MONROVIA – The Liberia National Police (LNP) continues to come under fire for its failure to make any arrest of alleged perpetrators behind the July 26 – Independence Day violence nearly 72 hours after the incident occurred.
On Tuesday, July 26, an anti-government protest staged by the campus-based Student Unification Party (SUP) outside of the of the United States Embassy in Monrovia turned violence when a pro-government group, the CDC-Council of Patriots stormed the Embassy ground in a counter protest.
Violence erupted in the aftermath of the CDC-COP’s action, leading to the injuries of several SUP members, with some still reported missing. Journalists on the scenes captured live disturbing incidents of pro-government supporters mobbing a member of SUP, Christopher Walter Sisulu Sivili. In a video making rounds on social media, Student Sivili is surrounded by pro-government’s protesters, beaten and stripped naked as members of the Liberia National stood by and watched. One of them was caught on camera laughing as the student was being tortured.
SUP officials told FrontPage Africa that Sivili is currently at a hospital fighting for his life.
On the other side, the CDC-COP also claimed that some of its members were injured and are undergoing treatment at unnamed health facilities.
However, amid widespread condemnations and incessant calls on the Ministry of Justice to bring the perpetrators to book, the LNP is yet to announce that it has made any arrest.
Speaking in a live interview on OK FM, LNP Spokesperson Moses Carter said it will be difficult for the police to launch a thorough investigation in the absence of a formal complaint by either party – SUP or CDC-COP.
“In every case of such, you just have to have a complainant. So, either of the sides – whether the students or CDC-COP. We heard that injuries were on both of the sides. The side of the SUP and that of the CDC-COP. So, whatever the case is, we are urging them to avail themselves; especially the victims, or any of the parties in question can avail themselves to us. So, that we are able to extract statements from them and be able to identify the perpetrators.”
Carter’s statement has drawn backlashes from the public sphere including SUP; accusing the LNP of becoming a partisan police.
“It is sad that today we listened to the official spokesperson of the Police spewing gibberish to the public. Despite the available evidence in the video tapes, he (Moses Carter) is still requesting that the two forces should go to the LNP to officially give a complaint. We want to say that the police conspired with these thugs to inflict wounds and casualties on the students,” debunked Mohammed Shabazz Jalloh, Spokesperson of SUP.
In the wake of Carter’s assertions, FrontPage Africa reviewed several footages of the incidents and captured major scenes; beginning with the assembly of CDC-COP on the Capitol Hill Campus of the University of Liberia, followed by its march through Broad Street and the violent altercation with SUP at the entrance of the U.S. Embassy on Snipper Hill, Benson Street.