New York – A new book which details national events
just prior to 1979 infamous “Rice Riot”, the violent and bloody
the overthrow of the William R. Tolbert Administration and U.S. engagement with the then military junta in Liberia has been published.
Written by journalist and writer Emmanuel D. Abalo, the publication
_CHAOS – Aftermath of the 1980 Coup d’Etat in Liberia and U.S.
Engagement With the Military Junta_ offers some never before disclosed
now declassified sensitive information about the events.The gripping
177-page narrative features credible documentation and eye witness
reports of major players in the events
A press statement quoting the author says the book shares historical and
factual information which he hopes will guide the national discourse
about poor national governance, the use of violence and attending
consequences, promotion of conflict management and pursuance of an
equitable society for all Liberians.
Mr. Abalo, who holds a Master of Science from Eastern Kentucky
University (EKU) in the U.S., says he hopes that academic and research
individuals and institutions in and out of Liberia will utilize the
book.
He is urging academic institutions, especially in Liberia to avail the
book to students as part of their curriculum.
“We have a duty to factually educate and inform our people about their
history. My emphasis is the promotion of academic excellence and
knowledge of the events that continue to shape our ideals and our
evolution as a nation and people. We must learn from our national
shortcomings and evolve as better custodians and leaders of our society
and country,” he noted.
Liberia has sustained violent and bloody national “convulsions” since
its birth in the mid 1800s. More recently the West African country
sustained bloody back-to-back wars in the 1990s in which an estimated
250,000 people died and the dislocation of nearly 1 million others in
the country and West African sub-region.
The author Mr. Abalo joins the enviable and esteemed list of national
and international academicians and writers who are cataloguing the
historical events which are shaping Liberia and its people.
The book _CHAOS: Aftermath of the 1980 Coup d’Etat in Liberia and U.S.
Engagement With the Military Junta_ is available in print and electronic
format on Amazon.