Hundreds rally against government corruption in Liberia
The protesters also accuse Boakai of not keeping the promises he made while campaigning to unseat his predecessor, former Ballon D'Or-winning footballer George Weah.
One protester, 55-year-old civil servant Bendu Camara, accused the president of targeting officials associated with the Weah administration, and said he was forced into retirement when Boakai came into office.
Camara also claimed Boakai's government gave preferential treatment while distributing jobs and favoured members of his Unity Party.
"He entered the mansion and we gave him the flag for all Liberians, but he is picking and choosing. He is taking the Unity Party people to be the country's owners."
Another protester, Hawa Kpehe, said the president had "lied to the Liberian people".
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Daily Maverick
5 days ago
- Daily Maverick
Was Trump's Africa summit just outsourcing America's immigration problem?
The US president reportedly asked the five African nations at his summit to accept third-country asylum seekers. United States (US) President Donald Trump hosted a mini-summit with five African leaders in the White House last week. It was surprising that he met with African leaders at all, given his stance towards the continent. His choice of countries was also interesting — why Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia and Gabon? Trump told the delegates his administration was 'committed to strengthening our friendships in Africa through economic development efforts that benefit both the US and our partners. And we're shifting from aid to trade,' noting that he had just scrapped the US Agency for International Development (USAid). As to the five countries in attendance, he said they all had 'great land, great minerals, oil deposits', and that he wanted to discuss security. Trump encouraged the leaders to invest more in defence and to 'keep pursuing the fight against terrorism, which is a big problem in Africa'. 'Immigration will also be on the agenda, and I hope we can bring down the high rates of people overstaying visas, and also make progress on the Safe Third Country Agreements.' The supposed wealth of these five countries in critical minerals has been offered as the main reason for their invitation. Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani said his country had 'minerals, rare earths, rare minerals', including manganese, uranium and probably lithium, and was the second-largest African iron ore producer. Liberian President Joseph Boakai also said his country had many minerals and asked for US help in surveying them. Trump added an unintentional comic note by commending Boakai for his 'beautiful English'. He asked where Boakai had learnt to speak it — seemingly unaware that English is Liberia's official language. The country was, after all, founded in the 19th century by free slaves from the US. Critical minerals Gabon's President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema also stressed that his country had oil and gas and critical minerals, including manganese, and invited the US to invest in processing it locally, including building the necessary electricity capacity. He said that if the US did not invest, others would. And he appealed to Trump to help Gabon stop maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye noted that the US was conducting a geological survey in Senegal to help assess the potential of minerals. He added that thanks to US companies, Senegal had discovered oil and about 950 billion cubic metres of gas. So critical and other minerals, and oil and gas, were clearly a factor in the choice of the five. So was security in a chronically insecure region. 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This arrangement appears similar to that between the former Conservative United Kingdom (UK) government and Rwanda, but which was scrapped last year by the Labour government, which said the deal had not deterred migrants to the UK. Reports say America previously tried to persuade Nigeria to accept an agreement with Venezuelan deportees — but Abuja refused. This might suggest that Trump is turning to smaller, perhaps more pliable, countries to try to persuade them to accept asylum seekers or deportees. The Guardian reported on Wednesday that five men from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba and Yemen — convicted of crimes ranging from child rape to murder — had arrived in Eswatini on a Safe Third Country deportation flight from the US. On 4 July, the US deported eight men convicted of violent crimes to South Sudan. It is unclear how the five African governments responded to Trump's request, and none mentioned it in the public part of the meeting. 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He suggested Senegal's President Faye could serve the US as a diplomatic bridge to the Sahel's juntas, as Senegal had established a rapport with Mali and Burkina Faso's military governments. Trump's shift from aid to trade and investment in Africa is in principle a good idea, though the abrupt termination of aid has caused significant distress on the continent. (Unconfirmed reports this week suggest that Pepfar – the US programme against HIV/Aids — may be reinstated.) But how the US trades and invests in Africa will be critical. As Gabon's Nguema told Trump: 'We also want our raw materials to be processed locally in our country so that we can create value and to create jobs for youth so that they stop dying. They are crossing the sea, the ocean to go to other countries.' That would be a more constructive and ethical approach to relations than outsourcing the asylum process and dumping criminals from other countries onto Africa. DM
eNCA
17-07-2025
- eNCA
Hundreds rally against government corruption in Liberia
The government's defenders say it has suspended senior officials for alleged corruption and strengthened ties with investors. The protesters also accuse Boakai of not keeping the promises he made while campaigning to unseat his predecessor, former Ballon D'Or-winning footballer George Weah. One protester, 55-year-old civil servant Bendu Camara, accused the president of targeting officials associated with the Weah administration, and said he was forced into retirement when Boakai came into office. Camara also claimed Boakai's government gave preferential treatment while distributing jobs and favoured members of his Unity Party. "He entered the mansion and we gave him the flag for all Liberians, but he is picking and choosing. He is taking the Unity Party people to be the country's owners." Another protester, Hawa Kpehe, said the president had "lied to the Liberian people".
IOL News
15-07-2025
- IOL News
Unreleased music theft strikes Beyoncé's tour just days before Atlanta show
Beyoncé's unreleased music has reportedly been stolen along with some luxury items from her choreographer's rental car. Image: Instagram Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour has kicked off with its fair share of iconic, scary and dramatic moments. Since its launch on April 28 at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the tour has been making headlines for all the right reasons. However, the latest development has added a dramatic twist to the tour's record, with unreleased music reportedly stolen in Atlanta during the tour's stop in the city. The theft took place on July 8, just two days before Beyoncé's first Atlanta performance as part of her four-night Cowboy Carter tour stop in the city. The police confirmed that unreleased music by Beyoncé was among several items stolen from a rental car used by the singer's choreographer, Christopher Grant and one of her dancers. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The reported stolen items included hard drives containing the unreleased songs, show plans and past and future set lists for her tour. Other missing items included an Apple MacBook, headphones which belonged to the singer's daughter Blue Ivy, and a couple of luxury clothing items. According to reports, police tracked the location of the stolen MacBook and headphones, investigating an area where the devices had been detected, but there is no indication that any of the stolen items were found. Following an investigation, Atlanta police have issued an arrest warrant; however, the suspect's name has not been revealed to the public, and they remain on the run. Despite this setback, the Grammy-award-winning artist has continued to deliver her captivating performances on stage. Even with the latest drama surrounding the tour, the inception of the "Cowboy Carter" tour has been filled with some of the most heart-warming moments, like when Beyoncé shared the stage with her daughters, Blue Ivy and Rumi. And on a different note, a scary moment occurred during the Houston stop of the tour when Beyoncé's mid-air car prop malfunctioned, tilting dangerously during her performance of '16 Carriages'. The incident happened at NRG Stadium, where Beyoncé was suspended above the crowd in a red convertible. She calmly instructed the crew to 'stop' as the music paused, and the car was eventually lowered to the ground. After a brief delay, Beyoncé returned to the stage, thanking the crowd for their patience. The tour will officially come to an end after a stop at Las Vegas for two nights late in July.
