Thomas Quiwonkpa

Thomas Quiwonkpa, a Gio from Nimba County, was a Commanding General of the Armed Forces of Liberia and founder of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia.

Related Topics:
Gio - Nimba County - Liberia - National Patriotic Front of Liberia

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In 1983, Quiwonkpa was demoted, and was subsequently charged with an attempt to overthrow the Doe Administration. The charges forced Quiwonkpa to flee the country.

Related Topics:
1983 - Doe

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On November 12, 1985, one month after the election, Quiwonkpa, supported by about 24 heavily armed men, covertly entered Liberia through Sierra Leone, and launched a coup against President Doe. Bad timing, unorthodox methods used by Quiwonkpa and lack of support from the United States resulted in the disastrous failure of the uprising. Quiwonkpa was later captured, killed, mutilated, and allegedly cannibalized by Krahn soldiers loyal to President Doe (Ellis, 2001, p. 146).

Related Topics:
Sierra Leone - United States - Krahn

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In a massive campaign of retribution against the coup plotters and their supporters, General Doe and his army went on a killing spree, especially against innocent civilians who were associated with Quiwonkpa's Gio nation, and the ethnically related Mano people. The slaughter of an estimated 3,000 people created the opportunity for the exploitation of ethnic rivalries that later fuelled the Liberian Civil War (Adebajo, 2002, p. 46).

Related Topics:
Gio - Mano - Liberian Civil War

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