Liberia: 'We're Tired With Kush' - Liberians Stage Protest Against Illicit Drugs

Monrovia — Hundreds of Liberians, led by youth groups and elderly women are staging a peaceful protest in Monrovia to demand tougher action against the trafficking and abuse of illicit drugs across the country.

Clad in black and chanting slogans like "We Tired With Kush," "Say No to Drugs," and "No More Zombies," the protesters are marching through the capital, highlighting the devastating toll drugs--especially Kush, cocaine, Italian White, and marijuana--are taking on families and communities.

The demonstration, which began this morning, is us organized by the "Say No to Drugs" campaign and drew support from civil society groups, student organizations, and youth networks. Protesters carried placards and banners calling for urgent and decisive action from the government.

Many of the demonstrators are parents and relatives of victims of drug addiction. Their message was clear: the government must act now to stem the growing drug crisis or risk further societal collapse.

"Our children are dying. We are mocked in our communities because our sons and daughters have turned into 'zombies' on the streets," lamented one protester. "We need the government to take this fight seriously."

Protesters are calling for accountability among public officials, including lawmakers and law enforcement officers, who they allege are complicit in protecting drug traffickers and undermining national efforts to combat the crisis.

The protest comes at a time when Liberia is grappling with a surge in the number of at-risk youth--often referred to as "zogos"--who live on the streets and struggle with severe drug addiction.

It also coincides with the presence of a delegation from the ECOWAS Parliament in Liberia. The delegation is in the country as part of a regional anti-drug awareness campaign aimed at addressing the escalating public health and security threat posed by drug abuse across West Africa.

Stay with FrontPage today for full coverage of today's March against illicit drug.

This article originally appeared on Front Page Africa.