Mass National Resistance Looms -STAND, Partners Mobilizing for December 17

MONROVIA – Amid widespread outcries and lamentations in and out of Liberia regarding the ruling Unity Party’s clear breach of campaign promises, something confirmed by recent US State Department Country Report unveiling wanton atrocities under the regime, including torture, killings, amongst others, a coalition for civil society organizations, are planning a resistance activities towards December 17 this year. The Chief Organizer, STAND, made the declaration last weekend indicating that, along with a horde of its activist partners, it would be rising up for “persistent human rights abuses, entrenched corruption, and systemic violations of fundamental freedoms” by the government. The Analyst reports.     

The Solidarity & Trust for a New Day (STAND) says after its 14-Day Ultimatum as well as the 2014 U.S. Human Rights Report, the “Enough is Enough” Protest Coalition  will on December 17 as launch of Nationwide Resistance dubbed, “Boakai & Team Must Lead or Leave!”

In a statement issued Friday, signed by chief organizer Mulbah Morlu, the group asserted that “the Enough is Enough Protest Coalition—led by the Solidarity & Trust for a New Day (STAND) and We the People Movement welcomed the U.S. State Department’s 2024 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Liberia, which confirms persistent human rights abuses, entrenched corruption, and systemic violations of fundamental freedoms.

The statement says the 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,” said STAND in the statement.

It added: “For instance, 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 suffer 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 says the U.S. State Department’s assessment is accurate, for “there has been no significant change.” Boakai’s actions prove Liberia remains trapped in the same destructive cycle of waste, arrogance, and contempt for its people.

“Returning to the report’s findings, while the broader security apparatus bears responsibility for abuses, the spotlight falls sharply on the Gregory Coleman-led Liberia National Police, documenting violations so severe they cannot be ignored. This is not mere criticism, but a call to urgent action. These findings reinforce STAND’s core demand: the immediate dismissal of the current Inspector General of Police to restore credibility, integrity, and public trust in the LNP.”

Mulbah said STAND and its partners have distilled the essence of the U.S. report into one undeniable truth: under Boakai’s leadership, impunity thrives, abuses persist, and ordinary Liberians remain unprotected.

According to STAND the report exposes a nation gripped by extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, prolonged detentions without trial, a silenced-threatened, intimidated & censored press, torture, inhumane treatment, rampant gender-based violence, female genital mutilation, and systemic discrimination. At its core is a deeply corrupt government machinery that emboldens lawlessness and strips ordinary Liberians of justice and dignity.

Said further the human rights group: “These abuses violate Articles 6 and 7 of the ICCPR, Articles 4, 5, 6, and 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and Articles 11, 15, and 20 of the Liberian Constitution, all of which guarantee life, liberty, due process, freedom of expression, and human dignity. Such violations are not only unlawful—they are an attack on the principles of justice, democracy, and humanity.”

STAND asserts that alarming allegations from senior officials of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) and the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) reveal direct involvement of government officials in the drug trade.

This hypocrisy—by some of those (officials) who paraded in recent anti-drug campaigns—demands an urgent, transparent, internationally monitored investigation, fully compliant with Liberia’s obligations under the U.N. Convention Against Corruption and ECOWAS protocols, the group said.

STAND said the Enough is Enough Nonviolent Coalition is declaring Phase II of its sustained mass protest, beginning December 17, 2025, because the Boakai administration’s refusal to address the just demands of the July 17 ‘Enough is Enough protesters’, there is grave human rights violations documented in the U.S. report, the continued failure of all three branches of government to uphold their obligations, the mounting economic suffering crushing ordinary Liberians and threatening national stability, and President Boakai’s outright rejection of the 13-Count Petition of the July 17 protesters.”

Liberia will witness a fearless, nationwide wave of nonviolent resistance shaking every major city—holding leaders accountable, demanding justice, and reclaiming the nation’s future from decades of corruption and neglect.

STAND says unlike July 17, this December protest will take place directly in front of the Executive Mansion—no alternative venue will be accepted.

“We make it unmistakably clear: this relentless resistance will neither bow, break, nor bend—until the Boakai government answers the call to Lead or Leave,” said the group in the statement, adding that “the Liberian people have spoken”.

“The era of meaningless cabinet retreats and empty promises is over. The struggle now enters a decisive stage—driven by the people, grounded in justice, and fueled by the unshakable demand for change,” STAND insisted, disclosing that to coordinate this movement, a 15-member Citizens Engagement Board (CEB), representing all 15 counties, has been established.

“Within 30 days of its launch, the CEB will mobilize key stakeholders, civil society leaders, and representatives of vulnerable and marginalized groups nationwide, ensuring sustained action in every major city,” said the release. “As December 17 approaches, the Enough is Enough Protest Coalition will initiate, intensify, and sustain targeted nonviolent actions—both large and small—defending communities, civil liberties, and democratic governance.”

These targeted actions, the group said, are to be repeated as necessary, designed to apply continuous pressure on the authorities.

“They will remain nonviolent but intentionally disruptive to governance until fundamental freedoms and democratic norms are fully respected,” they assured.