Liberia’s opposition grouping, Council of Patriots (CoP) Monday went ahead to stage their protest in defiance of government’s order that no group should stage a protest.
Apart from the Government of Liberia, the international community last week cautioned the Council of Patriots (CoP) to stage their protest on Saturday, January 4, but CoP resolved to stage the protest on Monday, January 6.
So far, no violence has been reported, with the exception of the arrest and flogging by police of a man who was caught with a cutlass among the crowd of protesters.
Even though the protest is peaceful, major stores and markets were shut down on Monday in apparent fear of the eruption of violence.
Police are also deployed at major routes in the capital where the protesters are expected to surface.
The protest which was initially scheduled for December 30 was called off due to the intervention of the United Nations, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the European Union.
The United Nations and ECOWAS played major roles in bringing to an end the 14 years civil conflict that engulfed the country.
TSS/abj/APA