Liberia has been in a state of near-constant conflict since the late 1980s. Along with its neighbouring countries of the Mano River Union, comprising Sierra Leone and Guinea, it has been at the centre of inter-related conflicts driven principally by the sponsorship of rebel movements by national leaders seeking to undermine their neighbouring regimes. Liberia's former president, Charles Taylor, was the principal architect in fomenting instability in the region, particularly through his support for the rebel movement in Sierra Leone, the Revolutionary United Front. In turn, Sierra Leone and Côte d'Ivoire have been accused of supporting and sponsoring anti-Taylor rebels in Liberia.