Liberia's Council of Patriots, an activist group led by a popular radio host, has organized the rally against President George Weah. Anti-government sentiment has been rising over a deepening economic crisis.
Image: DW/K. Evelyn
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Thousands of protesters in the Liberian capital Monrovia on Monday rallied against a deepening economic crisis in the impoverished country. Riot police were deployed as a precaution to assure the safety of those demonstrating.
About 3,000 people rallied outside Monrovia's Capitol building carrying banners reading "March for Justice", while police diverted traffic from the city center.
The Western African nation is still traumatized by back-to-back civil wars and the 2014-2016 Ebola crisis. Inflation is rampant, according to the World Bank, and civil servants regularly go unpaid.
President George Weah — who took office in January 2018 — was under growing pressure over his management of the crisis.
Inflation in Liberia is soaring and civil servants regularly go unpaidImage: DW/K. Evelyn
Tensions rising
Henry Costa, chairman of the Council of Patriots (COP) youth activist group, had originally arranged the protest for December 30, however it was called off after the government said it would not be able to provide security, and after international observers recommended postponement.
"I am right now in the streets, there are no guns, no police is chasing anybody," Costa posted on social media on Monday. "We have to make history."
Costa's COP had been calling for Weah to step down, saying that he is incompetent to lead Liberia. However, many criticized the move as undemocratic. Now they want him to fire his entire economic management team.
George Weah: From football star to Liberian president
His biography could well be turned into a movie someday. The son of a poor Liberian mechanic, he rose to become a top footballer in Europe. Now he has been elected president of Liberia. DW looks at his life in pictures.
Image: Reuters/T. Gouegnon
A rising star in football
Outside Liberia, George Weah is best-known as a football player. In his heyday, he was considered to be one of the best strikers in the world. Football helped Weah escape a life of hardship. The son of a mechanic, he grew up in a slum in the Liberian capital. The family sank deeper into poverty after his father's early death. Fortunately, Weah was discovered by a Liberian football team.
Image: picture-alliance/DPPI Media
From Cameroon to France
George Weah was Liberia's top scorer in 1987 and played for Invincible Eleven, the country's leading team at the time. When his club played against the Cameroonian side Tonnerre Yaounde, officials noticed his talents and signed him up to play for their club. But life in Cameroon wasn't easy. Weah had to live with other players and struggled with speaking French, Cameroon's national language.
Image: DW/M. Edwin
Making it big in Europe
After six months in Cameroon, Weah joined French club AS Monaco in 1988. It was the beginning of his successful career in Europe that saw him play for the continent's top leagues and clubs. He was world football player of the year in 1995 and was chosen trice as African footballer of the year. Milan's former coach Arrgo Sacchi once said about him: "With every action he's re-inventing football."
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/C. Fumagalli
Failed dreams of a World Cup tournament
But while George Weah made it big as a player in Europe, his dream of playing at a World Cup tournament was never fulfilled. In 2002, Liberia qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Mali. Weah was the team's technical director, but announced his resignation as a player and an official after the team was knocked out in the group stages.
Image: picture-alliance/empics
Fighting poverty and human rights abuse
Weah has used his success to help others who are less fortunate. In 1997, the UN's children fund UNICEF appointed him special representative for sports. Weah has donated large sums to charity. This has made him popular in his war-ravaged home country, where he maintained close contacts over the years.
Image: AP
Family life
George Weah is married to Clar, a US citizen with Jamaican roots. The couple has three children. His oldest son is following in his father's footsteps as a football player. Weah named a Liberian TV station that he owns after his wife. "She always supported me and motivated me to do something for my country," he told German magazine "Stern" in 2008.
Image: picture-alliance/DPPI Media
2005: A surprise bid for the presidency
George Weah had to face a number of setbacks after the end of his football career. He became a politician and took a shot at the presidency at Liberia'a first democratic elections after the end of the civil war in 2005. He came in second place in a runoff after former World Bank Vice President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. Johnson-Sirleaf scored 59.4 percent of the vote, Weah got 40.6 percent.
Image: Getty Images/C. Hondros
Working in parliament
After an unsuccessful bid to become vice president in 2011, Weah managed to win a seat in the senate, Liberia's upper house of parliament in 2014. Weah defeated his main rival, President Johnson-Sirleaf's son Robert, by a landslide, winning 78 percent of the vote. But according to media reports, Weah was rarely seen in parliament, nor did he sponsor any legislation.
Image: AFP/Getty Images/Z. Dosso
2017: A second attempt
George Weah has proven to be a political fighter. In 2017 he again ran for the presidency. While his supporters have continued to cheer on their idol, Weah's decision to choose Jewel Taylor as his running mate shocked people both at home and abroad. She is the ex-wife of former Liberian president Charles Taylor, who was convicted of war crimes in 2012.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/I. Sanogo
The new Liberian president
George Weah won the first round of the elections in October 2017. A necessary runoff was postponed by Liberia's Supreme Court after another candidate complained of fraud. Weah won the runoff on December 26, 2017, with 61.5 percent of the vote. Former Vice President Joseph Bokai scored 38.5 percent of the vote. Bokai was quick to accept defeat and congratulated Weah.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/AP Photo/A. Dulleh
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Economic anger
Monday's gathering was the second mass demonstration against Weah's handling of the economy in less than a year. In June protesters demanded to know what happened to $25 million (€22.3 million) his government withdrew from Liberia's Federal Reserve account for infusion into the economy. A presidential probe later discovered discrepancies and allocations.
Liberians are increasingly angry over the state of their country. Many are disillusioned by Weah's government after depositing all their hopes on the former football star for a prosperous, corruption-free Liberia. Weah had no previous experience in politics when he came to power by winning over 70% of the vote in a runoff in December 2017.
Young Liberians, the president's principal constituency, are turning away from him. "I am angry with the government. Things are going the wrong way and we did not expect this to happen," one young man told DW Africa. Another member of the public, who gave his name as Marcus A. Garwhere agreed that "the times we are in right now are troubling."
Drawing money now implies long waitsImage: DW/E. Kpadeh
No salaries and pensions
Civil servants are particularly upset by the government's failure to pay salaries and pensions, former teacher Matthew B. White told DW Africa: "I have not received my pension since September. It has made our situation worse. We thought they were going to remedy our situation. I was stranded for money. My friends helped me, but my landlord is giving me a hard time."
Civil servants, such as Julius Howison, said life has become very challenging. "Can you imagine that we have been living on credit? We take out loans from people and the bank. Then, after four or five months, we receive one month's pay. I don't even know the amount I am earning, as compared to before."
According to the Civil Servant's Union, more than half of the 73,000 public service workers across the country were not paid their full salaries in November and December, despite the government's promise to do so. The delay is the result of limited liquidity in banks, which has put restrictions on the amount that can be withdrawn in the local currency.
