Prince Johnson | |
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Member of the Senate of Liberia from Nimba County |
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Assumed office 13 January 2006 Serving with Thomas Grupee |
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Preceded by | NTLA |
Personal details | |
Born |
Prince Yormie Johnson 6 July 1952 Tapeta, Nimba, Liberia |
Political party | NUDP |
Religion | Evangelical Christian |
Military service | |
Allegiance | National Patriotic Front |
Years of service | 1971–1983 (LNG) 1989–1992 (NPFL) |
Rank | Brigadier general |
Battles/wars | First Liberian Civil War |
Prince Yormie Johnson (born 6 July 1952) is a Liberian politician and the current Senior Senator from Nimba County. A former rebel leader, Johnson played a prominent role in the First Liberian Civil War, in particular capturing, torturing, mutilating and executing President Samuel Doe, who had himself overthrown and murdered the previous President, William R. Tolbert Jr.
Johnson was born in Tapeta, Nimba County, in the east-central interior of the country, and was brought up by an uncle in the capital city of Monrovia. In 1971, while living in Monrovia, he joined the Liberian National Guard (LNG), which was transformed into the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) in the aftermath of Samuel Doe's 1980 overthrow of President William R. Tolbert.
He rose to the rank of Lieutenant, receiving military training in both Liberia and the United States, where he was instructed in military police duties in South Carolina. A stern, often draconian, disciplinarian, he served as aide-de-camp to Gen. Thomas Quiwonkpa, the Commanding General of the Armed Forces of Liberia, and accompanied him into exile in 1983, after Quiwonkpa was accused of plotting a coup against Doe.
Johnson later allied with Charles Taylor as part of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), serving as the NPFL's Chief Training Officer. Taylor's fighters crossed the border from Ivory Coast and began operations in Liberia on Christmas Eve, 1989.