Thousands protest against President Weah in Liberia

A protest against Liberia’s President George Weah has grown to include thousands of people, marching in the streets of the capital Monrovia. 

The protests, which began on Capitol Hill on Monday, are in opposition to Weah’s poor handling of the economy, which has been blamed for spiralling inflation. Demonstrators say they want Weah to explain what happened to the $25m (£19m) the government withdrew from the country’s Federal Reserve Account in 2018 in a bid to stabilise the economy. They have also urged the president to declare his assets both before and after he took office two years ago. 

Riot police have been deployed to the capital but so far have not intervened. The government says it will ensure the safety of protestors. 

Roads remain empty in Monrovia as many businesses closed on Monday ahead of the protests. Civil servants have stayed home from work and some parents stopped their children from going to school, despite announcements by the ministry of education that schools would reopen following the festive season. 

President Weah was dismissive of the protest plans in a radio interview a few days beforehand.

“We don’t want unrest here, the country has a potential to gain growth,” he said.

The former professional footballer also accused opposition politicians of plotting the demonstration before insisting that “This is not a tyrannic government”.

Mr Weah added “This is a democratic form of government [in which] everyone has their right to operate in the country but respect civil liberty so that other people can feel comfortable to do business”.

Photo credit: AFP | Zoom Dosso