YEKEPA, NIMBA COUNTY: President George Manneh Weah has categorically condemned the violence incident that occurred in Foya, Lofa County on Friday, September 29, 2023 between supporters of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and the opposition Unity Party (UP).
It was reported that that at least 3 persons lost their lives and many other wounded in the melee.
Speaking at a political rally in Yekepa, Nimba County a moment after the Lofa incident, President Weah expressed outrage about the situation, saying it was a sad day for the nascent Liberian democracy and fledgling peace being nurtured following years of war and conflict.
“Fellow CDCians, Weahcians and fellow citizens, what happened in Foya today was wrong,” he said. “Every political party has the right to assemble and to make its case to the Liberian people for election. But what happened today is a sad day in the history of this country, especially for the democracy and the peace we are striving to protect and sustain.”
President Weah warned that no matter the situation, every political party has the right to freely engage its partisans, meet freely and do anything rightful and consistent with the law of the country and should not be hindered or hurt by another party.
“That is the essence of democracy and we as leaders and citizens alike, must work towards promoting and protecting our democracy and sustaining peace,” he added.
President Weah stressed that the use of violent attitudes to register one’s disagreement “should not be encouraged, as it is wrong to attack each other for political reason. That’s not democracy.”
“So, we are asking you Liberians to fullly embrace peace. Let us sustain it,” he said. “When I was Peace Ambassador while I was at the same time the foremost opposition political leader, I made sure that whenever I had the opportunity to speak to Liberians, I told them the essence of keeping the peace.
“As this country is going into a crucial election, we want to urge our peace to approach the process with peace and the need to keep this country out of trouble.”
President Weah’s message to the Liberian people in the wake of the incident in Foya is in continuation of several messages of peace he has delivered to the citizens since his ascendency to power in 2018.
Though reports from Lofa are still sketchy, it has been confirmed however from multiple sources that tension has been building up in the district since the commencement of the national campaign as announced by the National Elections Commission (NEC) since August 5, 2023.
It has been reported that members and supporters of the two leading parties, the CDC and UP in Foya, have been at stern loggerheads, especially against the background that Foya is the hometown of UP’s Standard Bearer Ambassador Joseph Nyumah Boakai and he wants to keep it fully out of reach of the CDC’s Foya politicians as much as possible.