The political temperature is heating up in Monrovia – ahead of presidential and legislative elections due in October 2023 when George Weah is seeking a second term as President of Liberia.
As oppositionists step up their protests and lambast the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government for failing to rein in corruption, improve health and education services and lessen the burden of spiraling fuel and food costs, some of Weah’s supporters have been fighting back.
But sometimes their backing can prove embarrassing to President Weah.
On Independence Day, 26 July, a group known as CDC-Council of Patriots (COP) took to the streets to counter an anti-government demonstration using the #fixthecountry hashtag that activists have made popular in Ghana.
After the two sides clashed, several of the anti-government protestors were injured and two were taken to hospital. As criticism of the CDC-COP operations mounted, President Weah publicly disowned the group on 2 August.
Anyone or group that has my image on a banner in support of me and my government has to be peaceful, respectful and tolerant.
“I want to stress, as the founding father of the Congress for Democratic Change, now Coalition for Democratic Change, that we do not have any CDC-COP within our organization,” insisted Weah although the CDC-COP militants were carrying pictures of him as they clashed with the anti-government protestors.
“Anyone or group that has my image on a banner in support of me and my government has to be peaceful, respectful, and tolerant,”
