Francois Eugene Massaquoi (died 16 April 2001) was a Liberian warlord and politician. Massaquoi led the

Lofa Defense Force The Lofa Defense Force (LDF) was a rebel group that participated in the Liberian Civil War. It was a local group that crossed the northern border from Guinea to attack armed positions, mostly those of the United Liberation Movement of Liberia f ...

during the

First Liberian Civil War The First Liberian Civil War lasted from 1989 to 1997. President Samuel Doe had established a regime in 1980 but totalitarianism and corruption led to unpopularity and the withdrawal of support from the United States by the late 1980s. The Nat ...

, and later became a government minister. He died in 2001 under mysterious circumstances.

Youth in the US

Massaquoi belonged to the Loma people. Arriving in the United States in 1965, he studied economics at New York University.
Access, Vol. 1
'. U.S. Office of Minority Business Enterprise., 1976. pp. 11–12 In 1960s the discothèque The Church (later renamed 'Sanctuary' for administrative reasons) opened in Hell's Kitchen in the building that today houses the Westside Theatre, with a concept based on stark irreligous themes created by Massaquoi. Massaquoi and his wife Carolyn ran a food importation business in New York in the 1970s. Back in Liberia he worked as a civil servant during the William Tolbert and

Samuel Doe Samuel Kanyon Doe (6 May 1951 – 9 September 1990) was a Liberian politician who served as the 21st president of Liberia from 1980 to 1990. Doe ruled Liberia as Chairman of the People's Redemption Council (PRC) from 1980 to 1984 and then a ...

governments.

Civil war

He founded the LDF militia in 1991. During the First Liberian Civil War, Massaquoi's LDF fought against the forces of ULIMO over control of Lofa County. In December 1994 Massaquoi was one of the signatories of the Accra Clarification Agreement, a peace agreement that was never implemented. Likewise he signed the Abuja I Accord in August 1995, which allowed for the entry of LDF into the government. Massaquoi was named Minister of Youth and Sports in the Liberia National Transitional Government from September 1995 to August 1997.Ichiro Mashima
リベリア内戦史資料(1989～1997)
/ref> In December 1996 a group of LDF soldiers arrived in Monrovia and physically assaulted Massaquoi, accusing him of not providing support for his former fighters. During the

1997 Liberian general election General elections were held in Liberia on 19 July 1997 as part of the 1996 peace agreement ending the First Liberian Civil War. The presidency, as well as all seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate were up for election. Voter turnout ...

Massaquoi belonged to the National Democratic Party of Liberia. After the election he was again named Minister of Youth and Sports.

Death

Massaquoi died on April 16, 2001. Reportedly, during a visit to Voinjama Massaquoi's helicopter came under gunfire. Massaquoi died later at hospital in

Gbarnga Gbarnga is the capital city of Bong County, Liberia, lying north east of Monrovia. During the First Liberian Civil War, it was the base for Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia. Cuttington College, a private, Episcopal-affilia ...

after arrival there. President Charles Taylor announced the creation of a commission to investigate the circumstances of Massaquoi's death, but the announcement was met with skepticism in Liberia at the time.''The Perspective''.
Questions Mount Over "Probe" in Massaquoi's Death
'

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Massaquoi, Francois 2001 deaths Government ministers of Liberia Liberian rebels Sports ministers New York University alumni 20th-century Liberian politicians 21st-century Liberian politicians