By Bill W. Cooper
The political tension in Liberia is escalating daily with the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) continuously at the helm of instigating violence since the start of the campaign exercise.
Yesterday witnessed a disturbing display of such violence again as this time, the heated political scuffle between the two major parties raised serious concerns leaving many to now believe that if not handled, the deteriorating state of political discourse and the potential for further violence might accelerate towards Election Day itself.
The confrontation, according to our reporter, occurred in Sinkor, District 9, where supporters of both parties had organized separate rallies to garner support for their respective candidates.
Our reporter explained that the violence erupted when it was reported that UP’s Standard Bearer, Joseph Boakai, who announced his visit to his party yesterday, was allegedly prevented from entering into the District by supporters of the CDC, because their standard bearer, George M. Weah was already in the district.
This, our reporter said, led to a verbal argument between both parties’ supporters, which later escalated into physical altercations, leaving several people injured and businesses damaged.
What began as isolated scuffles quickly spiraled into a large-scale clash, involving dozens of enraged supporters from both factions wielding sticks, stones, and other makeshift weapons.
Though some officers of the Liberia National Police (LNP) quickly intervened and attempted to restore order, they were overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the clashes.
The situation necessitated the deployment of additional security forces to quell the violence, which resulted in several injuries and property damage, as well as stopping the free movement of peaceful citizens, including the abrupt cancellation of the UP’s planned gathering.
Minutes following the incident, the UP, in a press release issued and signed by its campaign spokesperson, Mohammed Ali, condemned the actions and called for an immediate intervention by the National Elections Commission (NEC).
Mr. Ali, in the release, said, “while en route to the UP National Campaign Headquarters, as previously planned and scheduled, to announce the additional and final campaign team and interact with partisans, supporters and well-wishers of the Rescue Mission, the entourage of the UP Standard Bearer, Amb. Boakai, encountered a massive traffic caused by the unexpected and unplanned activities of the CDC.”
According to him, partisans and militants of the CDC disrupted activities of UP partisans who had gathered at VAMOMA to welcome their Standard Bearer.
He explained, “In view of the foregoing, UP Alliance’s Campaign has decided to postpone the planned press conference for the purpose of avoiding confrontation that could lead to violence between and among supporters of the two parties, and also in observation of the Farmington Declaration.”
He added, “The UP Alliance calls the attention of the National Elections Commission to this constant disruptive behavior of the CDC. We also call on our international partners to caution the CDC to abide by the Farmington Declaration.”
The latest violence by supporters of the CDC and UP have further ignited debates about the overall political atmosphere in the country, as Liberians gear up to elect new leaders on October 10.
However, some supporters of CDC reveal that their party has a month-long campaign plan which covers the entire August.
