In January this year, Washington-based human rights organization asked U.S. Congress and the State Department for sanctions against Liberia’s Vice President, Jeremiah Koung, and the country’s top security officials, whom they accuse of orchestrating widespread human rights abuses under President Joseph Boakai’s administration.
The Panoramic Justice Group released an extensive report detailing a disturbing pattern of impunity, state violence, and political repression in Liberia.
Notable allegations point to Vice President Koung as a principal figure in this environment of repression.
According to the report, Koung has allegedly directed security forces to intimidate and surveil political opponents, furthering a government agenda of ethnic cleansing and deepening political divides within the country.
The charge: Jeremiah K. Koung – Vice President of the Republic of Liberia Jeremiah Koung, a Liberian national, who current serves as vice president, is the chief architect of the government’s ethnic cleaning program and is most responsible for promoting political divisiveness in the country. He selects targets and directs the security forces to intimidate, conduct illegal physical and electronic surveillance and suppress perceived opponents.
Barely 90 days after the accusation was made against him and subsequently refuted by the Attorney General, the specter of ethnic politics looms large over Liberia as Koung yet again faces allegations of orchestrating dangerous tribal dynamics in the country’s northern Nimba County.
His involvement in the upcoming senate election, scheduled for April 22, has raised serious concerns regarding the possible resurgence of the ethnic tensions that played a significant role in Liberia’s devastating civil wars.
Koung’s controversial support for the candidacy of Samuel Kogar, a fellow member of the Gio ethnic group, has drawn intense scrutiny. This push has triggered fears of marginalization for other tribes in a region historically fraught with ethnic rivalries.
The ethnic strife in Nimba County has roots deeply embedded in Liberia’s past. Once a hotspot during the civil wars, the region has a complex history characterized by power struggles among various ethnic groups, particularly the Gio and Mano, which have shaped its demographic and political landscape.
This history of conflict underscores the sensitivity surrounding ethnicity in Liberian politics and the potential risks associated with Koung’s tactics.
In a disturbing display of political divisiveness, Koung has publicly sidelined candidates outside his chosen candidate’s ethnic group, asserting, “Any vote other than Kogar is a waste.” His call for unqualified loyalty to Kogar, who is closely tied to Koung’s lineage through the Gio language, has ignited fears that other tribes, including the Gbei and Mandingo communities, will be further marginalized in the political process.
Critics argue that these actions reflect a troubling continuity of the very dynamics that fueled Liberia’s past unrest.
As communities within Nimba County prepare for the pivotal senate vote, the stakes are alarmingly high—not only for the immediate political landscape but also for the nation’s fragile peace.
