Monrovia — Former President George Weah has expressed shock and dismay over what he termed as the police's decision to open fire on innocent civilians near his party's headquarters and in the surrounding areas.
Speaking to FrontPageAfrica following the police raid on the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) national headquarters on Tubman Boulevard in Congo Town, Weah condemned the actions of the police, describing them as a threat to peace and a question mark over the UP-led administration's ability to govern effectively.
"The UP administration claims they know how to govern, but they are not exhibiting tolerance. Why open fire on innocent civilians? As early as 2 AM, they started attacking," former President Weah stated.
"This is not good governance. We are a nation of rule and law. This needs to stop. We demand answers."
Violent clashes have erupted between riot police and CDC supporters since early this morning. Footages from the scenes show party supporters being forcefully detained by riot police. A particularly disturbing video shows police dragging a supporter from within the party's headquarters amidst thick clouds of tear gas.
According to reports, at around 4:30 AM on Thursday, officers from the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) raided alleged drug dealers in the Small-Town Community, which hosts the CDC headquarters. Sources indicate that the drug dealers fled into the party headquarters, prompting the officers to follow them inside.
CDC Secretary General Jefferson Koijee took to Facebook as early as 6 AM, stating, "Heavily armed state security forces have invaded our party's headquarters for the second time this morning, engaging in sporadic shootings that caused panic and chaos among citizens and partisans in and around the party's headquarters."
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He added, "We're calling the immediate attention of ECOWAS, AU, the international community, the Liberian people, and CDCIANS in particular to this unscrupulous action by the Boakai administration, which is aimed at disrupting our hard-earned peace."
"The UP administration claims they know how to govern, but they are not exhibiting tolerance. Why open fire on innocent civilians? As early as 2 AM, they started attacking, This is not good governance. We are a nation of rule and law. This needs to stop. We demand answers."George Manneh Weah, former President of Liberia
Koijee further accused the administration of undermining national peace, stating, "The peace of this country is far bigger than President Boakai and what he terms as a gang of political desperadoes. Late last night, a police pickup drove into the CDC compound, and officers began shooting and raiding the environment. The whereabouts of some partisans are unknown. Such provocation is unfortunate and demands immediate attention."
On another front, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Fonati Koffa, stopped by the scene on his way to work in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. However, his efforts proved futile as he was unable to persuade CDC partisans to stop throwing stones or to stop the police from firing tear gas. Amidst the ongoing violence, Speaker Koffa returned to his vehicle and left the scene.
Also, members of the Women In Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET) arrived at the scene to help calm tensions, but the situation continued to escalate, forcing the women to leave out of fear for their safety.
