Monrovia – In a solemn ceremony steeped in reflection and nationwide introspection, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has known as on Liberians to embrace a path of real reconciliation, reality, and justice because the nation commemorates the life and legacy of former President William R. Tolbert Jr. and different victims of the 1980 army coup.
By Gerald C. Koinyeneh [email protected], and J.H. Webster Clayeh, [email protected]
Talking on the memorial and reburial ceremony held in Monrovia, President Boakai described the event as greater than a symbolic gesture, terming it an “act of nationwide conscience” and a pivotal step in confronting Liberia’s painful previous.
“This memorial, a long time after his tragic loss of life, is just not merely a ceremonial gesture. It’s an act of nationwide conscience,” President Boakai declared. “It’s a second to revive dignity, to acknowledge historic wrongs, and to reaffirm our collective dedication to reality, justice, and reconciliation.”
He acknowledged the enduring scars left by the occasions of April 12, 1980, when President Tolbert was assassinated in a bloody coup and 13 members of his administration had been summarily executed by the army junta led by Samuel Doe ten days later following
“These wrongs have left scars,” Boakai stated, “however they’ve additionally left us with a accountability—a accountability to show our sorrows into seeds of hope, to attract from our ache a renewed sense of objective, and to make sure that the sacrifices of the previous weren’t in useless.”
Calling for nationwide unity, the President emphasised the necessity to remodel Liberia’s shared struggling right into a “basis of shared power,” urging the nation to make use of its collective reminiscence as a unifying pressure reasonably than a degree of division.
“Let the tales of loss and resilience instill in us a deeper sense of patriotism and a long-lasting dedication to peace, justice, and reconciliation,” he added.
President Tolbert, who served as Liberia’s twentieth president, additionally held a number of distinguished worldwide roles, together with Chairman of the Group of African Unity (now the African Union) and President of the Baptist World Alliance. Boakai praised him as a visionary chief, dedicated to reform, Pan-Africanism, social justice, youth empowerment, and the unification of Liberians.
“He was a person of deep conviction and immense self-discipline. A Baptist preacher by calling and a statesman by obligation, he delivered to the presidency a way of ethical readability and a deep dedication to constructing a nation the place all Liberians might discover dignity of their citizenship,” Boakai stated.
Although he by no means served underneath President Tolbert, Boakai stated he was deeply impressed by Tolbert’s mind, values, and pursuit of an equitable Liberia.
“His insurance policies sought to bridge divides, uplift the poor, and develop alternative. His imaginative and prescient for nationwide improvement was anchored within the perception that Liberia might solely thrive when justice and inclusion turned the pillars of our democracy,” he added.
President Boakai acknowledged the numerous traumas which have formed Liberia’s historical past, from unhealed historic tensions and violent authorities overthrows to the devastating civil wars that claimed practically 250,000 lives.
“We should let our shared struggling change into the inspiration of our shared power. Allow us to permit our collective reminiscence to serve not as a degree of division, however as a pressure for unity,” he emphasised.
In a private observe to the Tolbert household, President Boakai prolonged the sympathy of a grateful nation:
“Your father, your grandfather, your relative served this nation with distinction. Your lives of tolerance have been irreproachable and magnanimous. I urge you to proceed to honor his reminiscence not solely by means of mourning however by means of purposeful contribution to nationwide unity and therapeutic.”
Calling on all Liberians, Boakai stated the event ought to spark a renewed dedication to unity and progress:
“Allow us to reject the forces that divide us. Allow us to select peace over vengeance, unity over discord, and progress over stagnation. The Liberia we search to construct should be one the place the legacy of our leaders is honored with reality, with respect, and with accountability.”
He concluded by calling for historical past to be taught truthfully and reconciliation to be pursued with conviction—not comfort:
“Allow us to train the youthful era in regards to the life and management of President Tolbert—not solely as a former head of state however as an emblem of religion, hope, and dignity in public service.”
Remembering April 12, 1980
On April 12, 1980, President Tolbert was assassinated in a army coup by 17 low-ranking troopers of the Armed Forces of Liberia. Ten days later, 13 of his senior officers—together with Home Speaker Richard Henries, Senate Professional Tempore Frank Tolbert, and Chief Justice James A.A. Pierre—had been executed by firing squad after a kangaroo courtroom trial. Their our bodies had been dumped right into a mass grave on the historic Palm Grove Cemetery on Middle Avenue in Monrovia.
In February 2025, a crew from St. Moses Funeral Parlor reportedly uncovered a mass grave at Palm Grove believed to include the stays of Tolbert and the slain officers. Their stays had been transferred to the funeral parlor and later reburied on the Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary in Paynesville. A memorial park, named Remembrance Park, was devoted on the web site of their honor.
A Name to Confront the Previous
The ceremony was organized by the April twenty second Memorial Group, comprising relations of the victims, in partnership with the Authorities of Liberia. Rev. Samuel Benedict Reeves, Jr., Senior Pastor of Windfall Baptist Church and President of the Liberia Council of Church buildings, delivered a transferring tribute, urging the nation to view the memorial as a name to motion.
Cllr. Eyvette Chesson-Wureh, a relative and one of many organizers, mirrored on the injustice of the executions and the denial of due course of.
“Regardless of deep ache, the households have channeled grief into objective—by constructing a memorial park and advocating for nationwide therapeutic by means of schooling, remembrance, and reconciliation,” she stated.
She additional urged Liberians to confront the injustices of the previous and to implement the suggestions of the Fact and Reconciliation Fee (TRC).
“We’re calling for reality, justice, and nationwide recognition by means of schooling, memorialization, and implementation of the TRC’s suggestions,” she stated.
“Therapeutic requires honesty, justice, and unity. Allow us to honor the previous not by forgetting, however by confronting it—in order that such atrocities by no means occur once more.”
