Liberian politician
Prince Johnson
|
---|
|
|
|
Assumed office
13 January 2006
Serving with Nya D. Twayen Jr.
|
Preceded by
| NTLA
|
---|
|
|
Born
| Prince Yormie Johnson
(
1952-07-06
)
6 July 1952
(age 71)
Tapeta,
Nimba
, Liberia
|
---|
Political party
| MDR
(since 2016)
|
---|
Other political
affiliations
| Independent
(until 2010; 2014?2016)
NUDP
(2010?2014)
|
---|
|
Allegiance
|
Liberia
|
---|
Branch/service
| Liberian Army
|
---|
Years of service
|
- 1971?1983 (LNG)
- 1989?1992 (NPFL)
|
---|
Rank
| Brigadier general
|
---|
Battles/wars
| First Liberian Civil War
|
---|
|
Prince Yormie Johnson
[a]
(born 6 July 1952) is a Liberian politician and former warlord who has served as a
senator
for
Nimba County
since 2006. A former rebel leader, Johnson played a prominent role in the
First Liberian Civil War
.
A former officer in the
Armed Forces of Liberia
, Johnson allied himself with
Charles Taylor
's
National Patriotic Front of Liberia
(NPFL) rebel group when it launched the First Liberian Civil War in 1989 to overthrown President
Samuel Doe
. Due to a rift with Taylor, Johnson soon formed an NPFL splinter group, the
Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia
(INPFL), which captured, tortured and executed Doe in 1990.
[1]
[2]
Following continued clashes with Taylor,
ECOMOG
, and the pro-Doe
ULIMO
group, the INPFL was disbanded and Johnson was forced into exile in
Nigeria
in 1992.
Johnson returned to Liberia in 2004 following the end of the
Second Liberian Civil War
and was elected to the
Senate of Liberia
in the
2005 Liberian general election
. He founded a political party, the
National Union for Democratic Progress
(NUDP) in 2010, before being expelled from it in 2014. He founded a new party,
Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction
(MDR) in 2016. He has since been re-elected to the Senate in
2014
and
2023
. He was also an unsuccessful candidate for President in
2011
and
2017
, respectively finishing in third and fourth place in the first round.
Early life
[
edit
]
Johnson was born in Tapeta,
Nimba County
, in the east-central interior of the country, and was brought up by an uncle in the capital city of
Monrovia
. In 1971, while living in Monrovia, he joined the
Liberian National Guard
(LNG), which was transformed into the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) in the aftermath of
Samuel Doe
's
1980 overthrow
of President
William R. Tolbert
.
He rose to the rank of Lieutenant, receiving military training in both Liberia and the
United States
, where he was instructed in military police duties in South Carolina. A stern, often draconian, disciplinarian,
[3]
he served as
aide-de-camp
to Gen.
Thomas Quiwonkpa
, the Commanding General of the
Armed Forces of Liberia
,
[4]
and accompanied him into exile in 1983, after Quiwonkpa was accused of plotting a coup against Doe.
Liberia's civil war and warlordship
[
edit
]
Johnson later allied with
Charles Taylor
as part of the
National Patriotic Front of Liberia
(NPFL), serving as the NPFL's Chief Training Officer.
[5]
Taylor's fighters crossed the border from
Ivory Coast
and began operations in Liberia on Christmas Eve, 1989.
[6]
Formation of the INPFL
[
edit
]
An internal power struggle resulted in Johnson breaking off from the Taylor-led NPFL and forming the
Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia
(INPFL). Despite intervention in the civil war by the
Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group
(ECOMOG), INPFL forces captured most of Monrovia in the late summer of 1990.
During the civil war, Johnson was notorious for killing anyone who opposed or criticised his actions. When
Hare Krishna
devotees, who were distributing food to starving people in Monrovia in the midst of the chaos of the civil war, sent him a letter begging him to stop killing people, he personally orchestrated the murder of Hladini devi dasi?born Linda Jury?and five of her students on the bank of the
Saint Paul River
on the night of Thursday, 13 September 1990.
[7]
[8]
[9]
Killing of President Doe
[
edit
]
On 9 September 1990, Johnson's supporters abducted President
Samuel Doe
from
ECOMOG
headquarters in the
Monrovia
port district. Doe was tortured and executed in Johnson's custody on 9 September, with the spectacle videotaped and broadcast around the world. The video showed Johnson sipping a
Budweiser
beer and being fanned by an assistant as his men cut off Doe's ear.
[10]
Johnson later denied killing Doe.
Claim to power
[
edit
]
After Doe's death Johnson briefly claimed the presidency of Liberia. Johnson's claim to power ended following the consolidation of rebel power under Charles Taylor. In an attempt by the weak national government to reconstruct Liberian politics, the INPFL was recognised at a conference held in
Guinea
, where
Amos Sawyer
was elected president.
Flight to Nigeria
[
edit
]
Johnson was forced to flee to
Nigeria
to avoid capture by rebel forces supporting Taylor and was not involved in the
Second Liberian Civil War
.
While in Nigeria, Johnson became a Christian and reconciled with the Doe family through the intervention of Nigerian pastor
T. B. Joshua
.
[11]
Return and public office
[
edit
]
Johnson returned to Liberia in March 2004,
[12]
following the resignation of Taylor as president and the installation of a transitional government. He stated his intention to return to politics, though he briefly left Liberia again on 7 April due to death threats he had received from the
Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy
(LURD) rebel group. In the
2005 general elections
, Johnson contested and won a
Senate
seat representing
Nimba County
. For a period he served as the chair of the Senate's defence committee.
In the June 2009 final report of the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
, which was established as part of the 2003 peace deal, the TRC recommended Johnson's inclusion on a list of 50 people who should be "specifically barred from holding public offices; elected or appointed for a period of thirty (30) years" for "being associated with former warring factions."
[13]
Johnson labelled the recommendation a "joke," noting the absence of several other combatants from the list, and vowed to resist any charges brought as a result of the report.
[13]
In January 2011, the
Supreme Court
ruled in
Williams v. Tah
, a case brought by another person recommended for disqualification in the TRC report, that the TRC's recommendation was an unconstitutional violation of the listed individuals' right to
procedural due process
, and that it would be unconstitutional for the government to implement the proposed bans.
[14]
Johnson ran in Liberia's
2011 presidential election
[15]
as the candidate of the newly formed
National Union for Democratic Progress
party. He placed third, with 11.6% of the vote; the election was won by the country's previous president,
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
.
Ahead of the
2014 Senate election
, Johnson was expelled from the NUDP.
[16]
Johnson won re-election to the Senate as an
independent
.
[17]
By 2017, Johnson formed a new party, the
Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction
(MDR).
[18]
Johnson contested the presidency with the party in the
2017 election
.
[19]
Johnson supported
Coalition for Democratic Change
(CDC) candidate
George Weah
in the subsequent run-off election.
[20]
Weah was ultimately elected president.
[19]
On 9 December 2021, Johnson was sanctioned by the
United States Department of Treasury
for alleged political corruption, claiming he would sell votes in elections for financial gains.
[21]
Towards the ending of 2022, Johnson withdrew his support for President Weah and the CDC. Johnson cited the lack of Nimba County representation in top appointed positions.
[22]
In December 2022, Johnson resigned as head of the MDR.
[23]
In an MDR convention on 22 December, Senator
Jeremiah Koung
was elected standard bearer.
[24]
As standard bearer, Koung continued Johnson's policy of opposing the CDC.
[25]
In the 2023 Senate election, Johnson was re-elected with the MDR.
[26]
- ^
"Prince" is a common
given name
for men in Liberia, rather than a royal title.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Ellis, Stephen (2007) [1999].
The Mask of Anarchy: The Destruction of Liberia and the Religious Dimension of African Civil War
. London, UK: Hurst & Company. pp.
1
?16.
ISBN
978-1850654179
.
- ^
Themner, Anders; Sjostedt, Roxanna (27 November 2019).
"Buying Them Off or Scaring Them Straight: Explaining Warlord Democrats' Electoral Rhetoric"
.
Security Studies
.
29
: 1?33.
doi
:
10.1080/09636412.2020.1693617
.
ISSN
0963-6412
.
- ^
Suah, Throble (21 March 2011).
"PYJ : I Regret The War"
. The New Dawn
. Retrieved
1 February
2012
.
- ^
Ellis, Stephen (2001).
The Mask of Anarchy
. London:
Hurst and Company
. pp. 57?58.
- ^
Alao, Abiodun (1999).
Peacekeepers, Politicians, and Warlords: The Liberian Peace Process
. Tokyo:
United Nations University
Press. pp.
22
.
ISBN
92-808-1031-6
.
- ^
US freed Taylor to overthrow Doe, Liberia's TRC hears
- ^
Dasi, Manjari-devi (2007).
Death Divine: The Gateway to Spiritual Perfection
. Jaya Radhe Publications. pp. 151?154.
- ^
"New Vrindaban Remembers Hladini devi dasi (same text with more photos)"
.
New Vrindaban
. Retrieved
1 February
2012
.
- ^
"Devotees Remember Hladini devi dasi"
. World Vaishnava Association. Archived from
the original
on 1 November 2010
. Retrieved
1 February
2012
.
- ^
Akam, Simon (20 October 2011).
"The Comeback: A Notorious Ex-Warlord Hits the Campaign Trail in Liberia"
.
The New Republic
.
- ^
"Son Forgives Man Who Butchered President Doe"
.
IOL
. 22 November 2000.
- ^
Jolayemi, Moses (16 November 2004).
"Johnson, Liberia's Warlord, Leaves on Sunday"
.
This Day
. Archived from
the original
on 25 January 2005.
- ^
a
b
"Sirleaf should be banned from office: Liberia truth commission"
.
Agence France-Presse
. 6 July 2009. Archived from
the original
on 12 March 2011
. Retrieved
14 December
2010
.
- ^
"Liberian Supreme Court Squashes Truth And Reconciliation Commission Ban on Politicians"
.
NetNewsPublisher
. 24 January 2011. Archived from
the original
on 21 July 2011.
- ^
Liberian ex-warlord to run for president
22 September 2010, AFP
- ^
Johnson, Obediah (7 January 2015).
"Liberia: PYJ - God's Anointing Got Me Re-Elected"
.
Heritage Liberia
. AllAfrica
. Retrieved
6 December
2023
.
- ^
"2014 Special Senatorial Election"
. National Elections Commission. 27 December 2014. Archived from
the original
on 29 February 2016
. Retrieved
6 December
2023
.
- ^
Domah, Thomas (22 December 2022).
"PYJ's end game"
. The New Dawn Liberia
. Retrieved
18 November
2023
.
- ^
a
b
"National Tally Center Final Results Report for the Presidential and Representative Elections on 10 October 2017"
(PDF)
.
National Elections Commission (Liberia)
. 19 October 2017. p. 4. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 31 October 2017
. Retrieved
18 November
2023
.
- ^
"Onetime Warlord Endorses Former Soccer Star for Liberian Presidency"
.
Voice of America
. 26 October 2017
. Retrieved
18 November
2023
.
- ^
Vakil, Caroline (10 December 2021).
"Treasury sanctions Liberia's ex-warlord, current senator Prince Johnson"
.
The Hill
. Retrieved
18 November
2023
.
- ^
Clayeh, J. H. Webster (22 November 2022).
"Liberia: Nimba County Senator Prince Johnson Halts Political Support to Weah Reelection's Bid"
.
FrontPage Africa
. Retrieved
18 November
2023
.
- ^
Karmo, Henry (21 December 2022).
"Liberia: Prince Johnson 'Steps Aside' as Standard Bearer of the Movement for Democratic Reconstruction, Sen. Koung to Take Over"
.
FrontPage Africa
. Retrieved
18 November
2023
.
- ^
"Sen. Jeremiah Koung Becomes MDR New Political Leader"
. The Independent Probe Newspaper. 24 December 2022
. Retrieved
13 October
2023
.
- ^
Johnson, Obediah (30 January 2023).
"Liberia: Sen. Koung Vows to Discourage Pay-for-Play ahead of October Elections"
.
FrontPage Africa
. Retrieved
13 October
2023
.
- ^
"2023 SENATORIAL ELECTION RESULTS"
.
National Elections Commission (Liberia)
. 26 October 2023. Archived from
the original
on 26 October 2023
. Retrieved
18 November
2023
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Stephan Ellis, 'The Mask of Anarchy: The Destruction of Liberia and the Religious Dimension of an African Civil War’, Hurst & Company, London, 2001 ? Introduction 'A Death in the Night' has an excellent account of Doe's death.
- Alao, Mackinlay, and Olonisakin,
Peacekeepers, Politicians, and Warlords, The Liberian Peace Process
(Tokyo: United Nations University Press, 1999), 22.
External links
[
edit
]