Fire Breaks Out At Liberian Parliament After Tense Protests

A LARGE blaze ravaged parts of Liberia’s parliament building on Wednesday, a day after tense protests erupted following months of political deadlock.

Authorities said that the fire which broke out early in the morning had been brought under control and that an investigation had been launched to establish the cause.

Regional bloc ECOWAS and the US embassy have condemned Tuesday’s “violence” between police and protesters and called for calm in the West African nation.

Videos posted by local outlets on social media showed flames engulfing the building in the capital Monrovia, with thick black smoke rising high into the sky.

The national police force broadcast images of fire trucks outside the parliament as firefighters used long hoses and water jets to contain the spread.

President Joseph Boakai condemned “a lot of wanton destruction” in the country during a visit to the site on Wednesday.

The blaze came a day after demonstrators took to the streets of Monrovia to protest a controversial move to oust house speaker Jonathan Fonati Koffa.

The issue has sparked months of political impasse between two rival legislative blocs, with the anti-Koffa grouping accusing the opposition lawmaker of corruption and overspending his budget.

The inspector general of the Liberia National Police, Gregory Coleman, told journalists that while the demonstration had started peacefully, a group of the protesters had broken down a barrier near the parliament and “became very violent”.

“They started to throw stones at officers… tear gas was fired”, he said at a press conference, adding that dozens had been arrested.

In a statement published by the information ministry, the government said that “only non-lethal force” was employed to disperse Tuesday’s protesters and denied the use of live bullets by security forces.