By Our Reporter
Following a nationwide protest action by wives of the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), the administration of President Joseph Boakai is bracing for more protest actions, this time by aggrieved marketers, and another by students.
The wives of AFL soldiers staged protests in various locations and blocked major roads, including the road leading to the nation’s only international airport – the Roberts International Airport (RIA). The AFL wives protested the appointment of former Chief of Staff Prince Charles Johnson as Minister of Defense.
When Gen. Johnson was nominated, the women held protest rallies at the Capitol Building to forewarn senators against confirming the former Army Chief of Staff as Minister of Defense. Despite the repeated rallies and protest actions by the AFL wives, the Senate went ahead and confirmed Gen. Johnson.
The women accused Gen. Johnson of maltreating their husbands, and described him as wicked, inhumane, and heartless. But while Liberians are grappling with the effects of the protest that spread to other parts of the country, including Kakata, Margibi, Gbarnga, Bong County, etc., petty traders, mainly school going young people, planning another massive protest action in the coming days.
These young traders and students are concerned that the Boakai administration has yet to make a policy statement on the status of the tuition free measure instituted by the George Weah administration. They are also concerned that President Boakai has yet to speak to the payment of their West African Senior Schools Certificate Examination (WASSCE) fees.
In anticipation of a looming protest by marketeers, Monrovia City Police were deployed at major streets on Monday, January 13, 2024, also preventing people from taking up places to sell their goods on sidewalks.
