Monrovia Protest Turns Deadly Ahead of Liberia’s Presidential Run-off

At least one person has died after shots were reportedly fired during an opposition protest in Monrovia ahead of Liberia’s presidential run-off.

Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) candidate Winston Tubman has pulled out of Tuesday’s vote, alleging fraud.

Nobel Peace laureate Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa’s Africa’s first elected female head of state, is running for another term.

She was first elected after Liberia’s first post-war election in 2005.

These are the first elections organized by Liberians since the 14-year conflict ended. The previous ones were run by the large UN peacekeeping mission.

Justice Minister Christiana Tah told the BBC that security would be stepped up for the elections following the violence and that an investigation would be opened.

She could not confirm the number of casualties. Some CDC officials say four people died.

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Marco Werman: I’m Marco Werman. This is The World, a coproduction of The BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston. There were classes and gunfire in the Liberian capitol Monrovia in advance of tomorrow’s presidential run-off. The incumbent, Nobel laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, is ahead in the polls. Her opponent, Winston Tubman, has called for his supporters to boycott the election. Reporter Bonnie Allen was at a demonstration in Monrovia earlier today when the shooting broke out.

Bonnie Allen: I’m here at the compound of Winston Tubman as the emergency response unit begin to storm the compound. [sound of gunfire] Liberian national police are firing into the crowd with live bullets. These are not the rubber bullets that are usually used to control crowds in this kind of situation.

[person speaking in Bassa]

Allen: Tubman supporters have pulled out yet another dead body covered in blood. A fight has just broken out between United Nations peacekeepers and Liberian national police who are clearly using excessive force.

Werman: Bonnie Allen is now on the line with us from Monrovia. You were witnessing some pretty dramatic and unexpected stuff earlier today, Bonnie. How are things now on the streets of Monrovia?

Allen: Well, tensions are certainly high in Liberia’s capitol Monrovia tonight. The UN peacekeepers are deployed across the city. Liberia’s riot police are on standby. There are some reports of looting and, just generally, there’s a sense of disbelief. This is some of the worst violence Liberia has seen since it’s civil war and, given the fact that it comes on the eve of the presidential election tomorrow, it’s disheartening for many. It’s also a rather shocking turn of events because Liberia has been applauded in recent weeks for it’s peaceful election period. For the fact that it’s organizing it’s own election and, then, when the president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf won the Nobel Peace Prize…it all just seems to be unraveling.

Werman: These are the first elections since Liberia’s long civil war ended…elections to be organized by Liberians. As you pointed out they seemed to be going pretty well. How did it go sour though?

Allen: Well there is a long history of disputes over the free and fair elections in Liberia. Back in 2005 Ellen Johnson Sirleaf won. She was hailed as the first democratically elected female in Africa but she was actually second in the first round behind George Weah. Then she won in the second round and there are a lot of supporters of George Weah the famous soccer star who said he was cheated. So here we are 6 years later. George Weah’s back on the ticket, this time as a vice president next to Winston Tubman. And Winston Tubman is a Harvard trained lawyer and he’s said that there are voting irregularities that there were problems with the ballot counting. That elections commission was biased and that Sirleaf used government revenues to campaign. So there are a lot of allegations. There haven’t really been a lot of credible evidence provided. But the supporters are people who feel that they were robbed before and so they’re obviously very susceptible to the message.

Werman: Now, if the shooting today came from the authorities, does that mean that they were under order of the president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to shoot.

Allen: That’s not clear. The Minister of Justice said that it will be under investigation. I’m not sure what that means for tomorrow but a spokesman for the National Elections Commission confirmed that the runoff will go ahead tomorrow although the turnout is in question because it looks like one candidate has boycotted and none of his supporters will show up. Also, today, when I was speaking to the supporters of Tubman, it seemed like they were furious that people were shot and killed. Many of them were issuing very serious warnings that they would burn down polling stations tomorrow. So I would say the country will be on very high alert tomorrow.

Werman: Reporter Bonnie Allen speaking with us from Monrovia, Liberia. Bonnie, thanks so much.

Allen: You’re welcome.

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