Liberian Government Pledges To Stop Protest

The Liberian government has said that it would not allow an anti-government protest in the capital Monrovia before the end of January, as opposition groups insisted it would go ahead.

Opponents have called for the protest in the capital Monrovia on Monday as the impoverished country grapples with a deep economic crisis.

But the ministry of justice on Saturday said it would defer all requests for permits to stage demonstrations and rallies until January 30.

“All are advised to take heed and govern themselves accordingly,” it said.

“There will be no peaceful assembly, protest, counter-protest and demonstration until a decision is made on January 30, 2020,” it added.

Tensions have risen in recent weeks in the run-up to the protest, with the government accusing the opposition of calling for the “unconstitutional eviction” of President George Weah, who took office in January 2018 and is under growing pressure over his handling of the crisis.

Henry Costa, chairman of youth activists called the Council of Patriots (COP) who helped footballer-turned-president Weah come to power, told AFP: “On December 30th we are going to have our peaceful assembly at the capitol building. We are sleeping there. No one should fool you that there is no protest.”

On Friday, The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the UN’s office in West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) issued a joint statement exhorting “all parties to work towards calling off this imminent protest in the general interest of Liberia and the sub-region.”

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Still traumatised by back-to-back civil wars and the 2014-2016 Ebola crisis, Liberia is struggling to revive its failing economy.

Inflation is rampant, according to the World Bank, and civil servants regularly go unpaid.

ECOWAS and UNOWAS said in their joint statement Friday that while they recognised citizens’ right of assembly, they “reminded all stakeholders of their responsibility to maintain peace, security and stability of Liberia… and cautioned against any form of violence”.

Source: AFP