– Target More African Officials
By Jerromie S. Walters
Monrovia – The U.S. Embassy in Monrovia shared a statement on Thursday, August 14, 2025, from the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs indicating that the Trump administration is moving toward imposing visa restrictions on government officials from several African nations, Cuba, and Grenada. The potential sanctions target individuals allegedly involved in Cuba’s controversial overseas labor programs, which Washington claims amount to forced labor exploitation.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the developing policy in a social media post, stating: “The U.S. Department of State is taking steps to impose visa restrictions on several African, Cuban, and Grenadian government officials complicit in the Cuban regime’s coerced forced labor export scheme. We are committed to ending this practice. Countries who are complicit in this exploitative practice should think twice.”
The announcement follows previous U.S. sanctions against Liberian officials. On August 15, 2022, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury sanctioned three Liberian government officials for their alleged involvement in public corruption in Liberia. They included Bill Tweah-way, a former managing director of the National Port Authority, Syrenius Cephas, a former Liberian solicitor general, and Nathaniel McGill, a former minister of state for presidential affairs and chief of staff.
All properties and interests in properties belonging to these targets that are located in the United States or that are in the possession or control of Americans must be prohibited and disclosed to OFAC, according to the US sanctions implications. Also on December 10, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) designated Jefferson Koijee (Koijee), who was the mayor of Monrovia at the time. According to the Department, Koijee had a reputation for stoking violence and had a powerful grip on Monrovia’s youth.
Amid Severe Regression in Rights Protections:
Now, the U.S. Department of State decision to impose visa restrictions on several African officials comes just when the U.S. State Department’s 2024 human rights report on Liberia exposes severe regression in the country’s rights protections, documenting systemic failures that threaten democratic governance under President Joseph Boakai’s administration. Released on August 13, 2025, the damning assessment reveals unchecked security force killings, eroding press freedoms, worker exploitation, and a justice system crippled by corruption.
Security forces operated with near-total impunity throughout 2024, with multiple cases of extrajudicial killings going unpunished. A particularly egregious incident occurred in April when an inmate died under suspicious circumstances at Fish Town Central Prison, sparking violent protests that led to a prison break. While six corrections officers faced initial charges, only one remained under investigation by year’s end – a pattern repeated in the case of Patrolman Jerome Tokpah, who was merely dismissed after allegedly attacking a civilian with a machete despite facing attempted murder charges.
Press freedom suffered alarming setbacks as authorities silenced critics through punitive measures. Nine Monrovia City Corporation employees lost their jobs for social media criticism of officials, while Radio Kakata’s manager faced suspension on dubious financial charges after critical reporting. New accreditation rules imposed intrusive vetting requirements for journalists covering the Executive Mansion, widely seen as tools for suppressing dissent.
Liberia’s labor landscape remains dystopian, with 90% of workers trapped in the unprotected informal sector. A 2023 court ruling maintained the ban on public sector unionization, while underfunded labor inspectors ignored safety violations – negligence that contributed to the preventable deaths of 10 miners in a March mudslide at an illegal gold mine.
The justice system has become a marketplace for injustice, where 60% of pretrial detainees languish beyond legal limits as judges demand bribes for bail. A November case saw a Guinean mercenary extradited without due process, while chronically understaffed public defenders struggle to provide even basic representation.
While the report notes minor progress including France’s conviction of warlord Kunti Kamara for civil war-era crimes, these isolated victories are overshadowed by persistent atrocities. Female genital mutilation still affects half of rural women, child marriage remains legal at 16, and wartime accountability remains nonexistent domestically.
