Thousands of people took to the streets of Liberia's capital Monrovia Friday to protest rising prices and corruption, posing a key political test for President George Weah. The football icon is being challenged over the same issues on which he campaigned in his rise to the presidency of the impoverished West African state just 18 months ago. About 10,000 people took part in the demonstration, according to an AFP count, while a police official put the turnout at around 4,000.
Some held aloft placards reading: "We are tired of suffering" and "We want better living conditions." The mood was upbeat, with people dancing and singing. But in a country traumatised by years of civil war, many braced for possible clashes, and some stocked up on food, fearing prolonged disruption. Twitter and Facebook, widely used by protest organisers, were down.
"I am staying home to make sure that my kids don't get in the streets. I have good reasons to be scared. In the history of this country all of our big crises started with demonstrations and ended in serious violence," Mustafa Kanneh, 43, told AFP. The UN's special envoy to West Africa and the Sahel, Mohammed Ibn Chambas, said last month he feared the authorities did not have the means to successfully manage large-scale protests.
"The capacity of the Liberian state is still quite limited... There are serious logistics and financial challenges," he told a local daily.
The coalition that organised the march, the Council of Patriots, comprises dozens of civil society groups as well as politicians.
On Thursday, Weah issued a statement defending his record, blaming past governments for the country's entrenched problems and sternly warning the protest organisers.
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