At least two individuals are feared dead and several others injured as a result of a violent clash between the supporters of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change and the All Liberian Coalition Party (ALCOP).
The clash, according to eyewitnesses, occurred as a result of provocation from both parties' supporters, which then escalated to stone-throwing.
This led to the police firing tear gas in an attempt to control the violence, which erupted on Sunday along the Japanese Freeway. During the clash, one of the individuals, who is now feared dead, was observed lying on the ground while wearing a T-shirt associated with the ruling party.
According to eyewitnesses, the victim had fallen during the clash and was then subjected to severe beatings by ALCOP supporters, who also threw stones.
Vehicles and properties were also damaged during the unrest. The confrontation, eyewitnesses said, started when ALCOP supporters were gathering to mark the end of their campaign, and tensions escalated as stones were thrown between both groups.
The two parties were climaxing their campaign when their supporters encountered each other at the St. Michael Catholic School junction, where the scene turned violent as ALCOP supporters attempted to make a U-turn at the New Georgia Junction, entering the side of the road where CDC supporters were marching. CDC supporters objected, demanding that both parties respect their boundaries.
The Liberia National Police intervened, dispersing the crowd with tear gas. Supporters retreated to their respective campaign headquarters, while others made their way to Barnesville Junction.
At Barnesville Junction, tension escalated as the two groups clashed again, reportedly triggered by an attack on President George Weah's campaign convoy. The clash resulted in the destruction of a vehicle owned by Eugene Nagbe, the CDC's campaign manager. In a video, the driver of the vehicle displayed a wound on his left hand, claiming it was a bullet wound. However, it remains unclear who fired the gun.
Since the National Elections Commission (NEC) officially declared the campaign open on August 2, 2023, it has been nothing short of chaotic--beginning on a turbulent note and ending deadly with four individuals losing their lives.
Bloody clashes have occurred between supporters of the two main political parties, the opposition Unity and the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), since the campaign for the presidential and legislative elections started. The last clash between the two leading parties, which occurred in Foya, Lofa County, on September 30, resulted in two deaths.
Tension began at the onset of the campaign when supporters of the president, on the first day of the campaign, paraded the streets with a casket plastered with images of leading opposition leader Joseph Nyuma Boakai of the Unity Party, leading to a rebuke from the public.
A week later, the tensions reached a boiling point between both sets of supporters when a violent brawl occurred in Montserrado County electoral district 9 on Thursday, August 10, resulting in multiple injuries and raising concerns about the parties' commitment to the Farmington Peace Accord, which frowns against electoral acts of violence.
Eyewitnesses at the scene described the clashes as chaotic and intense. Supporters of both candidates reportedly hurled stones and other projectiles at each other, creating a scene of utter chaos in the district.
Supporters of both Weah and Boakai, according to eyewitnesses, gathered at the VAMOMA Junction to wait for their candidates who had scheduled campaign events in the same districts.
The campaign took a deadly turn during the clash in Foya, Lofa County.
The Sunday clash between the CDC and ALCOP is the very first act of violence involving the latter since the electoral process began.
ALCOP's campaign manager, Ali Sylla, told newsmen that the stone-throwing began when CDC supporters prevented ALCOP supporters from making the U-turn at St. Michael Junction.
He said the NEC was aware of their official campaign closure on October 8 and decided to make the U-turn to avoid confrontation. He accused CDC supporters of attacking his group and criticized the Liberia National Police for shooting tear gas and live bullets into their campaign headquarters, even as the crowd dispersed. Sylla disclosed that over 15 ALCOP supporters sustained injuries, some of whom were admitted to a local clinic in the Gardnersville area.
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The violence that has marred the campaign process so far has been condemned by Local and international organizations, including ECOWAS, the EU, and the U.S. Embassy, followed by calls for justice for the victims.
The Chargé d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy Monrovia, Catherine Rodriguez, in a statement on October 6, emphasized the importance of the upcoming elections, reaffirming the United States' commitment to ensuring that they are conducted freely, fairly, and peacefully.
Rodriguez highlighted the recent announcement regarding visa restrictions for individuals undermining Liberia's democratic process and stressed that the power lies with the Liberian people to shape their democratic future through meaningful dialogue, careful consideration of candidates' plans, and exercising their right to vote.
