Liberia: International Community Condemns July 26 Violence

3 August 2022
The New Dawn (Monrovia)

Urges Liberian authority

The International Community condemns without reservation, violence committed in Monrovia on 26 July 2022, which marked the 175th Independence anniversary of Liberia.

In a Joint Statement issued in Monrovia Tuesday, 2 August the United States, United Kingdom, the United Nations and the European Union missions in Liberia urged a prompt and thorough investigation by the police to bring to justice instigators and perpetrators of these acts of violence.

"We welcome the swift condemnation by political, governmental, and civil society actors of the violent acts which occurred, and we encourage all political leaders to act firmly in preventing and eliminating political intolerance and violence", the joint statement reads.

Pro-government youth under the banner, CDC-Council of Patriots on July 26, Independence Day, brutally attacked protesting students of the Vanguard Student Unification Party from the University of Liberia, who kicked against the celebration.

The students cited among others, extreme hardship, despicable suffering, corruption and sordid social decadence in the country, for which they say there is no reason to celebrate, but the CDC-Council of Patriots unleashed terror on the protesters, wounding several of them.

One of the critically wounded students, Christopher Walters Sisulu Sivili, has reportedly been taken abroad for advanced medication.

But the foreign missions note that Liberia has a record of free, fair, and transparent elections over the last two decades that have made the country an example of stability and democracy in the region.

The International Community continues that violence is not the right way to resolve disputes; rather, political differences should be resolved by dialogue.

"We therefore encourage all actors to act responsibly and embrace the principles of tolerance, democracy, and constitutionalism for an inclusive, transparent and peaceful election process in Liberia 2022-2023."

In an address to the nation on Monday, August 1, President George Weah, Standard Bearer of the governing Congress for Democratic Change, now the Coalition for Democratic Change, vehemently denied that the group, CDC-Council of Patriots exists.

"As the founding father of the Congress for Democratic Change, now the Coalition for Democratic Change, we do not have any CDC-COP within our organization", President Weah said and called for an immediate arrest of the perpetrators and medication for the wounded students at government's expense.

The President stressed that violence is totally unacceptable and noted that he has emphasized in all of his public engagements the need to maintain the hard-earned peace Liberians now enjoy, adding "This is a cause for which I have lent personal sacrifice - as an ambassador of peace." Editing by Jonathan Browne

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