Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was sworn as war-battered Liberia’s president, making history as Africa’s first elected female head of state and
pledging a “fundamental break” with the West African nation’s violent past.
“We know that your vote was a vote for change, a vote for peace, security … and we have heard you loudly,” Sirleaf told Liberians in an inaugural speech.
Sirleaf takes charge of a ruined nation struggling for peace after a quarter-century of coups and war. Speaking for the first time as president, she also promised to stamp out corruption to secure the trust of skeptical foreign donors whose aid is desperately needed to rebuild.
