DNA, Caste, and Power: How Charles Taylor Harnessed Ancestry for Control
A genetic link to Americo-Liberian settlers cemented a ruling caste that subjugated indigenous Liberians through forced labor and economic exclusion. After the 1989 coup by Samuel Doe threatened their grip, Charles Taylor shed his Western persona, embraced an indigenous identity, and rallied tribal youth from the Gio and Mano communities to form the NPFL rebel army. He then used terror to dismantle state institutions, seized control of key resources like rubber and timber, and secured the 1997 presidency amid a war-weary electorate chanting “He killed my ma, he killed my pa, but I will vote for him.”
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