Liberia: Stand Demands Expulsion of Guinean Ambassador
Monrovia — The Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND) has strongly condemned what it describes as the Liberian government's failure to defend the nation's sovereignty against alleged encroachment by Guinea.
In a statement signed by its chairman and lead advocate, Mulbah K. Mulbah Morlu Jr., the group expressed deep dissatisfaction with what it termed the government's weakness and indecision. STAND argued that while the administration may be reluctant to project military force, it has no justification for failing to pursue available diplomatic and legal avenues.
The statement noted that the government has not invoked Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961), which grants Liberia the sovereign authority to declare a foreign diplomat persona non grata and expel them. According to STAND, this provision could have been applied to the Guinean Ambassador in response to what it described as Guinea's unlawful incursion into Liberian territory.
STAND further stated that even at the most basic diplomatic level, the government has failed to act. At a minimum, the group argued, Liberia should have recalled its Ambassador to Guinea as an immediate and formal protest against the alleged provocation.
The movement identified the 2024 Ibrahima Khalil Cherif incident as a key factor emboldening Guinea's current regime. STAND claimed that Cherif's handover by the Boakai-led government, which it said defied judicial authority, exposed institutional weakness and set a dangerous precedent that encouraged further violations of Liberia's sovereignty.
According to the statement, the alleged illegal transfer was reportedly followed by the delivery of six pickup trucks loaded with arms and ammunition to the Liberia National Police by Guinean proxies--an allegation STAND described as deeply troubling, given the police force's alleged role in the in
STAND criticized what it characterized as the government's timid response to foreign aggression, contrasting it with what it described as the use of excessive force against peaceful domestic protesters. This, the group said, reflects a pattern of misplaced priorities and a failure to protect national interests.
"It is our firm and considered position that any government unwilling to deploy established international legal mechanisms to defend its national interests fundamentally undermines its legitimacy and calls into serious question its fitness to govern," the statement emphasized.
The group therefore called on President Joseph Nyuma Boakai's administration to immediately expel the Guinean Ambassador as a clear demonstration of Liberia's rejection of any unlawful encroachment on its territory.
STAND concluded by warning that, in collaboration with civil society and community-based organizations, it would soon announce decisive civic actions in defense of fundamental rights, the rule of law, and Liberia's territorial integrity. The group stressed that Liberia's sovereignty is non-negotiable and that citizens will not remain silent in the face of foreign encroachment and government inaction.
This article originally appeared in New Dawn.