MONROVIA: At least three people were killed when clashes took place between activists of Liberia’s two main political parties ahead of next week’s elections, the UN and a West African regional bloc said on Saturday.
The ECOWAS and the UN stated that the violence occurred in the northwestern Lofa County and confirmed that three people were killed in the clashes.
Liberia: 3 Killed in Election Campaign Clashes
The clashes took place between the Unity Party of former vice president Joseph Boakai and the Coalition for Democratic Change of George Weah, the former footballer turned politician and president of the country since 2018.
The UN and ECOWAS asked leaders of the two major political parties “to strongly” urge their people to “refrain from incitement and violence”.
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Liberia’s major political parties vowed in April 2023 to avert violence and turn to the courts to address electoral issues that may arise before and after the elections in the country.
ECOWAS and the UN asked the country’s police officials to “immediately restore calm” and to “conduct impartial probes, make people their findings, and ensure that the culprits are prosecuted.”
Both major political parties in the country blamed each other for the deadly clashes. Over 2.4 million voters are registered for the October 10 elections in the country.
