Liberia: CDC Accuses Boakai Administration of ‘State Terror,’ Warns of National Consequences After Protest Crackdown - FrontPageAfrica

Monrovia — The opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) has issued a stern warning to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s administration, accusing state security forces of unleashing what it describes as “state terror” against peaceful protesters during the December 17, 2025 STAND-organized protest in Monrovia.

In a strongly worded statement released Thursday from its temporary national headquarters in Plumkor, Sinkor, the CDC condemned what it called “brutal and premeditated violence” by security forces, insisting that the actions witnessed were not legitimate crowd control but a calculated assault on citizens’ constitutional rights.

“What the Liberian people and the world witnessed was not crowd control. It was state terror,” the statement declared, adding that the right to peaceful assembly and protest is explicitly guaranteed under the Liberian Constitution and protected by international human rights law.

The party alleged that the violence was provoked not by demonstrators but by individuals throwing stones from within the secured perimeter of the Capitol Building. According to the CDC, those individuals were reportedly led by staffers linked to the Office of Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung. The party claimed the alleged provocation was then used as justification for a forceful police crackdown on unarmed civilians.

“This is an unmistakable pattern: manufacture chaos, then unleash repression,” the CDC asserted.

Warning to President, Police Leadership

The CDC issued what it termed a “direct and unambiguous warning” to President Boakai and Inspector General of Police Gregory Coleman, cautioning that both would be held “personally and institutionally accountable” should Liberia descend into repression, fear, and state violence.

“History has taught this nation painful lessons,” the party said. “When a government abandons restraint, weaponizes the police, and treats peaceful protest as an enemy, the nation does not move forward—it disintegrates.”

Demands and Defiance

The opposition party demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all protesters arrested or detained in connection with the December 17 demonstration.

Despite the crackdown, the CDC insisted it would not be silenced. “The CDC will not surrender its moral authority, its constitutional rights, or be intimidated into silence,” the statement declared.

Appeal to International Community

The party also appealed to the international community to closely monitor what it described as a “dangerous trajectory” unfolding in Liberia, warning against the normalization of violence and repression.

“Liberia belongs to all its citizens, not to batons, bullets, or fear,” the statement said, concluding with a defiant message: “The Liberian people will not kneel.”

The statement was signed by CDC National Chairman Janga A. Kowo, Sr.

As of press time, the government and the Liberia National Police had not issued an official response to the CDC’s allegations.