01/08/2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONROVIA, LIBERIA | August 1, 2026
CMC ACKNOWLEDGES PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS, POSTPONES SEPTEMBER 5 RALLY, BUT DEMANDS FULL EXPOSURE OF THE DRUG CARTEL
The Citizens Movement for Change acknowledges the recent dismissals, suspensions, and other administrative actions taken by President H. E. Joseph N. Boakai in response to Liberia’s worsening drug crisis. Although these actions are belated, they are important first steps, and CMC welcomes them as an indication that the President has finally begun to appreciate the seriousness of the situation and the growing demand for accountability from the Liberian people.
However, the President and his government must not mistake these administrative actions for complete accountability or believe that they are sufficient to bring this matter to an end. Dismissals and suspensions are not substitutes for a comprehensive criminal investigation, full public disclosure and the prosecution of everyone against whom credible evidence exists. These initial actions must become the beginning of the investigation, not the government’s excuse for ending it.
The Inspector General of Police and other security authorities have indicated that influential individuals and senior officials may be connected to the drug network. The Liberian people therefore expect the President to provide investigators with the independence, protection and resources necessary to uncover every person involved. Whether they are current officials, former officials, security personnel, political actors, businesspeople or foreign collaborators, no one must be protected because of power, wealth, position or political connection.
Liberians have the right to know the cartel behind the drug trade in our country. We must know who financed the operations, who imported the drugs, who received and transported them, who provided security and protection, who stored them, and who was expected to benefit from their distribution. The financial transactions, communications, assets and institutional connections of the entire network must be investigated.
CMC is not demanding conviction through rumor or political accusation. We are demanding an evidence-based investigation, due process and prosecution without fear or favor.
CMC has initiated consultations with opposition political parties and other national stakeholders concerning the September 5 peaceful national rally. Those consultations will continue because this remains a national issue and not an exclusive CMC affair. We remain committed to building
a united democratic platform capable of demanding accountability whenever the circumstances require it.
In view of the initial actions taken by the President, CMC has decided to postpone the planned September 5 rally. This is a responsible, good-faith decision intended to give the government a limited opportunity to transform these administrative measures into a credible, transparent and comprehensive investigation.
The rally is postponed, not abandoned. Our demand for truth has not changed, and our foot remains firmly on the pedal of accountability.
If we observe delaying tactics, selective prosecution, the sacrifice of only junior officers, the protection of powerful individuals, or any attempt to use these dismissals and suspensions to whitewash the investigation, CMC will immediately consult its political and civil society partners and take the appropriate peaceful, constitutional, and democratic actions necessary to pressure the government.
We will acknowledge the government when it acts correctly, but we will not allow a few administrative measures to bury the truth. Liberia cannot punish young people at the bottom of the drug chain while protecting the powerful people who finance, import, and facilitate the narcotics destroying our country.
The burden is now on the President. The Liberian people are watching. CMC is watching. We expect the complete cartel to be exposed and every person involved to face the law.
The September 5 rally may be postponed, but the national demand for truth, justice, and accountability continues.
Respectfully submitted,
For and on behalf of the Citizens Movement for Change (CMC)
Hon. James M. V. Yougie
National Chairman
Citizens Movement for Change (CMC)
