Published: January 9, 2026
Capitol Hill — Sinoe County District 2 Representative Samson Q. Wiah on Wednesday strongly condemned the actions of soldiers of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), accusing them of abandoning their assigned duties and terrorizing civilians during an incident in his district over the Christmas period.
Speaking at a press conference, Wiah said AFL personnel deployed near Sapo National Park were mandated to combat illicit mining and poaching but instead left their posts and entered nearby communities, where their conduct allegedly endangered lives and disrupted traditional activities.
Wiah said the most serious incident occurred in the town of Nyinaholeken during a traditional initiation ceremony marking the transition of adolescent boys into manhood, a long-standing cultural practice in the area. According to the lawmaker, soldiers entered the town on the night of Dec. 25, allegedly after consuming alcohol, and resisted instructions from traditional leaders to remain in a designated area while the ceremony was ongoing.
He alleged that the situation escalated when soldiers opened fire, causing widespread panic. Residents, including elders and traditional leaders, reportedly fled into nearby bushes as gunshots rang out. Wiah said spent shell casings were later recovered and bullet holes were visible in buildings in the town.
“Our people were terrorized,” Wiah said. “This action was reckless, unprofessional and completely contrary to the responsibility of the Armed Forces of Liberia.”
The lawmaker said his office immediately dispatched their resource officer to the area to assess the situation and document evidence. He told reporters that during a subsequent engagement with community members, at least one AFL soldier acknowledged wrongdoing and apologized to residents.
Wiah said he attempted to contact senior security officials, including the chief of staff of the AFL and the minister of defense, on the night of the incident but initially received no response. He later reached out to the chair of the House Committee on National Security and Defense, and said AFL leadership subsequently contacted him, expressed regret and assured him that steps were being taken to address the situation.
The representative called for a full and independent investigation into the incident and urged the military to pursue court-martial proceedings against all soldiers found responsible. He emphasized that under military standards, commanders bear responsibility for the conduct of their units.
“When soldiers go beyond their mandate, the commander must answer,” Wiah said. “This matter must be treated seriously if public confidence in the security sector is to be maintained.”
He further called on the government to immediately restrict AFL operations in his district strictly to the park and remove soldiers from civilian communities. According to Wiah, the continued presence of armed personnel in towns has heightened fear among residents rather than improved security.
“We want them in the park doing the job they were sent to do — going after illicit miners and poachers — not in our communities intimidating our people,” he said.
Wiah also urged the AFL to compensate residents for damages caused during the incident and called for improved training for soldiers deployed to rural and traditional areas, including instruction on cultural norms and cooperation with local authorities. He alleged that during the incident, soldiers resisted the authority of local officials, including commissioners, mayors and traditional leaders.
Liberia, which emerged from years of civil war in 2003, has enjoyed relative peace since 2005. Wiah warned that incidents involving excessive use of force risk reviving painful memories of the conflict.
“This country has suffered enough,” he said. “We cannot allow actions like this to undermine the peace we have worked so hard to sustain.”
The AFL and the Ministry of Defense had not issued a public response at the time of publication.
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