SANNIQUELLIE, NIMBA COUNTY – The National Council of Chiefs has dispatched a special envoy to Guinea on a critical humanitarian mission. The objective: to find the herbalist who allegedly inflicted a persistent, painful penile erection on a Liberian man, Mr. Christian Youhn, in a case that has spotlighted the grim realities of ritual practices and communal justice.
The Council’s official communique, released from its Sanniquellie headquarters, appoints Mr. Prince Duo as its direct representative to secure an “amicable solution.” The mission hinges on convincing the ritual practitioner in Guinea, identified by the confessed perpetrators, to provide the antidote for a condition that has left Youhn in excruciating pain for weeks.
The official diplomatic mission follows the harrowing public testimony of Christian Youhn, a man in his 30s, who spoke to reporters at the Chiefs and Elders Council office hours after returning from the traditional oath-administering town of Gbloulay. Visibly in distress, Youhn described his ordeal as one of his “darkest days.”
“I’m struggling to understand why I’m being subjected to this harsh treatment. I’m innocent of the allegations,” Youhn stated, vehemently denying claims that he had a relationship with the girlfriend of one of his accusers. “The claim is entirely false, and the ritual was misapplied.”
He detailed a desperate and costly search for a cure. “Since this started, I’ve spent over LD$30,000 on treatment in the hospital, trying everything prescribed, but nothing has worked.” The condition, a persistent erection known medically as priapism, is not only physically debilitating but has stripped him of his basic freedoms. “This feels worse than death. I’m losing my freedom, unable to sleep or sit comfortably… This is more than a death sentence – I’ve lost my freedom.”
From Village Dispute to Ritual Punishment:
The origins of the crisis trace back to a dispute in mid-August 2025 in Mao Town, Yarpea Mahn. According to accounts, two fellow residents, Prince Duo and Bill Duo, accused Youhn of having an affair with one of their girlfriends and threatened him with dire consequences.
Tragically for Youhn, those threats materialized in a profoundly physical way. Just four days after the confrontation, he began experiencing the distressing condition. The matter was escalated to the Chiefs and Elders Council, which initiated an investigation that led to a traditional trial by ordeal in Gbloulay Town.
Faced with the ritual process, the accused men, Bill Duo and Prince Duo, confessed to commissioning the act. They reportedly claimed that the traditional herbalist who performed the ritual was from neighboring Guinea and have since promised to provide treatment, a promise that now forms the basis of the chiefs’ diplomatic intervention.
With the confession in hand and Youhn’s health deteriorating, the National Council of Chiefs is leveraging its cross-border influence. The communique calls upon all security personnel along the Liberia-Guinea border to provide safe passage and full cooperation to the delegation.
Leading the operational logistics is Mr. Perry Gbarto, designated as the Chief of Operation for the sensitive mission. The directive mandates that he be accorded all necessary courtesies to ensure the success of his duties as a direct representative of the national chiefs and elders.
The mission, signed by Chief Moses W. Van, the Vice Chair for Culture and Tradition, and approved by Chief Robert Gele, Chairman of the NGC 23 in Nimba County, represents a high-stakes gamble. Its success depends on locating the specific herbalist in Guinea and persuading them to reverse a ritual that has already caused severe physical and psychological trauma.
