-- As a Special investigative team set up to probe the clash
Officials from the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change and the opposition Unity Party have accused each other of inciting the electoral violence that took place in Foya, Lofa County on September 29.
The denials from the two parties, which have become a fall-back position whenever violence occurs between their supporters, come in the wake of the deaths of at least three individuals, with many others injured.
In a hurried midnight press conference yesterday, both parties' spokespersons claimed that the Foya violence, which has shocked the nation, was orchestrated not by their respective supporters but by those of their "opponents."
Jefferson Koijee, the Mayor of the City of Monrovia and Secretary General of President Weah's party, the Coalition for Democratic Change, condemned "the brutal murder" of the deceased, whom he claimed were loyal members of his party. Koijee noted that the three Liberians had died as a result of an "unprovoked attack orchestrated by supporters" of the opposition party of former Vice President Joseph Boakai.
Without providing evidence, Koijee claimed that "after an in-depth investigation into this sad tragedy, the [ruling party] has established that hundreds of supporters of the Unity Party, without provocation, orchestrated and carried out a deliberate attack on the premises of the [party legislative candidate for Foya district], Rep. Fallah, extensively vandalizing properties, looting market stalls, killing three innocent citizens in cold blood, and leaving five persons confirmed to have sustained wounds of varying degrees."
"While executing their depraved and devilish act of extreme violence, these Unity Party warmongers invaded the premises of [Rep.] Fallah and his family, besieging it for several hours while Joint Security intervention was being sought," he said.
Koijee noted that while the ruling party was condemning the "unacceptable act of barbarism," the party was calling on the International Community, especially ECOWAS, to get "involved in taking hold of the situation, investigate, and bring the perpetrators to justice."
However, the Secretary General of the Unity Party, Amos Tweh, has vehemently denied Koijee's allegations and accused supporters of the ruling party in Foya of being responsible for instigating the violence, which led to the loss of lives. He also did not provide evidence to substantiate his claims.
Tweh claimed that supporters of the Unity Party "were attacked" while on their way to "welcome some members of the party diaspora" who were visiting Foya.
"While the local citizens were jubilating on the streets of Foya and on their way to a specific area called 'Shiloh Junction', [they] observed a group of supporters emerging from Thomas Fallah's property and inquiring why partisans and supporters of the Unity Party were present there, as if people were not allowed to gather in that area," Tweh said.
He added that "during this interaction, the group of [ruling party] supporters initiated unnecessary confrontations and engaged in various forms of provocation towards our partisans. While heated exchanges of words were taking place, stones were thrown from Fallah's property towards our partisans, further escalating the situation."
The Foya violence comes about two months after a similar outbreak of violence between the two parties' supporters in Sinkor -- violating the Farmington Peace Accord, an agreement that political leaders and their parties signed, pledging to avoid elections-related violence. The clash, which took place in mid August, resulted in numerous injuries from both sides, though no deaths were reported.
Fallah, who currently represents Montserrado County electoral District 4 at the Legislature and now plans to run for the legislative seat representing Foya District, has denied the Unity Party's claim that it was supporters of the ruling party that were in his fence who provoked the clash.
In a Facebook post, Fallah wrote that while at home, he heard vitriolic chants originating from Unity Party members who had gathered at a junction leading to his home -- which also houses the headquarters of the ruling party.
Fallah claimed that the situation took a dangerous turn as Unity Party supporters surrounded his compound, leading to a violent altercation that resulted in the tragic loss of lives.
"The chants grew louder and more disturbing as Unity Partisans began throwing stones in my compound and destroying streetlights," Fallah wrote yesterday. "They surrounded the compound and manhandled and killed two partisans. Thanks to the joint security who came to de-escalate their unprovoked violence."
"I want to make it unequivocally clear that I took the responsible step of suspending our campaign activities for the day. I had instructed all partisans of the [ruling] CDC in Foya to stay away from the streets to allow the peaceful conduct of the Unity Party campaign rally. However, what occurred was far from the spirit of peace and democratic coexistence that our nation deserves," Fallah added.
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Meanwhile, the Joint Security of Liberia has announced that it will shortly dispatch a "Special Investigation Team" to investigate the Foya clash, which "reportedly occurred between individuals believed to be supporters of the Congress for Democratic Change and the Unity Party."
"The team is mandated by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General to fast-track the investigation and report its findings as soon as possible," Joint Security said in a release. "Supporters of rival political parties are urged to desist from violence during and after these elections, and strictly adhere to the Farmington Declaration signed by all political parties.
Videos circulated on social media depict scenes of chaos, with rival groups engaged in altercations and hurling objects at each other, sending shockwaves through the community and raising concerns about political tensions ahead of the October 10 polls. Police in Foya, however, have not identified those responsible for the violence, and no arrests have been made yet.
