Liberia: SUP Denounces Planned Independence Protest by Opposition, Calls for Investigation into Brutalization of Students on July 26
Monrovia — The campus-based political movement, Students Unification Party (SUP), has condemned the opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC)’s planned protest on Independence Day, July 26.
By Willie N. Tokpah/0777039231
SUP issued a statement refuting reports that it is aligned with the planned protest, which the CDC claims is in response to the “harsh economic conditions faced by Liberians.” The protest is reportedly being organized with the involvement of dismissed officers of the Executive Protection Service and other former government officials.
In its statement on Wednesday, July 24, SUP emphasized it would not allow any member of the student community to be used as pawns in political machinations.
“SUP denounces any protest planned by the moribund CDC, which mismanaged the country for six years, leading to the collapse of state agencies and other autonomous entities into degeneracy,” the statement noted.
SUP also highlighted how key officials from the former CDC government are allegedly financing the protest with wealth accumulated during their tenure, aiming to disrupt Independence Day celebrations. “Our people are not tools. They cannot be used by those thieves who just left power,” SUP stated.
SUP further stressed that any future mobilization of Liberians and students should be for tangible reasons, not political agendas.
In the same statement, SUP welcomed the General Auditing Commission’s (GAC) comprehensive audit report on the Executive Protection Agency (EPA) from 2018-2023. The audit report, according to SUP, exposes how key officials of the previous CDC regime used the security apparatus to siphon millions of dollars from the state treasury.
“The audit report reveals the extent of the CDC regime’s corruption, which should concern the Boakai-Koung administration, as they campaigned on transparency and accountability,” SUP asserted.
The GAC report highlighted that the management of the EPS failed to show evidence that USD 126,680 deducted from the salary and benefits of absent and suspended officers was remitted to the government’s consolidated account. The GAC has recommended that the EPS management account for these funds. The report has been forwarded to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the legislature for review and further action.
Additionally, SUP has called on the government, through the Ministry of Justice, to investigate the individuals caught on video brutalizing peaceful students on July 26, 2022, in front of the US Embassy near Monrovia. SUP described the incident as one of the most barbaric humiliations students have faced since the end of the Soweto uprising, likening it to an attempted genocide.
“It is two years now since student activist Christopher Sivili and others were humiliated and brutalized, yet there has been no justice or investigation,” SUP stressed.
SUP criticized the Boakai-Koung administration for failing to investigate the incident, despite their promises of justice and accountability. The movement expressed concern that the alleged perpetrators of the July 26, 2022, violence continues to move freely, while the victims still suffer psychological scars.
SUP concluded that it would be detrimental to Liberia’s democracy if these issues remain unaddressed and called on the Ministry of Justice to ensure justice for Christopher Sivili and the other victims.
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