Liberia News: ECOWAS In Town To Calm Storm

Liberia-The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has agreed to calm the raging storm of tension, the unfortunate occurrences in Liberia believed to have the potential to roll back gains made thus far since the end of the civil conflict the regional body paid great price to settle.

Liberia has seen a heightened stake of tension over the past few months ranging from series of actions taken by the government that are viewed by opposition elements to be counterproductive to peace, reconciliation and national unity.

The tension is most entrenched between the Liberian Government on one side and the former ruling Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) on the other side following the government’s arrest and indictment of several former government officials on corruption allegation, a move the CDC and other Liberians classified as classical witch-hunt.

However, last Thursday’s escalated tension necessitated by a reported early morning raid by the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA) in the courtyard of the CDC headquarters prompted former President George Weah to formally complain his successor’s perceived attempts to get at him, the his party and partisans,  requesting the Regional Body’s intervention in the crisis.

In response to ex- President Weah’s letter, a high-power ECOWAS delegation is in country to hold talks with the former President, officials of the Liberian government and other stakeholders, President of ECOWAS, H.E. Omar Alieu Touray stated in his letter.

A high-profile visit was scheduled yesterday to meet with Former President Dr. Weah, focusing on the critical matters outlined in his letter, and emphasized the importance of collaboration within the West African region.

Besides meeting with President Weah, according to the ECOWAS President Touray, he and his team planned to hold engagements with various stakeholders and officials in Liberia as part of a two-day mission.

The aim of the interactions is to foster dialogue and address the concerns raised by former President Weah.

He said, the engagement illustrates ECOWAS’s commitment to promoting stability and collaboration in West Africa, particularly in response to the concerns of its member states.

In an August 23, 2024 communication to E. Omar Alieu Turay, President of the ECOWAS Commission, the former head of state made claims of volleys of violations the Boakai administration committed since assuming power, referencing the raid on the CDC headquarters on August 22, 2024 that necessitated the violent riot which led to injuries and economic setbacks.

Ex-President believed what happened last Thursday was not an isolated event but an ingrained part of what he termed “a deliberate and escalating strategy to intimidate the CDC and its supporters.”

The CDC Political leader categorized the socalled raid carried out under the pretext of a drug operation, as an unprovoked attack that marks the continuation of a troubling pattern by the Boakai administration to stifle political dissent.

“The attack on the CDC headquarters was not the first of its kind. On August 5, 2024, security forces allegedly stormed the same premises, heavily armed and without proper legal justification, breaking into the compound and terrorizing those inside,” he said in his letter of complaint to ECOWAS.

“These actions were carried out under direct orders from President Boakai, whom he accuses of seeking to dismantle the CDC’s capacity to challenge his government effectively. As former leaders of the country, we know that these brazen acts of aggression are under the instruction of President Joseph Boakai himself,” Weah noted.

According to him, judging from the actions of the government, President Boakai’s intention is to diminish the CDC’s ability to mount any meaningful political fight in the future, classifying it as a stark betrayal of the democratic principles that Liberia has worked hard to establish.

Ex-President Weah endeavored to create a bleak picture of the petrifying events of August 22, saying security forces fired hundreds of lethal and non-lethal rounds at unarmed civilians whose only crime is their loyalty to the CDC.

Weah surmised the Boakai administration considers political allegiance as grounds for violent reprisal, while criticizing conflicting statements from various government security agencies about the reasons for the raid as an escapade to befuddle the real motives behind the operation.

In his letter, he accused the Boakai administration of a wider campaign of political persecution, alleging that civil servants who are perceived to be sympathetic to the CDC have been systematically harassed and removed from their positions.

The former president also underscored the use of excessive force against unarmed civilians that have resulted in several deaths.

In his letter, he equally pointed to what he sees as the Boakai administration’s disregard for the rule of law, citing the non-prosecution of election-related killings that were captured on camera, and the flouting of tenure laws despite rulings from the Liberia Supreme Court. He accused the administration of using prosecutorial powers as a political weapon and violating procurement and other statutory laws in broad daylight.

He also argued that instead of fostering national unity and healing after a contentious election, Boakai has been consumed by the desire to consolidate power at all costs, alleging that President Boakai has apparently been overtaken by absolute power, and we know where that leads as our history is replete with examples.

Weah reminded ECOWAS of Liberia’s turbulent past marked by civil conflict and authoritarian rule.

The former charismatic head of state called on ECOWAS to intervene proactively in Liberia to prevent a further erosion of democracy, highlighting recent rollback of democratic constitutional rule in the West African region, for which ECOWAS must act now to safeguard Liberia’s fragile democracy from the “misuse of power by the current regime.”

He recalled President Boakai’s recent statement to legislators about erasing the CDC from Liberia’s political map to be particularly alarming and indicative of his broader authoritarian ambitions.

 Weah said: “We make it abundantly clear that the party is here to stay and will continue to remain a vibrant political force,” Weah declared, underscoring the CDC’s resolve to resist any efforts to undermine its existence. He called on ECOWAS to convey a stern message to the Boakai administration: “As we strive to maintain the peace of the country, we will not tolerate our rights being abused.”

Former President’s Weah letter followed claims by CDC Secretary General Jeffeson Koijee that the Boakai administration is not able to protect the citizens of Liberia but to use armed police officers against armless and peaceful citizens.” CDC SG intoned.

Koijee said CDCians are peaceful citizens the government needs to stop misjudging and take time to deal with in their approach to issues.

In spite of what he sees as continued government clampdown, he said CDC, which he describes as the people’s party, will stand in the gap to put the government feet to the fire each day because the Boakai’s government came to power base on lies and criminality.

It is alleged that about 4:30 AM on Thursday morning, LDEA officers conducted a raid targeting alleged drug dealers in the Small-Town Community, where the CDC headquarters is located. The alleged dealers reportedly fled into the CDC headquarters, prompting the officers to pursue them inside.

The situation prompted a statement by Koijee, writing on social media that “Heavily armed state security forces have invaded our party’s headquarters for the second time this morning, engaging in sporadic shootings that have created widespread panic and chaos among citizens and partisans in and around the headquarters.”

But the Liberian government through Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah has strongly refuted reports of the government of Liberia plans to raid or search the homes of former President George Weah, saying such report to be totally misleading, untrue and grossly unfair to the Public.

Piah maintained that the government has absolutely no plans to raid the homes of the former President as reported in its August 22,2024 edition.

It is alleged that the government is harboring plans to raid the home of former President George Weah. The government spokesman said the report was nothing but mere lies.