The Standard Bearer of the Rainbow Alliance, Reginald B. Goodridge, Sr., has described as extremely worrisome the display of para-military force throughout the city of Monrovia during the political rally held by the Coalition for Democratic Change, CDC, on February 4, 2023.

Mr. Goodridge noted that the military tactics used by the CDC is an attempt to intimidate the opposition community and put fear in ordinary citizens in advance of the 2023 elections. He warned the Liberian people not to take this matter lightly.

According to the Rainbow Alliance standard bearer, from the early dawn on the day of the CDC rally, countless numbers of armed militia wearing party T-shirts and red berets were seen in strategic parts of the city under the pretense of carrying out clean-up campaigns, while others were spotted mingling with the crowds. “It was difficult to determine whether the para-military personnel were members of the EPS or selected armed militia.”

The military intimidation tactics coupled with the illegal political campaign being conducted by the CDC should claim the attention of the National Elections Commission, but importantly, the Embassy of the United States of America, the European Union, ECOWAS, and the United Nations Peace Building Mission in Liberia, the Rainbow Alliance emphasized through its leader.

Mr. Goodridge noted, “These early warning signals for possible violence in the 2023 elections should not be ignored by the international community. A strong warning must be sent to the leadership of the CDC, including the imposition of additional sanctions to ensure that the investment made by the international community in peace and security in Liberia over the past two decades is not wasted.”