Captain Jerry Kerkulah Kollie, a former consultant candidate for Bong County Electoral District #2 and a vocal advocate for veteran recognition, has known as on President Joseph Nyumah Boakai to prepare a state funeral for all Liberian troopers who misplaced their lives through the nation’s brutal 14-year civil battle.
By Edwin N Khakie
Gbarnga, Bong County: Addressing reporters following a consultative assembly with former army leaders, Captain Kollie emphasised the symbolic and ethical significance of correctly honoring the fallen. He argued that those that died whatever the factions they represented have been Liberians who served and made the last word sacrifice in a tragic chapter of nationwide historical past.
“We are going to admire the federal government for internet hosting a state funeral for our colleagues who died whereas combating for the nation,” stated Captain Kollie. “They fought bravely. Now it’s time to guarantee they’re correctly honored on the Camp Struggling Barracks.”
Captain Kollie pressured that the troopers represented all segments of Liberia and shouldn’t be judged by the politics of the struggle. As a substitute, he believes they deserve collective recognition as a part of the nation’s path to reconciliation and therapeutic.
As a part of a marketing campaign titled “Killed in Motion (KIA)”, Kollie and a coalition of former war-era troopers have set November 29, 2025, as a deadline for the Boakai administration to answer their calls for. Ought to the federal government fail to behave, the group has vowed to stage an enormous protest in Monrovia, calling consideration to what they see as a long time of neglect and nationwide silence surrounding the destiny of their fallen comrades.
Captain Kollie’s demand comes simply days after a groundbreaking nationwide second: President Joseph Nyuma Boakai formally apologized to victims and survivors of the Liberian civil struggle through the launch of the Nationwide Therapeutic, Reconciliation, and Unity Program held on July 6, 2025, on the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Advanced in Monrovia.
In an emotional and historic speech attended by survivors, households of victims, authorities officers, and members of the worldwide neighborhood, President Boakai accepted mora l accountability on behalf of the Liberian State for failing to guard its individuals through the struggle.
“To each sufferer of our civil battle, to each household damaged, to each dream shattered, we are saying: WE ARE SORRY,” the President declared. “The State might have accomplished higher, but it surely failed. We’re right here now, and we should do all the pieces to verify it by no means fails you once more.”
President Boakai described the apology as greater than symbolic a foundational step in rebuilding nationwide unity and committing the federal government to a strategy of transitional justice. He pledged to implement key suggestions from the Fact and Reconciliation Fee (TRC), assist memorial initiatives, and promote inclusion for victims and marginalized communities.
The occasion was extensively praised by observers as a robust gesture of nationwide accountability and a possible turning level in Liberia’s lengthy wrestle to confront its violent previous.
Regardless of the apology, Captain Kollie and his supporters say additional motion is required, significantly for individuals who fought and died within the battle. They argue that whereas civilian victims deserve justice and acknowledgment, fallen troopers shouldn’t be forgotten within the broader reconciliation course of.
“Apologizing is the start. Now allow us to act,” Kollie insisted. “If we actually need nationwide therapeutic, we should respect each Liberian life misplaced, together with these in uniform.”
The federal government has but to subject an official response to Kollie’s calls for. Nevertheless, political analysts say the problem might pose a big check for the Boakai administration’s dedication to complete post-war justice, balancing the sensitivity of honoring combatants whereas upholding the rights and recollections of victims.
Because the November protest deadline looms, the nation watches intently to see whether or not the decision for a state funeral for Liberia’s struggle useless will grow to be the subsequent vital step on the street to reconciliation or a brand new supply of nationwide stress. -Edited by Othello B. Garblah.
