewing the roles of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), specifically the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) and the ECOWAS Mission in Liberia (ECOMIL), and the subsequent United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).
• The analysis of UNMIL focuses on its broad mandate and the execution of critical peace-building and peacekeeping tasks, including the reform of the security sector, rule of law, human rights, transitional justice, and DDRR.

APA

Aboagye, F. B., & Bah, A. M. S. (n.d.). Liberia at a crossroads: A preliminary look at the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and the protection of civilians. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/papers/liberia-at-a-crossroads-a-preliminary-look-at-the-united-nations-mission-in-liberia-unmil-and-the-protection-of-civilians

Chicago

Aboagye, Festus B, and Alhaji M. S. Bah. Liberia at a crossroads: A preliminary look at the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and the protection of civilians. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/papers/liberia-at-a-crossroads-a-preliminary-look-at-the-united-nations-mission-in-liberia-unmil-and-the-protection-of-civilians.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Aboagye |first1=Festus B |last2=Bah |first2=Alhaji M. S. |title=Liberia at a crossroads: A preliminary look at the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and the protection of civilians |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/research/papers/liberia-at-a-crossroads-a-preliminary-look-at-the-united-nations-mission-in-liberia-unmil-and-the-protection-of-civilians |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{aboagyendliberia, author = {Aboagye, Festus B and Bah, Alhaji M. S.}, title = {{Liberia at a crossroads: A preliminary look at the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and the protection of civilians}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/papers/liberia-at-a-crossroads-a-preliminary-look-at-the-united-nations-mission-in-liberia-unmil-and-the-protection-of-civilians}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }