PAYNESVILLE, Liberia, Dec 17 (Reuters) – More than a thousand people joined a demonstration in a suburb of Liberia’s capital on Saturday, protesting over economic hardships and President George Weah’s prolonged absence from the country.
Large protests have taken place sporadically during Weah’s five years in office, but anger over his government’s management of the economy has grown as Liberians grapple with rising food and fuel prices linked to the Ukraine war and fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Saturday’s rally in Monrovia’s Paynesville district was organized by a coalition of Liberia’s four largest opposition parties, but internal disputes led all but one, the Alternative National Congress (ANC), to pull out at the last minute.
Many of the protesters wore shirts printed with the face of Alexander Cummings, who is challenging Weah for the presidency under the ANC flag ahead of a…
