Since campaign activities leading to Liberia presidential and Legislative elections started in August this year, leaders of political parties and their supporters have being on the move trying to win votes in their bid for elected offices. One person who has been seen on many occasions campaigning is incumbent President George Weah who is seeking a second term in office.
On September 7, 2023, Mr. Weah’s party, the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), launched its campaign activities at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium in Monrovia.
After the campaign launch, a video surfaced online in which Mr. Weah is heard making comments about his rival who is the standard bearer of the Unity Party, Joseph N. Boakai, involvement in Liberia civil conflict.
The video posted on the Facebook page of FrontPage Africa is said to have been recorded following the launch of the campaign.
Claim: “I am the young man that disarmed even the Joseph Boakai when he was in the Lofa Defense Force” – President Weah
Verdict: No Evidence. No record of Boakai participation in Liberia civil war
What Did President Weah Claim in the Video?
In the video Mr. Weah is heard discussing how he’s loved by the people, which he said was shown in the turnout during his party campaign launch.
He said he remains “the same George Weah who went to refugee camps” providing assistance for Liberians during the civil conflict.
“I am the young boy who make sure that lot of people go to school in this country. The young man that was in refugee camp helping people. The young man that disarmed even the Joseph Boakai when he was in the Lofa Defense Force”.
Lofa Defense Force of LDF was a waring fraction headed by the late Francois Massaquoi during the Liberian civil conflict.
It was a local group that crossed the northern border from Guinea to attack armed positions, mostly those of the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy-Kromah faction (ULIMO-K), in early 1994.
Was Joseph Boakai a Member of LDF?
Mr. Boakai, a presidential candidate on the ticket of the Unity Party, is Liberia’s former Vice President who is among 18 other candidates seeking to replace Mr. Weah at the Liberian presidency.
To verify if Mr. Boakai was a part of the Lofa Defense Force, we conducted many searches of Boakai’s involvement in Liberia civil conflict but did not find any available record to show his association with the LDF.
We also read Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission Consolidated Final Report published on June 30, 2009.
The report has a list of 102 individuals it considered were mercenaries involved in the conflict in Liberia.
It also contains a list of 116 individuals it considered “Most Notorious Perpetrator” which the commission recommended for persecution for gross human rights violations including violations of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, war crimes and egregious domestic laws violations of Liberia and economic crimes.
Also, in the report there is a chart of the waring fractions and their leaders.The report also has a list of 38 individuals it said were responsible for crimes listed above but were not recommended for prosecution.
The TRC Report also has a list of 44 individuals it said committed egregious violation against the generality of the population were recommended for domestic prosecution.
Also, the report has a list of 14 persons it recommended for prosecution for committing sexual-related egregious domestic crimes.
The TRC Report also has a list of 49 individuals it said shall be subject to public sanction as described in section 14.2 of the report and be barred from holding public office, elected or appointed for a period of 30 years as of July 1, 2009.
It also has a list of 26 individuals and 19 corporations, institutions and state actors it recommended for prosecution for committing economic crimes.
The report also has a list of 54 individuals and corporate entities that the TRC recommended must be further investigated into economic crime related activities.
Our reviewed of all the different lists in the TRC report did not find the name of Joseph Boakai being involved in the Liberian civil conflict.
Conclusion
Therefore, we conclude that there is no evidence to link Amb. Boakai to being part of the Lofa Defense Force or that he was disarmed by President Weah at the end of the first Liberian Civil War. There is no publicly available record of Joseph Boakai been involved in Liberia civil conflict.
Local Voices Liberia, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, has implemented the iVerify Liberia system with the objective of strengthening capacities to address threats to information integrity, especially in view of the upcoming 2023 elections, to ensure all Liberian citizens have access to credible, reliable and verified information, everywhere and at all times.
This initiative is funded by Irish Aid, Embassy of Sweden in Monrovia, European Union Delegation in Liberia and the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund. The donors have no say in the production of this fact check report.
