Bility Calls for Rule of Law Tempered with Mercy -Amid Massive Citizens Displacement from Demolitions

MONROVIA – As growing national debate brews ongoing evictions in Monrovia, Citizens Movement for Change (CMC) political leader Musa Hassan Bility has called for a balanced approach that protects property rights while demanding greater government responsibility for displaced citizens.

In a reflective statement titled “Letter from Saclepea: Evictions — enforcing the law with mercy,” Bility weighed in on the wave of court-ordered removals that have left families homeless and stirred public anger.

“Saclepea feels quiet in the mornings,” Bility wrote, “but my mind has not been silent. Not with what is happening across Liberia right now — the evictions, the tears, the anger, the confusion, and the dangerous arguments that are growing around the rule of law and the right to own property.”

“It Is Never Just an Eviction”

Bility described the unfolding scenes across affected communities as symptomatic of deeper structural failures.

“When a country reaches the point where citizens are put out in the rain, families are scattered, belongings are thrown into pickup trucks, and children watch adults beg for mercy, it is never just an eviction,” he stated. “It is a mirror. It shows us what we have built, what we have ignored, and what we have allowed to rot for too long.”

His comments come as images and videos circulate on social media showing displaced families seeking shelter after court enforcement actions.

Defense of Property Rights

Despite acknowledging the human toll, Bility firmly defended the principle of lawful ownership.

“Let me be clear about something that must never be confused — the rule of law matters,” he emphasized. “If a competent court has determined who the rightful owner of a piece of land is, then that owner is entitled to that property.”

He warned against politicizing the issue or weakening legal protections for property holders.

“Not because power says so, not because money says so, but because law is supposed to be the one language that does not change with emotions, tribes, or politics,” Bility wrote. “If we weaken lawful ownership, we weaken order. We weaken investment. We undermine the idea that tomorrow can be better than today.”

“The Harvest of State Negligence”

However, Bility placed significant responsibility on the government for allowing illegal settlements to flourish over time without intervention.

“This displacement is also the government’s doing,” he asserted. “Not because the government issued the court ruling, but because the government failed in the years before the verdict became an eviction.”

According to Bility, authorities failed to regulate construction, enforce zoning laws, and prevent encroachment early enough to avoid mass displacements.

“The state is supposed to regulate, enforce zoning, stop encroachment early, and intervene before a minor illegality grows into an entire settlement,” he wrote. “If that system existed and were enforced, we would not be watching citizens become homeless overnight.”

He described the current crisis as “not only the enforcement of court decisions, but also the harvest of state negligence.”

Rejecting a “False Choice”

Bility rejected what he characterized as a divisive public narrative framing the issue as a choice between supporting landowners or displaced occupants.

“I refuse the false choice being pushed on our people, that we must either defend the landowners or defend the displaced,” he stated. “That is not justice. That is politics.”

Instead, he argued, justice requires acknowledging two simultaneous truths: “First, the rightful owners must receive their property as ordered by the court. Second, the government must take responsibility for the human consequences of its long neglect.”

Call for Humane Transition

Bility criticized what he described as uncoordinated removals that leave families stranded.

“You cannot fail to prevent illegal settlements, then arrive late with enforcement, and finally disappear again when citizens are crying on the roadside,” he wrote. “You cannot dump people at county borders, abandon them to find their way, and call that governance. That is dereliction dressed in silence.”

He called for organized, state-led relocation efforts, including temporary shelters and humanitarian coordination.

“If the people living on those lands were there unlawfully, then yes, they must transition,” he acknowledged. “But the transition must be organized, humane, and state-led.”

He added that the same government that failed to prevent the crisis “must now lead the solution — temporary shelters, clear relocation plans, coordinated humanitarian support, and a structured resettlement process that reduces conflict and preserves dignity.”

Lessons from the Past

Drawing parallels to previous land and settlement disputes, Bility warned that failure to act responsibly could lead to further instability.

“We have made these mistakes before,” he cautioned. “We have seen what happens when we avoid hard decisions in places like West Point and in other communities, when we postpone planning, ignore warnings, and allow disorder to grow until it becomes too big to manage without cruelty.”

“And every time,” he continued, “the country pays twice — first in chaos, and then in suffering.”

“A Serious Government Must Carry Both”

Bility concluded with a broader reflection on governance and leadership.

“Law without compassion becomes brutality. Compassion without law becomes anarchy. A serious government must carry both.”

He called on authorities to ensure that while court decisions are respected and property rights upheld, displaced citizens are not abandoned.

“Let the courts be respected. Let property rights be protected. But let the state finally act like a state — present, responsible, organized, and humane,” he urged, “so that rightful owners receive what is theirs, and displaced citizens are not treated like waste to be thrown beyond the edge of the map.”

As Liberia continues to grapple with land disputes and urban pressure, Bility’s intervention adds a nuanced voice to a debate that sits at the intersection of legality, governance, and human dignity.