MONROVIA, Liberia – U.S. Peace Corps volunteers will return to Liberia for the first time since civil war broke out in this West African nation nearly two decades ago, U.S. and Liberian officials said Monday.

Liberia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement the two nations signed an agreement to resume the program because of improving security. The volunteer program in Liberia was suspended just after fighting broke in the final days of 1989.

The war caused an estimated 250,000 deaths in a population of 3 million for a country that was founded by freed American slaves in the 19th century. Another round of fighting ended in 2003 with a peace agreement and the 2005 election of Africa's first freely elected president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who is largely credited with turning the country around.

In the ministry's statement, U.S. Embassy Charge d'Affairs Brooks A. Robinson was quoted as calling the move an “important milestone” that reflects Washington's confidence in Liberia's recovery.

“The decision to bring back Peace Corps Volunteers was not made lightly,” Robinson said. “We considered the security situation nationwide, and we considered the capacity of Liberia government institutions to work with us.”

There was no word on when Peace Corps volunteers might start arriving. U.S. Embassy officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

The late President Kennedy founded the Peace Corps in 1961, challenging college students to serve their country in the cause of peace. Since then, the corps has sent more than 180,000 volunteers around the world to help people in developing nations and serve as goodwill ambassadors for America.