-Pre-elections violence leaves several wounded, as CDC refutes reports of disrupting UP activities.
By: Jerromie S. Walters & G. Bennie Bravo Johnson
In the realm of human interactions, conflicts arise as an inevitable part of life. Occasionally, these conflicts escalate to a point where they manifest physically, resulting in a bloody fight. Sadly, this was vividly demonstrated on Thursday, August 10, 2023, when both the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and the former ruling Unity Party (UP) had separate events in Montserrado County District #10.
Count six of the Farmington River Declaration FRD urges political parties to desist from engaging into actions or using languages, whether online or offline, that could provoke any type of violence, intimidation, or human rights abuses before, during, and after elections.
But the bloody scene form District 10 weakened the essence of the FRD and vividly described the awkwardness of the confrontation, explored the emotions it left, consequences, and it demeaning implication (s) it leaves on all involved parties and even the pending October 10, 2023 legislative and presidential elections.
The National Elections Commission (NEC) on Saturday, 5, 2023 officially declared the October 10, 2023 general elections campaign open. Sadly, this was met with a horrific reaction as supporters of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) paraded the streets with a casket with an image of the standard bearer of the former ruling Unity Party (UP), Amb. Joseph Nyumah Boakai.
This, which many the President, ECOWAS, the CDC in general and Liberians condemned, was not only awkward to be seen, but it was also enraged with an influence to undermine commitment made by the parties through the Farmington Declaration.
In what that appeared as a counter reaction to this, some supporters in parts of Sinkor and central Monrovia later r these same day, were seen parading the streets, singing “We don’t want kush”, a harmful substance that has killed tens of young Liberians, and maltreated and left others mad.
Since the start of campaign, the CDC has held several events, and Thursday wasn’t excluded from their plan, as it was earlier announced that the President and his campaign team was visiting Montserrado County District 10 and 11 respectively.
On the other end, the former ruling Unity Party (UP) earlier announced the same day, Thursday, August 10, 2023, for the announcement of their campaign team by the party’s standard bearer in Montserrado County, District #10.
Arguably, many expected a massive turnout for the two parties, and it worked as expected, but sadly; the outcome of the engagement of supporters from the two parties was terribly uncivil, as tempers flared, egos clashed, and emotions reached a boiling point that led to the cutting of the ear of a young man who identified himself as a supporter of the ruling CDC, by supporters of the former ruling Unity Party.
The atmosphere was charged with an impending sense of violence, as if the very essence of the surroundings was preparing for an imminent clash.
Excluding that young man, scores of other citizens were badly wounded due to how chaotic the situation became minutes later.
Eventually, the fight reached its climax, leaving the participants exhausted and drained. The crowd dispersed, leaving behind a scene of destruction and broken spirits, but its outcome didn’t permit the Unity Party to conduct her event, even though the CDC did hers.
However, the consequences literally don’t reflect on the individuals that masterminded the conflict, but the affected party (ies) and it also points to political parties’ inability to have their supporters educated about the Farmington River Declaration which they all signed, and vowed to confine in.
Members of the opposition noted that the violence errupted when Amb. Boakai escorts were allegedly attacked by supporters of the CDC who gathered at the Varmoma House to welcome President George Weah and his entourage in district #9, Montserrado County.
The scene resulted in an uproar, after an alleged attack by the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change, on several of it’s supporters, who were heading to their new ” Rescue Mission” Campaign headquarter in New Airfield, in the Old Immigration building in district#9.
The alleged attack by CDC on the escorts of Amb. Boakai left at least four persons severely wounded, while several others survived brutality.
The UP supporters were allegedly entrap by supporters of the ruling CDC, who had reportedly prevented Amb. Joseph Nyumah Boakai from reaching the party’s campaign headquarters.
Amb. Boakai was reportedly held in a huge traffic at the Ministerial Complex terrain, where the CDC had gathered nearby, with it’s campaign activities, thereby forcing him to use the Japan-Liberia Freeway to his campaign office.
However, the Unity Party Standard Bearer could not be reached in time, this prompting one of the rescue team bigots, Daniel Sinoe to announce the cancellation of the program which was geared at naming the party’s final campaign team.
Based upon what happened, partisan of UP also blocked the entrance to their party headquarters in Airfield and attacked CDCian and state officers who came to calm down the situation.
Peaceful citizens who were on Motorcycle wearing CDC shirt and other party materials were attacked in an intensive stone throwing.
One of those wounded, 28-years old Darius B. Rode, said that he was on a motorcycle heading to the Unity Party Campaign Headquarters, when a group of individuals wearing the CDC t-shirts and berets held him hostage and began to brutalize him.
He indicated that the group which used threatening statements of always distablizing the UP Campaign activities, had already chopped off his right ear, before some other supporters of the UP had come to his rescue.
He indicated that besides, him, the motorcyclist riding him was also brutalized helplessly while all their belongings were taken away.
The four wounded individuals were later rushed to a nearby medical center by some supporters of the UP who had gathered at the campaign headquarters.
Speaking in an exclusive Interview with this paper at the Scene, Mr. Rufus Paul, Assistance Secretary for Press and Public Affairs blamed the CDC for the situation and attacked.
According to him, the CDC prevented the escorts of their standard bearer and VP along with others from coming to their program and brutalized them.
“Our standard bearer was prevented from coming to the program by the CDC supporters at Varmoma. They brutalized and wounded our partisan. You have been here and you see everything. Our partism are responding because when you push people to the walls and they can’t enter they have to defend themselves. ” He stated.
Mr. Paul however, calling on the international community and the NEC to take action and call the CDC to book, adding that they want conflict.
At the same time, spokesperson in the office of the Campaign Chair of the Rescue Team, Daniel Sando, during his cancellation of the day’s activities statement, blamed the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change, for preventing the movement of UP Standard Bearer, Amb. Joseph Nyumah Boakai, from reaching the party’s campaign headquarters on Thursday, August 10.
Sando told a team of journalists that the action of the CDC against the rescue team campaign activities is a recipe of chaos.
He said it was unfortunate that the CDC will not only instruct its supporters to create an adverse scene, that prevented the UP Standard Bearer from reaching his campaign headquarters, but went further to brutalize and wound several of the party’s supporters.
CDC’s response to the incident
The attention of the Weah-Taylor 2023 National Campaign Committee has been drawn to false claims by the Unity Party (UP) which were contained in a press release published on Thursday, August 10, stating that partisans of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) disrupted activities of the Unity Party near the UP’s Campaign office in Airfield Sinkor, Monrovia.
The Weah-Taylor 2023 Campaign Committee wishes to clarify that the CDC’s ongoing district engagements of its standard bearer and Vice standard bearer, which were continuing on Thursday in
Districts 9 and 10 of Montserrado County had been pre-announced a week ago on various national media platforms. The CDC also communicated its key campaign dates to the National Elections Commission.
Inspite of the prior announcement, the Weah-Taylor 2023 Campaign Committee, recognizing that the Unity Party was seeking to provoke violence by deliberately ignoring the CDC’s prevailing Campaign Schedule by going ahead to plan their own event on the same day, decided to postpone the prescheduled start of activities in District 9 for more than four hours to avoid any conflicts with UP Partisans who had announced a Press Conference for 10AM on Thursday.
As a consequence of the irresponsible and violent actions of the Unity Party, partisans of the Coalition for Democratic Change were brutalized by Unity Partisans during today’s activities.
The Weah-Taylor 2023 Campaign Committee therefore calls the attention of the National Elections Commission, the United Nations Resident Coordinator, the office of the ECOWAS representative and other well meaning international partners to this flagrant provocation from the Unity Party and urges their timely intervention to avert future recurrence.
The Weah-Taylor 2023 Campaign Committee reassures its many partisans, well-wishers and ordinary Liberians that it will always remain peaceful and that it is committed to upholding the law and the tenets of the Farmington Declaration.
Calls for peaceful elections
With experience from past elections in Liberia and other parts of Africa and the world at large, the government of Liberia’s partners have been concerned about the conduct of a peaceful electoral process comes October 10, as calls have been made by ECOWAS, the US government, and several other INGOs.
Recently, the Head of the National Traditional Council of Liberia, Chief Zanzan Karwor, while serving as the orator of the 176th Independence Day celebration, admonished political actors and their supporters of the significance of being peaceful throughout these processes.
“As your father and Chairman of the National Traditional Council of Chiefs and Elders of this great Country, I call on you to ensure that the election is free without violence. Political leaders should talk to their followers, do not incite them to engage into violence or take the laws into their own hands”.
He continued, “The reason why some of us want elected position is because we love Liberia and we want to develop this country. But how will we develop the country after the election when there is violence all over.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the October 10 election is right to our doorsteps. In less than three months we will be having our election where the president, vice President, senators and representatives will be elected. This election will come and go and we will still live together here as Liberians, because this is the only country that we have”.
As disclosed by the Chief, “election in itself is not an end to democracy but it makes democracy to work when it is free, fair and transparent. Some of the problems we have had in this country came when some people felt that the 1995 election was not free, fair and transparent. Election is free when the voters are allowed to freely go to the poll and cast their ballots without any form of intimidation”.
Accordingly, he said the election is fair and transparent when the results are based on what really happened at the polling centers. “Election becomes credible when it is free, fair, and transparent. So we call on the government, NEC, all political leaders and the people to make show that the October 10th election is free, fair, transparent and credible to avoid violence”.
He encouraged political parties to reach out to the Council, in case they are dissatisfied with the proceedings of the elections.
“We, the traditional people are here, the election commission is here, and even the courts are also here. So if there is anything that any political leader is not happy with, please bring it to us so that we can settle them peacefully. Violence will only destroy this country and send us backward. Political leaders must abide by the Farmington River Communiqué for the peace of Liberia”.
Also, at the National Elections Commission (NEC) recent launch of the civic voter education campaign, Louis Kuukpen-Deputy Resident Representative/Programme, alluded that they are committed to supporting LIberia in its election processes but emphasized the need for political actors to concur with the Farmington Declaration.
He wants aspirants exhibit tolerance during these processes, and uphold to the Farmington declaration, and further condemned acts of hate speeches, and personal attacks on other candidates.
