LIBERIA – Capitol Hill in central Monrovia was brought to a near standstill on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, as protesters under the banner of Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND) occupied major roadways, prompting heavy security deployment and widespread traffic congestion around the Capitol Building and surrounding areas.
Led by STAND Chairman Mulbah K. Morlu, dozens of protesters sat in the middle of the road while security officers erected barricades to prevent access to key government facilities, including the grounds of the Executive Mansion. Police officers remained on standby as tensions simmered between protesters and security personnel.
The demonstration caused serious disruption to daily activities on Capitol Hill, affecting traffic flow, government work, business operations, and movement to and from the University of Liberia. Both protesters and the security presence contributed to gridlock in the area for several hours.
During the standoff, Morlu accused police of seizing STAND’s protest truck, shouting, “The police carry our truck oooo,” as protesters chanted and refused to vacate the roadway. He insisted that neither intimidation nor barricades would force the group to abandon its demands.
Morlu and his supporters demanded that President Joseph Nyuma Boakai personally come out to receive their petition or delegate a senior and respectable representative of his office to do so. Protesters rejected attempts to redirect the petition to the House of Representatives’ Committee on Claims and Petitions.
“The Executive Mansion has been used by others for peaceful protests and the presentation of petitions. Why is access now being denied to us?” Morlu asked, arguing that similar privileges were previously granted when the Unity Party was in opposition.
As the protest continued, demonstrators dramatically set up cooking utensils on the main street between the Capitol Building and the University of Liberia, vowing to prepare food in protest if denied access to the Executive Mansion grounds. “We will transform the Executive Mansion into the Executive Cook Bowl Shop,” Morlu declared.
Some protesters echoed the demand, insisting on their right to assemble at the presidential grounds. “We will cook at the Executive Mansion,” one protester shouted, drawing attention from passersby and motorists caught in the traffic snarl.
Another protester, Oldma Bandu Kamara, said she joined the demonstration out of frustration with living conditions. “We used to go JFK free for medicine, but this regime is doing nothing for us,” she said.
While STAND occupied Capitol Hill, a separate group of protesters gathered in front of the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, where residents from 11 counties demanded payment of an estimated US$5 million in community forest rental fees owed to their communities.
The STAND protest followed an earlier demonstration organized by the group on July 17, 2025, during which similar demands were made for President Boakai to receive a petition directly from citizens. Morlu said the repeated refusal under the current administration amounts to discrimination against his organization.
Tensions escalated later in the day as police moved to disperse parts of the crowd. Tear gas was fired, and chaotic scenes unfolded as individuals scattered along Capitol Hill. There were also reports of stone throwing between protesters and individuals believed to be connected to nearby institutions.
Amid the confusion, STAND District 14 Coordinator Fred D. Weah was arrested by officers of the Liberia National Police. Several other protesters were also detained as security forces tightened control of the area.
In response, Morlu demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all detained protesters, describing their arrests as illegal and unconstitutional. “Peaceful protest is not a crime. What is criminal is a government that responds to citizen dissent with arrests, intimidation, and repression,” he said.
He publicly listed the names of those detained and insisted that the protest would not end until they were released and their vehicle and public address system returned by police.
Morlu further accused police of firing live bullets at his residence after the protest, describing the incident as an act of intimidation. He said eyewitnesses confirmed the discharge and warned that such actions threatened public peace.
Despite the heavy police deployment, Morlu insisted that STAND would remain peaceful but resolute. “We are peaceful and will never initiate violence, but we remain disciplined, resolute, and fearless,” he said.
He also claimed that there was credible information suggesting that individuals were being planted to provoke violence and warned that any descent into chaos would be the responsibility of the government.
Critic Wantoe Teah Wantoe weighed in on the protest, noting that much of the public debate on STAND focused on crowd size, missing the larger point. “Protest is not a census. It is a signal. It emerges when citizens believe policy promises and lived reality have drifted too far apart,” he said. Wantoe emphasized that protests reflect systemic gaps between government commitments and their actual execution.
Adding to the critique, former Representative Acarous Moses Gray highlighted the government’s prioritization of security over citizen welfare, noting that USD $15 million in weapons were purchased by the Boakai administration. Gray argued that without the protest, these weapons would not have been displayed so early, showing the administration’s focus on self-protection rather than addressing citizens’ pressing concerns.
By the end of the day, Capitol Hill remained tense, with barricades still in place and police maintaining a strong presence. Protesters vowed to continue pressing their demands, framing the demonstration as a firm assertion of constitutional rights and a direct call for leadership accountability at the highest level of government.
