Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, is bracing for a more intense, relentless, and louder nationwide protest with tougher demands. Mulbah Morlu, the Chairman of the Solidarity & Trust for a New Day (STAND), has announced that the protest is scheduled for December 17, and the Executive Mansion is set to be the epicenter.
“Unlike July 17, the December 17 protest will be held squarely within the perimeters of the Executive Mansion, which is always open to the public and commercial vehicles. As the property of the people, any attempt to block or intimidate peaceful citizens demanding accountability will be futile. Reactionary and excessive security forces are hereby warned: this movement will not bow, break, or bend until the Boakai government LEADS or LEAVES,” Morlu warned.
The protest is a follow-up to the July 17 “Enough is Enough” protest, which drew tens of thousands of Liberians demanding action from President Joseph Boakai’s administration. STAND presented 11 key demands, including the dismissal and prosecution of corrupt officials, independent audits, and emergency economic measures to create jobs and increase investment in healthcare and education.
According to STAND Chairman Mulbah Morlu, the December 17 protest will feature tougher demands and be stronger, unrelenting, and louder than the previous one. The group claims President Boakai has neglected his duty to defend the Constitution, uphold the rule of law, and ensure public accountability, enabling unchecked corruption and lawlessness.
The U.S. State Department’s 2024 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Liberia has further fueled the protests, documenting persistent human rights abuses, entrenched corruption, and systemic violations of fundamental freedoms. The report highlights extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, prolonged detentions without trial, and a silenced, threatened, intimidated, and censored press. “This latest report delivers a damning verdict on Liberia’s worsening human rights crisis, bluntly concluding that no significant progress has been made during President Joseph Boakai’s first year in office. This is not merely a policy failure, but a moral indictment of the so-called “Rescue Agenda,” exposing its emptiness and the administration’s inability—or unwillingness—to break Liberia’s entrenched culture of impunity,” Chairman Morlu asserted.
The civil society group said, as prices soar and hospitals collapse, President Boakai is squandering taxpayer dollars on a 23-to-40-person entourage to Japan. The same man who once condemned wasteful foreign travel now indulges in it with reckless appetite. Liberians are suffering under rising prices, unemployment, and a failing healthcare system, yet millions are wasted on a foreign junket that delivers nothing—no jobs, no trade, no meaningful investment.
STAND has expressed concerns about several Liberian government officials, citing allegations of misconduct and corruption. Vice President Jeremiah Koung is among those mentioned, with allegations of interference in the Supreme Court’s ruling on the ousting of Speaker J. Fonati Koffa. Samuel Kofi Woods, National Security Advisor to President Joseph Boakai, who lacks any background in law enforcement, the military, or security science, Minister of Justice Oswald Tweh, and Inspector General Gregory Coleman have been implicated in the torture of Andrew Lawson and Albert Weah, who are currently facing trial for their alleged roles in the arson attack on the Capitol Building in December 2024. Additionally, Woods attempted to recruit John Nyanti to provide false testimony against former Speaker Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa. Other officials mentioned include Mamaka Bility, Minister of State Without Portfolio, who is associated with the Putu Iron Ore concession scandal and the “Yellow Machine” procurement scandal, and Mo Ali, Managing Director of LWSC, is said to have defied legislative orders and misdirected funds, according to STAND.
Additionally, STAND has raised concerns about Roland Giddings, Minister of Public Works, who awarded contracts to firms that failed to improve roads. Patrick Honnah, Commissioner of the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), has faced criticism for his salary benefits and perks. Amos Tweh, Managing Director of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC), is accused of using LPRC funds for partisan activities.
STAND has also mentioned Sekou Dukuly, Managing Director of the National Port Authority (NPA), who is alleged to be involved in a financial transaction that raises transparency concerns. Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman has faced accusations of weaponizing the Liberia National Police into a brutal tool of political oppression, orchestrating the harassment and violent suppression of peaceful protesters and vulnerable workers through the enforcement of illegal regulations and under his command, law enforcement officers have perpetrated daily abuses against civilians, culminating in the tragic murder of three protesters in Kinjor, Grand Cape Mount County—an atrocity that underscores the grave threat his leadership poses to Liberia’s fragile democracy, public safety, and rule of law. Major General Davidson Forleh, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Liberia, has been criticized for the treatment of Liberian soldiers.
Despite the recommendations made to the government of Liberia and a 14-day ultimatum, the Boakai-led administration chose to ignore the demands put forth. This refusal has now led to the second phase of protests, which is set to take place on December 17. The protest will be coordinated by a 15-member Citizens Engagement Board representing all 15 counties. As December 17 approaches, the Enough is Enough Protest Coalition will initiate targeted nonviolent actions to exert pressure on the authorities and demand justice and accountability.