20 Dec A fire breaks out in the Parliament building in Liberia

On December 18, a fire broke out in the Parliament building in Monrovia, Liberia.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, and it took firefighters a significant effort to bring it under control.

This incident comes at a time when the country is facing protests against attempts by the ruling party to remove the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The fire occurred after clashes between police and protesters from the opposition group known as the “Coalition for Democratic Change” (CDC), led by former President George Weah.

These protests were against the ruling party’s efforts to oust Jonathan Fonati Koffa, the current Speaker and a member of the CDC. During the protests, Sekou Kalasco Damaro, who was a key assistant to Weah, was among those arrested.

This push to remove Koffa began on October 17, when 47 members of Parliament signed a proposal to oust him over allegations of corruption. This move led to confrontations between Koffa’s supporters and those in favor of his removal.

Tensions escalated further with unverified claims on social media that two Deputy Speakers of Parliament had bribed other members to support Koffa’s removal, although they denied these accusations. Because the required number of votes to remove Koffa wasn’t achieved, it resulted in delays in passing the national budget.

In response to this political turmoil, protests erupted in the capital, where CDC supporters urged President Joseph Nyumah Boakai and Vice President Koung to stop interfering with Parliament and to abandon their attempt to remove Koffa. Notably, this recent fire was the second incident at the Parliament building within just a week.