Hezekiah Bowen
Encyclopedia
John Hezekiah Bowen was an officer of the Armed Forces of Liberia
.
Bowen joined the AFL in 1969.
Bowen joined the Officer Candidate School at the Military Academy in Todee in March 1971 and graduated in October 1971. He then received promotion to the rank of Second Lieutenant.
Following the 1980 coup, General Bowen was the first Superintendent of Grand Cape Mount County
in the People’s Redemption Council Government of Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe.
He also served as Commanding Officer of the 2nd Infantry Battalion and Deputy Commanding General of the AFL.
He also served as Minister of National Defense, Minister of Rural Development as well as member of the Board of Directors of the National Veteran Commission.
Charles Taylor invaded Liberia at Butuo in Nimba County
on Christmas Eve 1989 with a force of around 150 men, initiating the First Liberian Civil War. Doe responded by sending two AFL battalions to Nimba in December 1989 – January 1990, under Bowen, who was then a Colonel. The Liberian government forces assumed that most of the Mano and Gio peoples in the Nimba region were supporting the rebels. They thus acted in a very brutal and scorched-earth fashion which quickly alienated the local people. Taylor's support rose rapidly, as the Mano and Gio flocked to his National Patriotic Front of Liberia
seeking revenge. Many government soldiers deserted, some to join the NPFL. Doe quickly replaced Bowen as his field commander; the inability of the AFL to make any headway was one of the reasons why Doe changed the commander in the area five times in the first six months of the war.
In September 1994, General Bowen was accused of factionalizing the AFL for power at the Accra Conference. Actually, under the ECOWAS Peace Agreement, every party (including AFL) was a major stakeholder and had the right to advance any proposal that would motivate their fighters to be disarmed and demobilized (meaning, disbanded). All the parties, except the AFL, wanted a power-sharing inclusion as a demand for them to be disarmed and demobilized. Other parties demanded that AFL also be disarmed and disbanded like other factions.
In response, the AFL under General Bowen's leadership, submitted a Two-Count Position Paper, and One-Backup Position Paper. Under the Two- Count Position Paper, ECOWAS leaders were advised that firstly, the AFL was a national army created by law to be restructured, not disbanded, at the end of every war. Secondly, service members of the AFL listed for discharge should be discharged with honors and respect in keeping with law and Army Regulations. Under the One-Backup position Paper, it was proposed that if the AFL would be disarmed and disbanded like other warring factions, then AFL should be included in the power- sharing arrangements. At the end of the day, the ECOWAS leaders endorsed General Bowen’s Two-Count Position Paper and offered him the Defense Minister post so that he could preside over the implementation of ECOWAS Demobilization Plans for the AFL.
Then Lieutenant General Hezekiah Bowen was later mentioned in the Abuja Accords of 1996.
Bowen died of heart failure on Tuesday, April 6 at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital in Monrovia. The brother of Retired General Bowen told Star Radio that the family has written the President through the Defense Ministry informing her of Bowen's death.
Armed Forces of Liberia
The Armed Forces of Liberia are the armed forces of the Republic of Liberia. Founded as the Liberian Frontier Force in 1908, the military was retitled in 1956. For virtually all of its history, the AFL has received considerable materiel and training assistance from the United States. For most of...
.
Bowen joined the AFL in 1969.
Bowen joined the Officer Candidate School at the Military Academy in Todee in March 1971 and graduated in October 1971. He then received promotion to the rank of Second Lieutenant.
Following the 1980 coup, General Bowen was the first Superintendent of Grand Cape Mount County
Grand Cape Mount County
Grand Cape Mount is a county in the northwestern portion of the West African nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has five districts. Robertsport serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring...
in the People’s Redemption Council Government of Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe.
He also served as Commanding Officer of the 2nd Infantry Battalion and Deputy Commanding General of the AFL.
He also served as Minister of National Defense, Minister of Rural Development as well as member of the Board of Directors of the National Veteran Commission.
Charles Taylor invaded Liberia at Butuo in Nimba County
Nimba County
Nimba is a county in the north-central portion of the West African nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has six districts. Sanniquellie serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring , the largest in the nation...
on Christmas Eve 1989 with a force of around 150 men, initiating the First Liberian Civil War. Doe responded by sending two AFL battalions to Nimba in December 1989 – January 1990, under Bowen, who was then a Colonel. The Liberian government forces assumed that most of the Mano and Gio peoples in the Nimba region were supporting the rebels. They thus acted in a very brutal and scorched-earth fashion which quickly alienated the local people. Taylor's support rose rapidly, as the Mano and Gio flocked to his National Patriotic Front of Liberia
National Patriotic Front of Liberia
The National Patriotic Front of Liberia was a rebel group that initiated and participated in the First Liberian Civil War from 1989 to 1996.-Leadership:...
seeking revenge. Many government soldiers deserted, some to join the NPFL. Doe quickly replaced Bowen as his field commander; the inability of the AFL to make any headway was one of the reasons why Doe changed the commander in the area five times in the first six months of the war.
In September 1994, General Bowen was accused of factionalizing the AFL for power at the Accra Conference. Actually, under the ECOWAS Peace Agreement, every party (including AFL) was a major stakeholder and had the right to advance any proposal that would motivate their fighters to be disarmed and demobilized (meaning, disbanded). All the parties, except the AFL, wanted a power-sharing inclusion as a demand for them to be disarmed and demobilized. Other parties demanded that AFL also be disarmed and disbanded like other factions.
In response, the AFL under General Bowen's leadership, submitted a Two-Count Position Paper, and One-Backup Position Paper. Under the Two- Count Position Paper, ECOWAS leaders were advised that firstly, the AFL was a national army created by law to be restructured, not disbanded, at the end of every war. Secondly, service members of the AFL listed for discharge should be discharged with honors and respect in keeping with law and Army Regulations. Under the One-Backup position Paper, it was proposed that if the AFL would be disarmed and disbanded like other warring factions, then AFL should be included in the power- sharing arrangements. At the end of the day, the ECOWAS leaders endorsed General Bowen’s Two-Count Position Paper and offered him the Defense Minister post so that he could preside over the implementation of ECOWAS Demobilization Plans for the AFL.
Then Lieutenant General Hezekiah Bowen was later mentioned in the Abuja Accords of 1996.
Bowen died of heart failure on Tuesday, April 6 at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital in Monrovia. The brother of Retired General Bowen told Star Radio that the family has written the President through the Defense Ministry informing her of Bowen's death.
Further reading
- Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Liberia- Soldier Executed for Killing Civilian, November 22, 1992|From Times Staff and Wire Reports