MONROVIA: Omar Alieu Touray, the President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has clarified that the recent visit of an ECOWAS delegation to Liberia was a pre-planned arrangement and not a response to a complaint put up by former President George Weah.
This clarification comes in the wake of media reports suggesting that the delegation’s presence in Liberia was prompted by Weah’s concerns.
In a statement to journalists, the organization’s President explained,
“Our visit to Liberia was scheduled as part of our ongoing engagement with member states, and it coincided with a complaint raised by former President Weah. The timing of our visit and his complaint is purely coincidental.”
According to him, the main objective of the delegation’s visit was to commend Liberia’s leadership for a peaceful political transition and to reaffirm ECOWAS’s support for the country’s democratic governance.
“We are here to commend the leadership in Liberia for the smooth transition and to express our continued support for the country’s democratic process,”
he stated.
Addressing the concerns raised by former President Weah regarding recent violence at the headquarters of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), Touray acknowledged that the delegation had been informed about the incident.
However, he reiterated that this was not the purpose of their visit.
“We have been made aware of the concerns raised about the situation at the CDC headquarters, and it is something we are following closely,”
he added.
Following a courtesy visit to President Joseph N. Boakai, Presidential Press Secretary Kula Fofana briefed the media, underscoring the administration’s commitment to maintaining peace in Liberia.
“President Boakai has pledged his government’s full support towards upholding peace, as evidenced by his recent engagements with various stakeholders,”
Fofana said.
She further clarified that President Boakai has distanced his administration from any involvement in targeting political opponents.
“The President made it clear that his government is committed to ensuring that all political actors are treated fairly and that there is no targeting of opposition figures,” Fofana underlined.
The ECOWAS delegation is also scheduled to meet with former President George Weah to discuss his complaint with the regional body, further underscoring ECOWAS’s role in supporting democratic processes and addressing concerns within its member state.