The Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) on Wednesday accused unknown actors of carrying out a “premeditated attack” on the residence of its political leader and former President George Manneh Weah after a fire engulfed his home on Tuesday.
In a statement issued September 24, from the party’s temporary national headquarters in Plumkor, Sinkor, the CDC said the blaze began in Weah’s bedroom.
The incident occurred a day after the former president returned to Liberia and vowed to “sustain the political fight” against the ruling Unity Party–led government.
“We regard this unfortunate incident as a premeditated attack on his life, intended to undermine his safety and destabilize the peace of our nation,” the party said in a statement signed by National Chairman Janga Kowo,
Kowo said Weah is “safe, well, and in good health.”
The CDC called for a “forensic, international, and independent investigation” into the incident, saying such a probe must be “void of lies, deception, and fakery” to ensure the truth is revealed and justice served.
The party also alleged a pattern of intimidation around Weah’s return, recalling clashes at Roberts International Airport during a previous homecoming when personnel of the Armed Forces of Liberia reportedly attacked CDC supporters.
The statement accused armed police of again being present during his recent entry and said several partisans were “brutally manhandled, placed in handcuffs, and in some instances, jailed.”
The CDC further accused “Unity Party zealots” of circulating a fake, AI generated image purporting to show Weah’s bedroom, describing it as part of a disinformation campaign designed to mislead the public and tarnish the former president’s image.
As of publication, the party’s allegations had not been independently verified. Authorities had not released details on the cause of the fire, and there was no immediate public response from the Unity Party or government security agencies to the CDC’s statement.
The CDC said it remains committed to safeguarding peace and democracy in Liberia and urged all actors to respect human life, democratic principles, and the rule of law while investigations proceed.
Relationship between the government and the opposition has been tense and fissured, since the 2023 tightly contested elections, which the CDC lost after governing the country for six years. Several top officials or the erstwhile Weah administration were put on trial. Security forces attacked headquarters of the Coalition for Democratic Change and eventually demolished in a controversial court order.
