MONROVIA - Clad in black and chanting "No more zombies" and "We tired with Kush," thousands of Liberians flooded the streets of Monrovia Thursday in one of the most impassioned citizen-led protests in recent memory, demanding that the government declare Liberia's spiraling drug crisis a national pandemic.
The peaceful demonstration, organized by the "Say No to Drugs" campaign, drew civil society groups, student organizations, religious leaders, and hundreds of grieving parents, many of whom say they've watched their children fall victim to addiction. They presented a 12-page petition addressed to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Vice President Jeremiah Koung, Speaker J. Fonati Koffa, Senate Pro Tempore Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, and the entire Legislature.
"Our beloved Liberia is bleeding from within," the petition reads. "Every day, we witness the heartbreaking sights of our family and friends lying on street corners like the living dead."
Titled "A Cry to Save a Dying Generation and Protect Our Future," the petition outlines a 29-point plan for both the Executive and Legislative branches. Among the top demands: an executive order declaring the drug crisis a national health emergency akin to Ebola and COVID-19, the creation of a presidential anti-drug task force, mandatory rehabilitation for users, a 20-year minimum sentence for major drug offenses, and the confiscation and auctioning of assets linked to the drug trade.
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A "National Emergency"
The protests and petition come amid grim statistics. An April 2023 report by Global Action for Sustainable Development (GASD) revealed that Monrovia and its surroundings are home to over 866 ghettos, harboring more than 100,000 chronic drug users. Activists argue that drug trafficking in Liberia is being facilitated by what they call "big hands"--powerful, well-connected individuals, including some within the government.
Sekou Turay, one of the campaign leaders, was unequivocal in his accusations during the march.
"About 90 percent of the drugs entering Liberia are being backed by so-called 'big hands,"' he said. "You have LDEA officers making arrests, only for a 'big hand' to call and say, 'That's my interest, let the person go.' That's sabotaging the fight."
Turay didn't spare even the highest office in the land. "If the President is involved, his properties should be seized and auctioned," he declared. "No one should be immune. The children of Liberia are dying, and we won't keep quiet."
Legal Overhaul Demanded
Protesters are calling for amendments to Liberia's narcotics laws. Currently, first-degree drug felonies carry a sentence of 10 to 20 years. The petitioners are demanding that lawmakers push this to a minimum of 20 years and up to life imprisonment. They also want the law amended to make rehabilitation mandatory for users, whether on bail or imprisoned.
"Light sentences have failed," the petition argues. "The law must become a true deterrent."
They further call for the inclusion of air, land, and sea carriers in legal liability for drug trafficking. Proposed penalties include a $100,000 fine for a first offense, $250,000 for a second, and a permanent ban for a third. Land carriers like commercial vehicles and motorcycles should be seized and auctioned, with proceeds redirected toward drug prevention and rehabilitation.
Another landmark proposal involves the establishment of a Liberia Drug Prevention, Rehabilitation & Reintegration Agency, a statutory body recommended by GASD to centralize anti-drug efforts across treatment, law enforcement, and reintegration.
The petition also calls on lawmakers to reduce their own salaries and channel the savings into rehabilitation programs for at-risk youth. As one placard during the march read: "Your cars are new, our children are dying."
Executive Action Sought
Beyond the emergency declaration, campaigners want the President to:
- Declare August 7 as National Anti-Drug Day;
- Establish a Presidential Anti-Drug Task Force involving the AFL, LNP, civil society, and the Liberia National Bar Association;
- Remove tariffs on drug treatment supplies;
- Mandate free rehabilitation at all government-run facilities;
- Set up a national Anti-Drug Fund financed by alcohol, tobacco, and gambling taxes;
- Establish National Rehabilitation Centers across the country;
- Provide subsidies for private rehab centers;
- Integrate drug education into school curricula from primary through tertiary levels;
- Enforce mandatory drug testing in schools and workplaces.
The petition also outlines a plan for intelligence gathering, calling on the Liberia Telecommunications Authority to collaborate with GSM companies to create anonymous tip lines and send public drug alerts. The Ministry of Youth & Sports is urged to launch vocational programs for rehabilitated users, while the LNP is mandated to enforce bans on underage access to alcohol and tobacco in entertainment venues.
Moreover, it seeks the screening of all government officials' luggage at airports, a provision likely to stir political discomfort.
"We are not asking for vengeance. We are asking for justice and protection," the petitioners wrote. "You must act, for if you fail to do so, Liberia will lose its next generation."
Government Response
The Boakai administration, which made the war on drugs a campaign priority in 2023, appears to have anticipated the public backlash. On Wednesday, Presidential Press Secretary Atty. Kula Bonah Nyei Fofana issued a statement outlining new executive measures.
"The President has ordered that funding be prioritized for a comprehensive national strategy," she said.
According to the release, the strategy includes:
- Incorporating anti-drug curricula in schools;
- Expanding rehabilitation services;
- Conducting random drug testing;
- Increasing support for the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA);
- Enhancing surveillance at ports and borders.
President Boakai, in his own remarks, emphasized accountability.
"No status, no title, no uniform, and no connection will protect anyone involved in drugs," he stated.
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Still, the campaigners argue that despite public declarations, enforcement has remained weak and corruption pervasive. "Until we see big hands arrested, we won't be silent," said protester Janet Kollie, whose 19-year-old son lives in one of Monrovia's ghettos.
Regional Attention and ECOWAS Visit
Coinciding with the protest is a regional visit by the ECOWAS Parliament, whose members are in Liberia as part of a broader anti-drug awareness tour across West Africa. The region has seen an alarming rise in drug trafficking, with Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, and Nigeria frequently used as transshipment points for cocaine and synthetic narcotics destined for Europe and Asia.
"This Cannot Be the New Normal"
The anguish among the protesters was visceral. Some held up pictures of loved ones lost to overdoses. Others bore hand-painted signs that read: "Kush is Killing Us," "Stop Feeding on Our Pain," and "Rehab Not Death." One woman, in tears, told The Liberian Investigator: "My son used to want to be a doctor. Now, he eats from the dumpsite. That's not normal."
The petition notes:
"We rise in alarm as illicit drugs ravage our children and communities. You must act. But if you act now, you will be remembered as the leaders who stood up to save Liberia's future."
"Liberia cannot rise while her children are falling. We demand a drug-free Liberia."
