Liberia's 66yr old Ellen Johnson Sirleaf inaugurated Jan' 16, 2006 is Africa's first female president. Fondly called the, "Iron Lady" she was born amongst the descendents of original colonists of Liberia (ex-African slaves from America). A longtime politician, Johnson-Sirleaf now has to contend with putting her country back together after a 14-year civil war in which 200,000 people are believed to have died and a capital left in near ruins. She was sentenced to ten years imprisonment for a brave speech of which she served two short periods of detention before fleeing the country and twice went into exile. President Johnson-Sirleaf, a divorcee whose ex-husband died a few years ago, is the mother of four sons and has six grandchildren. Johnson-Sirleaf said she wants to become president in order "to bring motherly sensitivity and emotion to the presidency" as a way of healing the wounds of war. Her non-involvement in the war and her financial expertise were a mainstay of her campaign message and she endeavored to put across the image of an untainted, maternal figure.