Liberia's Peace at Stake?

A high-ranking UN official has warned that Liberia's hard-fought peace and stability are at stake as a result of election violence.

The warning from Leonardo Simao, the UN Envoy for West Africa and the Sahel comes as political tensions in the country remain high just a few days after a violent clash ensued between supporters of President George Weah and former Vice President Joseph Boakai on August 10 in Montserrado County District 9.

Simao, having read about the encounter, boldly warned that the fate of the country lies in the hands of political actors who bear the greater responsibility to ensure violence-free elections.

“Campaign should not endanger the peace and stability of the country,”  Simao said in an address to the press after meeting with Weah and other presidential candidates.  “The peace you are enjoying today was made possible by the Liberian people first, and also the support of the international community.”

“Elections can’t be moments of risk or relapse of peace in the country. Therefore, all institutions we met are fully aware of that. It is the political parties’ responsibility to educate their supporters to be in straight compliance with the rules.”

Liberia, a country still recovering from a devastating civil war that ravaged the nation between 1989 and 2003, has made impressive strides in terms of peace and democracy.  The October 10 polls are the fourth general election in the country's postwar history but the first since the withdrawal of the UN peacekeeping force.

However, recent events, including clashes between rival supporters of political parties have raised concerns about the potential for a downward spiral into chaos once again.

The international community, including regional bodies such as ECOWAS, has expressed its concern and called for an issues-based campaign as well as respect for the Farmington Peace Accord, which frowns on any form of electoral violence. 

The accord, Simao noted, must be “respected” as it is key to the Liberia's stability -- considering that the country experienced -14 years of war -- leaving majorities of the surviving population enduring extreme suffering and unabated poverty.

“Our appeal is that the commitment made by the candidates through the Farmington Declaration should be fully implemented. The commitment made was to conduct peaceful, transparent, inclusive, and fair elections for the country.

“Liberia is a country that went through a very difficult moment. Now the country is enjoying 20 years of peace.  And the main challenge is to maintain peace so that the problems of the past cannot repeat themselves,” Simao said.  So, elections can’t be moments of risk or a relapse of peace in the country.”

The UN Envoy, however, noted that electoral violence can be avoided if the “political class” takes on the responsibility of educating its supporters or followers to comply with the Farmington peace accord and stay away from violence. 

Simao noted that it is about time that the country's political actors let the world know of its maturity and capability of going to elections transparently and peacefully.

“There is fear that youth can be instrumentalized to behave out of order. This should not be allowed to happen,” Simao, who is Mozambique's former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation said. 

“The youth are part of society, therefore, there has to be education for them to be a part of the solution of the problems confronting the country, not be themselves another problem of the country,” he added. 

Meanwhile, President Weah, in an earlier meeting with the UN envoy, reiterated his administration’s commitment to ensuring that the 2023 polls are conducted transparently, consistent with Liberian laws and international standards. According to Weah, he remains mindful of his moral and constitutional responsibility to maintain national peace and stability, which includes sustaining and consolidating Liberia’s budding democratic culture and conducting free and fair elections.

“Liberia is on the way to an inclusive and peaceful election,” the President said. “This is my commitment to Liberians and the world. I will ensure, to the best of my abilities, that this happens under my watch,” he averred.

He added that his government is already on record for conducting a plethora of highly-contested by-elections, including senatorial midterm elections, “which were widely declared free, transparent, and fair.”

Weah noted that his administration has also provided ample funding for the works of the National Elections Commission for the pending elections.

Simao, during his visit to the country, also met with the electoral body and a host of civil society organizations.