Liberia's Sirleaf sworn in as first elected female president in Africa

MONROVIA, Liberia -- U.S. warships appeared off the coast of Liberia in 2003 to help calm a vicious civil war. On Monday, they were back on the horizon again -- this time in a show of support for Africa's first elected female president.

Standing before a lone, one-starred flag, 67-year-old Ellen Johnson Sirleaf took office as Liberia's new leader, promising to uphold her country's fragile peace. She inherits a war-ruined nation with no running water, no electricity, and huge expectations for change.

Sirleaf called for unity -- and patience.

"It is time for us, regardless of our political affiliations or persuasions, to come together to heal and rebuild our nation," Sirleaf said in her inaugural speech.

Founded by freed American slaves in 1847, Liberia was prosperous and peaceful for more than a century, bolstered by abundant timber and diamond wealth. But back-to-back civil wars from 1989 to 2003 brought the country to its knees, killing 200,000 people and displacing half the nation's population of 3 million.

Today, not even the capital has running water or electricity: The rich rely on generators, the poor on candles. Unemployment is at 80 percent.

"We have all suffered. The individual sense of deprivation is immense," Sirleaf said. "The task of reconstructing our devastating economy is awesome, for which there will be no quick fix."

The last time U.S. Navy warships deployed off Liberia's shores, their presence helped nudge warlord-turned-president Charles Taylor from office. Taylor was cornered in Monrovia by a rebel advance pressing on the capital and President Bush had urged him to step down.

After Sirleaf completed the oath of office Monday, there was rapturous applause. Among the foreign guests: first lady Laura Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan sent congratulations, saying in a statement Sirleaf had a "historic mandate to lead the nation toward a future of lasting peace and stability."

Sirleaf promised the start of her six-year term would mark a "fundamental break" with the West African nation's violent past. Ensuring Liberia remains peaceful will be Sirleaf's most pressing -- and perhaps most difficult -- task.

George Weah, the soccer star who lost the November runoff, was backed by most of the country's top warlords and faction leaders. Weah grudgingly accepted defeat and attended the inauguration.

Several lawmakers in the new legislature are under a U.N. travel ban and their assets have been frozen for constituting "a threat to peace." One newly appointed senator ordered his troops to hack off the ears of a captured president in 1990. Others are allies of Taylor.

Another crucial task: assuring the future of 100,000 ex-combatants who laid down arms last year. Many continue to prowl the streets, unemployed.

For now, Sirleaf's government is backed by 15,000 U.N. troops. A similar U.N. force pulled out of neighboring Sierra Leone in the final days of 2005, completing a successful, five-year mission to restore peace.

Many see Taylor as one of the biggest threats. Exiled to Nigeria, he has been accused by some U.N. officials of trying to meddle in Liberian affairs, mostly by telephone.

Taylor is wanted by a U.N.-backed war crimes court in Sierra Leone for his role in fueling that country's own civil war, but Nigeria has refused to hand him over. Sirleaf says she will consult with regional leaders regarding Taylor's fate.

In an interview with NBC's "Today" show broadcast Monday, Sirleaf suggested she would like to see Taylor put on trial.

"Mr. Taylor has always said he wanted his day in court to defend himself. We should grant him that privilege," she said.

Rice was confident Taylor would be handed over to the Sierra Leone court eventually. He "is through raping and pillaging this country, and the Liberian people are trying to look forward," Rice told reporters on a flight to Monrovia early Monday.

In her address, Sirleaf promised to stamp out corruption -- a key step to win over skeptical foreign donors.

She also called on Liberians abroad and refugees in West Africa to return and rebuild. The U.N. says nearly 400,000 Liberians are displaced, both inside the country and the region.

Born in Liberia in 1938, Sirleaf worked her way through college in the United States by mopping floors and waiting tables. She graduated with a master's degree in public administration from Harvard in 1971 and later took top jobs in Liberia, including finance minister, and senior positions at Citibank, the World Bank and the United Nations.

Twice imprisoned in Liberia in the 1980s for political reasons, she returned during a break in fighting in 1997 to run for president. She lost to Taylor, but tried again last fall, emerging victorious in a landslide vote.

Armed U.N. peacekeepers surveyed the scene from atop surrounding buildings with binoculars.

"We know that your vote was a vote for change, a vote for peace, security ... and we have heard you loudly," Sirleaf said. "We recognize this change is not a change for change's sake, but a fundamental break with the past."