The UN Peacekeeping Mission in Liberia is Coming to a Successful End

By the end of this month the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Liberia will no longer exist. The mission, known as UNMIL, is closing shop after nearly 15 years in operation.  This is a a major milestone and success story for both Liberia and the United Nations.

In 2003, it was hard to imagine this day would ever come.

Around 250,000 people had been killed in a singularly brutal civil war. The infrastructure that existed in the country was decimated. Most Liberians who had the opportunity to leave country had fled.

Fifteen years later, thanks in large part to UNMIL, Liberia is a stable democracy with a rapidly developing economy. It was a hard slog, but Liberia has made incredible strides and is emerging as a beacon of political stability in a volatile region.

In 2006, Liberia it was the first country in Africa to elect a female head of State, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. After serving two terms she stepped down peacefully and ceded power to her political rival, George Weah, who won free an…