Sunday Aborisade in Abuja 

The delegation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission’s political mission to the Republic of Liberia, headed by Nigeria’s Professor Ibrahim Gambari, has said that peace is returning to the African country after meeting with the major stakeholders.

Gambari is a former Under-Secretary General of the UN for Political Affairs.

This is contained in a communique issued at the end of the team’s engagement with Liberian stakeholders.

Those at the meeting were President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, and former Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and George Weah.

Others were Foreign Affairs minister, Sarah Beysolow; the leadership of the House of Representatives and other representatives of the international community.

According to the communique, the commission held the strong opinion that Liberia must prioritise peace and stability to pave the way for inclusive socio-economic development and deepening democracy in the country.

The Gambari-led team further urged the Liberian President and his predecessors to work closely together to enhance peace, stability and development while all stakeholders respect the impending Supreme Court’s ruling.

The delegation asked the stakeholders to “develop a roadmap to promptly end the impasse in the leadership of the House of Representatives.”

 It also called on the international stakeholders to support ongoing efforts to find lasting solutions to the current political impasse in the country.

“Finally, the mission wishes to assure all stakeholders of ECOWAS’ enduring commitment to supporting Liberia in promoting peace, sustainable development and good governance,” part of the communique read.

It added that at the delegation’s meeting with the Speaker of the Legislature, Honourable Rochard Nagbe Koon and members of the House of Representatives, discussions about the developments at the Capitol Building took centre stage.

It read, “At the meeting, the leader of the delegation, Professor Gambari, clarified that the delegation was not in Liberia as a mediation body.

“He stated that Liberia’s problems can only be solved by Liberians and emphasised that external parties cannot impose solutions without commitment of domestic stakeholders.”

Speaker Koon at the meeting reaffirmed his leadership’s commitment to transparency, accountability and collaboration with all members of the Legislature in the best interest of the Liberian people.

“The speaker stated that resolving the issues was essential for stability and effective governance and expressed appreciation for ECOWAS’s role in fostering peaceful and constructive dialogue, underscoring that unity among lawmakers was  paramount for smooth legislative proceedings.”

It would be recalled that the President of the Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, acting on the recommendation of the 53rd ordinary session of the mediation and Security Council at the ministerial level held on December 11, 2024, in Abuja deployed a high-level political mission to Liberia from 23rd March to March 27, 2025.

​