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Embassy Under Siege

How Diplomats in Liberia Faced Warlords, Rebels, & Refugees

The second in a multipart series about life in the state department: retired U.S. Diplomat Chris Datta discusses his experiences in Liberia.

In 2003, American Foreign Service officer Chris Datta was sent to Liberia to be chargé d'affaires when the ambassador had to leave for several weeks. While there, rebels attacked Monrovia, pushing masses of refugees toward the walls of the American embassy. Datta called for Navy SEALS reinforcements and organized the evacuation of 150 Americans using French military helicopters. He was also assigned to see warlord and then-Liberian President Charles Taylor, telling him that the U.S. wanted him to leave the country—then was nearly killed by Taylor’s troops after being accused by Taylor of plotting a coup against him. At this time, Datta also helped bring the notorious war criminal Sam Bokarie to justice.