Published: October 26, 2026
MONROVIA – Widows of Armed Forces of Liberia soldiers say they will stage a mass protest unless the government moves them into a new office before the end of November. They say a Chinese company has leased the building they have occupied for years for 25 years without telling them.
By Blamo N. Toe
The widows also want a settlement of benefits they say the government has owed the families of dead soldiers for decades. Mary Allison, president of the widows’ group, said about 3,200 widows and children are each owed US$1,500, a total of about US$4.8 million. She said they would accept US$1,000 each, or about US$3.2 million, to close the matter.
“We have nowhere to go,” Allison said at a news conference outside the building over the weekend.
She said the government had in effect “slapped” the widows and thrown them out like “dogs.”
Allison said the group learned in June that a company she identified as WLEAF had leased the property. “We were informed that the company, which we understand is called WLEAF, had been given the property for 25 years,” she said. “What surprised us was that nobody came to inform us before the decision was made.”
The government has not publicly confirmed the lease, its terms or the number of beneficiaries and amounts the widows say they are owed.
The widows alleged that National Security Adviser Samuel Kofi Woods acted as an intermediary between the government and the company, including helping with documents tied to the lease. They did not present documents showing Woods’ involvement or the agreement’s terms. At the same news conference, Allison appealed to Woods to intervene on the widows’ behalf.
Woods denied any involvement. He told The Liberian Investigator he was shocked by the allegation, that he knows nothing about any lease agreement covering the building and that he has no knowledge of the company.
“Are they really sure of this? I hope this is not another hearsay?” Woods said. “Can they just show messages, dates or venues, calls or any evidence?”
He called on the widows to produce proof linking him to the company or to the alleged lease. “I know nothing of such things,” he said. “Please deepen your research and get to the bottom of this.”
Woods said government properties, including public buildings, are managed and controlled by the General Services Agency. He said that as national security adviser he has never been involved with the AFL widows, let alone a building that falls under the GSA’s jurisdiction.
He said it is sometimes very disappointing that people who have built their character and reputation over many years face allegations only because they are in public service.
Allison said the widows are not disputing the government’s right to manage public property. She said the authorities should have consulted them and found them somewhere else to go first. The group is asking the government to buy a permanent office or rent one for at least three years while it works out a lasting solution.
“We have written letters, spoken to government officials and appealed to the relevant authorities,” Allison said. “Every time we go to them, they tell us to be patient. They tell us that things will get better. But how long will we continue to be patient?”
She said the group has repeatedly tried and failed to meet President Joseph Nyuma Boakai. “We have made several attempts to meet with the president and explain our situation. There were times when we went to seek an audience, but we could not meet him,” she said.
Allison said some beneficiaries have died waiting for their benefits. Some of the dead soldiers served more than 10 years, and their families believe they are entitled to benefits based on that service, she said.
“When a man serves in the army and dies, what happens to the benefits he worked for?” she said.
She said the US$1,000 payments would let widows start small businesses and pay for their children’s schooling. “Let the government give each widow and eligible beneficiary US$1,000 so that they can start something for themselves,” she said. “Some of the women can use the money to establish small businesses.”
Allison said previous administrations sometimes gave the widows money, particularly at Christmas, but that such help has not come consistently under the Boakai administration.
The building is the group’s only office after years of moving around Monrovia. Allison said the group had worked from Benson Street, then Johnson Street, where she said the Sirleaf administration paid its rent. After former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf left office, the group fell about two years behind on rent and went looking for a place it could use without paying, she said.
“We identified this property and came here. When we arrived, the place was not in good condition. We cleaned it ourselves and made efforts to prepare it for our activities,” she said.
She said people have since been stripping roofing materials and other items from the building. Before the group moved in, she said, thieves broke into a private home where it had stored its belongings.
“Only God can fight for us,” Allison said. “That is why we are speaking out and asking the government to intervene. What we need now is office space. We want the government to find another place for us.”
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