Amos Sawyer

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Dr. Amos Claudius Sawyer (born 1945) was the President of the Interim Government of National Unity in Liberia (November 22, 1990–March 7, 1994). He was a member of the Liberian People's Party. In the period after the abduction (and eventual murder) of president Samuel Doe, from 9 September 1990 until 22 November 1990, principal mutineer "Prince" Yormie Johnson, and coconspirator Charles Taylor both made claims on the presidency. In late August in an emergency conference in Guinea, Sawyer was voted interim president and Bishop Roland Diggs was voted vice-president by a delegation of 35 Liberians representing seven political parties and eleven interest groups gathered for that purpose. His one-year appointment was extended for four years during the civil war fought against rebels led largely by Taylor, Johnson, and David Nimley. In 1994, he was forced to step down as a part of the peace process, and the role of official leader of Liberia was held, not by the president, but by the Chairmen of the Council of State. Fighting sparked again in 1996, and continued during Taylor's presidency from 1997-2003.

He holds a Ph.D. in political science from Northwestern University. He is currently Associate Director and Research Scholar, Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis in the Department of Political Science at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, USA. His book, Beyond Plunder: Toward Democratic Governance in Liberia, was slated for publication in spring of 2005. He has vocalized his support for Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in the October 2005 elections.