Monrovia — FrontPageAfrica has learned that the man who was brutally attacked, allegedly by supporters of the All Liberia Coalition during Sunday's clash in Gardnersville, has miraculously survived the brutality.
He was admitted to Aspen Medical International Hospital in Sinkor, Monrovia, where he received medical attention and was stabilized. His condition, however, remains, critical, FrontPageAfrica was told.
A video circulating on social media from Sunday evening shows the victim wearing a blue shirt, believed to be a CDC campaign shirt. In the footage, he can be seen being pursued by a group of men who are believed to be supporters of ALCOP. The situation escalates when the man slips and falls, at which point the group of men wearing ALCOP campaign shirts descends upon him. The disturbing footage captures instances of the victim being subjected to violence, including beatings with sticks, as well as being violently pelted with stones and blocks.
The violence began with stone-throwing between supporters of the CDC and ALCOP, who were both concluding their campaign events.
It all began at St. Michael Junction along the Japan Freeway, where supporters of the ALCOP and the CDC found themselves on opposite sides of the four-lane freeway. The ALCOP supporters were wrapping up their campaign, while the CDC supporters were marching towards their party headquarters in Congo Town.
Initially, both groups conducted their rallies peacefully without any disruptions. However, the situation took a turn when ALCOP supporters decided to make a U-turn at New Georgia Junction. This necessitated them to enter the side of the road where the CDC supporters were marching. When they attempted to do so, the CDC supporters stopped them, insisting that both parties should respect their respective boundaries.
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Rita Jlogbe, a journalist visiting the area at the time of the incident, recounted that tensions escalated around the St. Michael Junction, where the first instances of stone-throwing occurred. It remains unclear who initiated the stone-throwing, as FrontPageAfrica was unable to independently confirm this.
The Liberia National Police intervened by deploying tear gas to disperse the crowd, leading most supporters to retreat to their campaign headquarters at Aluminum Factory, while others headed to Bardnersville Junction.
Subsequently, reports indicated that another clash erupted at Bardnersville Junction, triggered by an alleged attack on the convoy escorting President George Weah during his final campaign. This clash resulted in the damaging of a vehicle belonging to Eugene Nagbe, the CDC's campaign manager. FrontPageAfrica obtained a video in which the vehicle's driver displayed a bloody wound on his left hand, claiming it was a bullet wound. The identity of the shooter remains unclear.
Speaking about the incident, Ali Sylla, ALCOP's campaign manager, asserted that the stone-throwing began with CDC supporters, who insisted that ALCOP supporters making a U-turn at St. Michael Junction to return to their campaign headquarters at Aluminum Factory would not be allowed to do so. Sylla explained that he made the decision for the group to make the U-turn to avoid a confrontation with the CDC group, even though ALCOP had officially informed the National Elections Commission (NEC) of their campaign closure on October 8th.
