Publication

In post-conflict settings, land disputes often appear as a factor that without due attention and interventions can endanger peace and stability. During Liberia’s 15 years of civil war, the civilian population was severely hit and many fled, abandoning houses and land. Abandoned property was often appropriated by squatters, and after the war ended in 2003 many ex-combatants settled in urban areas. Ganta, Liberia’s second largest city, is a remarkable example of this. During the war combatants captured land in a process considered to be a rightful re-appropriation of lands wrongfully taken over by others in the past.