Johnson-Sirleaf was elected president in 2005, becoming the first woman ever to be elected head-of-state in Africa, and was given the enormous task of trying to rebuild a country wracked by two decades of bloody civil war. The conflicts in Liberia were especially brutal - rape and mutilation were used as weapons of war, so too were child soldiers - the conflict was fueled by illegally mined diamonds (often referred to as "conflict diamonds" or "blood diamonds"). Johnson-Sirleaf's election came at the end of the war, and was hailed as the start of a new day for Liberia. Since taking office she's started to rebuild the country's shattered economy and Liberia has enjoyed a few peaceful years. In 2007, President Bush awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her efforts.
Ironically, Johnson-Sirleaf helped to set up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2005, modeled after a similar one set up in South Africa to deal with the aftermath of the Apartheid regime, to address crimes committed during the civil wars. The Commission though is now recommending 30-year bans from office for a host of politicians who backed former warlord Charles Taylor, whose rise to power kicked off Liberia's second civil war, Johnson-Sirleaf included.
Johnson-Sirleaf admits to being "fooled" by Taylor, who led an uprising against Liberia's military dictator Samuel Doe in 1990, igniting more than a decade of additional fighting. The decision on whether to adopt the Commission's recommendations now is up to the Liberian Parliament, which is controlled by Johnson-Sirleaf's political opponents.
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