March 12 marked the observance of Decoration Day and nearly 35 years violent killing of President Samuel Kanyan Doe and several key staff and members of the Armed Forces of Liberia in 1990.
In celebration of the day, some kinsmen of the late Liberian leader, led by the Representative of Grand Gedeh County Electoral District #3 trooped to the Freeport of Monrovia to pay homage.
The group, according to the Grand Gedeh County lawmaker, is planning to organize a reconciliatory meeting with key development partners being invited as well as representatives of ECOWAS, whose Force Commander at the time was instrumental in deceiving the President for the so-called peace meeting.
Dressed in all black, Rep. Debee along with members of the group gathered at the main gate of the Freeport of Monrovia, where the former Liberian leader and others were killed, to lay wreath and offer prayers.
“Our President, some leaders, our brothers and even members of our national army were murdered here in 1990 after they had come to attend a called meeting by the peacekeepers. We are hereby to symbolically lay this wreath as a means of paying homage to our deceased President and others who lost their lives on that fateful day,” said Rep. Debee.
“Next year we will have it bigger wherein we will invite ECOWAS and have a little program in memory of our people,” he asserted.
The first Liberian Civil War was launched December 9, 1989 when the anti-Doe National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) led by Charles Taylor invaded Liberia from the Ivory Coast to overthrow him.
Doe was then captured and executed by the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL), a splinter group of the NPFL led by its Commanding General, deceased Senator of Nimba County- Prince Yormie Johnson on 9 September 1990.
During the mid 1990, the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), a West African multilateral armed force established by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), arrived in Liberia as a means of fostering peace and ensuring security.
But one of the parties was deceived in the process as President Doe was convinced reportedly by the peacekeepers to go the port where he got murdered.
Accordingly, while Rep. Debee wants genuine reconciliation, he also wants ECOWAS to account for its alleged role in masterminding the death of the former President.
“For us to have true reconciliation, you can’t everyone must account for the wrong done to this country; henceforth, ECOWAS through ECOMOG must account for their role on that fateful day when the country’s democratically elected President was made to surrender before a rebel group before being subsequently murdered along with 73 others. This was a complete massacre but no one hears about it. And this is why we are excited about the establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia,” said Rep. Debee.
“This is going to be a sustained fight; ECOWAS must account for its role played in the Liberian civil war, most especially the episode that led to the death of Doe. Over 250,000 reported died in these conflicts and we believe that those people wouldn’t have died if ECOWAS had played the true referee role of peacekeeping.”
“At time of the war ECOMOG had the authority and power to stop the war through amicable solution without masterminding the killing of a Key player. This is why General Quandu, the force commander then, must be called to account for the death of Doe. He should be made to testify his role in the mysterious killing of Doe. And as we do this, we call on Grand Gedeans and well-meaning Liberians to join us because we are talking on the side of justice.”
The Grand Gedeh County lawmaker noted that inasmuch as President Doe and those killed at the Freeport of Monrovia did not die during crossfire exchanges, the incident can be described as a massacre. By: Emmanuel Weedee-Conway
