IPNEWS: Liberia’s Foreign Minister Dee Maxwell Kemayah and the Government of Liberia have failed to surrender diplomatic credential issued to the expelled Liberian Consul General in New York.
The alleged refusal has prompted the U.S. State Department of Foreign Missions to request the Liberian Embassy in Washington D.C. to return Mrs. Kemayah’s identification card issued by the Department since she is no longer functioning as a diplomat in New York.
In February, emerged that the wife of the Foreign Minister, Mrs. Dialokai Golanyon, the former Liberian Consulate General in New York had been declared “persona non grata” by the U.S. Government and asked to leave.
In late April, Ms. Kemayah quietly left the U.S. with her children and reportedly arrived in a West African country where they were secretly received by Minister Kemayah.
According to sources at the Foreign Ministry, Mrs. Kemayah is being considered for another diplomatic posting within the West African region.
In contravention of diplomatic protocol and courtesies, and in an attempt to cover up the scandal of the expulsion from New York of the Liberia diplomat, Minister Kemayah hand-delivered a letter to the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia instead of formally writing the Ambassador of the Republic of Liberia to Washington DC to advise of the formal “recall” of Consul General and his wife Mrs. Kemayah, closed Foreign Ministry offiols hinted IPNEWS.
Other sources within Diplomatic circles have advised that the Embassy of Liberia in Washington D.C. should have been the proper entity to have formally conveyed the “recall” to the U.S. State Department. The source further explained that it appeared the Foreign Minister disregarded the official authority of the Liberian Ambassador in Washington D.C.
On receipt of Minister Kemayah’s letter from its diplomatic mission in Monrovia, the State Department’s Office of Foreign Mission blew the attempted “coverup” and made direct reference to the Foreign Minister’s correspondence dated April 25, 2022, and hand-delivered to their mission in Monrovia and which advised of the “termination” of the functions of Mrs. Kemayah.
It is still unclear why Mrs. Kemayah was declared an ‘undesirable diplomat’ in the U.S. but all indications point to her lack of cooperation in a high-profile case of sexual harassment filed against her husband – the Foreign Minister, by a Liberian female staffer.
It may be recalled, the victim alleged that Minister Kemayah, while serving as head of the Liberian Permanent mission to the United Nations in New York made unwanted sexual advances to her – allegations which he has denied.
Additionally, the victim reportedly filed a complaint with police in New York and the Liberian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Metro Police in New York are reported to still have an open investigation and would like to question Minister Kemayah who has avoided travel to the U.S. for fear of being arrested.
Shortly before the scandal broke in early 2020, then UN Permanent Representative Kemayah, was recalled to Monrovia to be nominated as the Minister of Foreign Affairs by President George M. Weah.
Later, in a public show of support for his former U.N Representative, President Weah, in December 2020 decorated Foreign Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah with one of Liberia’s highest honors. The President admitted him into the Humane Order of African Redemption with the Grade of Knight Grand Band, the Executive said in remarks at the ceremony, President Weah asserted, “…You gained my confidence and I strongly believed you were the best person to represent us at the United Nations (UN). You went to the UN, worked diligently and brought pride to us. That allowed your succession as Foreign Minister of Liberia.
In spite of the serious allegation of sexual harassment dogging his nomination as Foreign Minister and public calls to withdraw the nomination at the time, the Liberian Senate disregarded the already “poisoned nomination” and rushed to confirm him to the post.
Meantime, Foreign Minister Kemayah is expected to travel to England on invitation from Wilton Park, an executive agency of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office to contribute his “expertise” at a conference from May 11 – 13. The theme of the conference is “Strengthening The International Response To Conflict-Related Sexual Violence”.
According to an online news outlet ‘African Star’ Correspondent in Europe, reports that already, Liberian activists and their supporters in the U.K. say they will stage a peaceful protest before the Liberian Embassy in London – the first if it happens, to publicly signal their opposition to the visit of Foreign Minister Kemayah who is expected to participate in an international conference on Sexual-General Based Violence (SGBV) while he, himself, is facing accusations of sexual harassment. “He is the wrong Messenger,” they maintained.
On Sunday, May 1, 2022, women activists, sexual violence victims, and protest organizers in London told African Star that given her long record, credibility, and strong public advocacy for women and girls issues and their protection, they do not expect the Liberian envoy to the Court of St James in the UK Ambassador Gurly T. Gibson-Schwarz to share the International conference stage with Foreign Minister Kemayah.
Ambassador Gibson-Schwarz, a vocal women’s rights advocate, led efforts to end Liberia’s devastating back-to-back wars in the 1990s in which an estimated 250,000 people died.
According to the women activists, they are launching an initiative that is urging all Liberian women and girls to wear black attire every Thursday to register their stance against sexual abuse, harassment, rape, and killing of women and girls in Liberia and also seek justice.
The activists, with the social media hashtag “WeAreUnprotected”, also directly addressed the Liberian President George M. Weah to exercise effective leadership in addressing insecurity in Liberia and recommit to protecting all citizens. They further urged the Liberian President to restore credibility to the country’s diplomatic posture by dealing with the “paralysis” at the Foreign Ministry which has been brought on by the sexual harassment “scandal” involving Minister Dee Maxwell Kemayah.
In a clear message to the Weah Administration since its inauguration in 2018, the U.S has signaled that it will not tolerate pervasive corruption and poor governance and has declined repeated requests from President Weah for an official invitation to the White House.
Confidential sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Monrovia say they have little or no confidence that President Weah will cut ties with Minister Kemayah who is a business partner of First Lady Clar Weah.
It remains unclear why the expelled Mrs. Kemayah is still holding on to a U.S. State Department-controlled document or where in West Africa she is currently residing. (Courtesy of Africa Star-online news)
