Several Protests Await Government —CoP Chairman Asserts

By Bill W. Cooper
The Chairman of the Council of Patriots (CoP), Henry P. Costa has disclosed that the government of President George Manneh Weah is expected to face series of protest actions from thousands of citizens and members of the CoP in the next coming days for their decision to sell nine oil blocks of the country.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, January 12, 2020 in Monrovia, Mr. Costa alleged that the government through President George M. Weah has instructed that nine oil blocks be sold in one bid round and are about to do the sale quietly.
Costa said that the CoP has begun the holding of a series of mass meetings this week to review their earlier pronouncement of the suspension of their protest activities in order to reactivate their operation to resist any attempt by the government to “banjo” away nine of the country’s oil blocks, adding, “We will not let that happen and the next protest will be about oil and it will be an oil protest.”
The CoP Chairman further accused the International community, the Religious Council and the Council of Churches for having insincere partnership with the government, stressing, “The government is not interested in keeping peace. After our peaceful protest which came into violence by dispersing of peaceful protesters by the government, the CoP conducted itself in a magnanimous faction and suspended all protest activities until otherwise ordered.”
“The government thinks our action is a sign of weakness, but it is not. We want to categorically let the government know that we still have what it takes to put thousands on the streets in this town and we will do it,” he averred.
In another development, Mr. Costa has also alleged that the dispersing of the thousands of supporters who gathered on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2020 as a follow-up to their June 7, 2019 petition presented to the government came from the Deputy NSA boss, Sam Sanyon who he said is in the habit of extorting money from business people, intimidating them, harassing them and subsequently reports to the Minister of State, Nathaniel McGill.
Meanwhile, the Deputy MICAT boss, Eugene Fahngon has said that the government will no longer respond to what he terms as “empty and silly” allegations emanating from anyone, but that they should instead present evidence of their allegations in order to get the government’s attention to respond.