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By Staff Writer
Monrovia, Senator Albert S. Chea has accused the Boakai administration of misplacing national security priorities, questioning why an Armed Forces of Liberia armored personnel carrier was deployed at the Monrovia Central Prison to guard former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor, while serious threats persist along Liberia’s border with Guinea.
In a Facebook post Thursday, the Bong County Senator called the move “troubling irony” and warned that using the military to guard a political detainee risks dragging the AFL back into partisan politics.
“There is a danger in allowing the AFL to become associated, rightly or wrongly, with the detention of political figures or partisan politics,” Chea wrote.
“The military’s primary mandate is to defend the Republic and protect its territorial integrity — not to be used as an instrument of intimidation, political pressure, or partisan interests.”
Former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor was arrested and remanded at the Monrovia Central Prison earlier this week pending court proceedings related to ongoing government investigations. Authorities have not publicly detailed all charges, but her detention has sparked debate over due process and political targeting.
Photos and videos of an AFL armored vehicle stationed outside the prison compound circulated on social media, prompting public concern and criticism from opposition figures.
“We’ve Been Down This Road Before”
Sen. Chea said deploying soldiers for internal political matters mirrors actions that damaged public trust in the army before Liberia’s civil wars.
“These are exactly the kinds of actions that eroded public confidence in the Army in the pre-civil war era and severely tarnished its reputation. The AFL must never, under any circumstances, tread that same ugly, unprofessional, and dangerous path again.”
He stressed that the AFL “must be seen as a national institution, not as an extension of the governing party or an instrument for settling political disputes.”
Chea also pointed to ongoing security concerns at the Liberia-Guinea border, arguing that military resources should be focused outward to “defend the Republic and protect its territorial integrity” rather than inward.
“The painful lessons of the past must not be forgotten, and the Army’s credibility must never again be compromised by conduct that undermines public trust and confidence,” he added.
The Boakai administration has previously said all security operations are being carried out “within the law” and that no one is above the law.
Sen. Chea’s post has since drew attention online, with many Liberians debating the balance between accountability for public officials and the need to keep the military out of politics.
