Liberia Gets First Female Defense Minister Amidst Shakeups

Liberia has, for the very first time, received a Woman as Minister of National Defense after President Joseph Joseph Nyumah Boakai, Sr. appointed Brigadier General Geraldine George (Retired).

General George, who was recently retired from the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) upon her appointment as Deputy Minister of Defense for Operations, was promptly promoted upon the resignation of Defense Minister Major General Prince Charles Johnson lll.

Brigadier General George was Deputy Chief Of Army Staff to Major General Prince Charles Johnson lll.

Major General Johnson resigned following major protest actions by wives of currently serving Liberian Soldiers, who demanded his resignation on grounds that he has neglected the welfare of Liberian soldiers.

According to the protesting wives, soldiers a left to live in squalid conditions in their barracks as General plays a deaf ear to their pleas for improved living conditions while he was Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Liberia.

Upon his nomination by President Boakai as Minister of National Defense, the protest began and did not stop until he resigned late Monday evening.

Johnson’s resignation comes just days after wives of soldiers of the Armed Forces of Liberia staged road blockades and protests in the capital Monrovia and various parts of the country.

Johnson, in a statement says he is stepping down for the common good of the country and the institution he has served for the past 18 years. He wants to make sure discipline is instilled in the army and any allegation of him misusing funds is totally false.

Johnson’s resignation comes as the Boakai administration was forced to call off the annual Armed Forces Day celebration. The Proclamation of the day is in consonance with an Act of National Legislature of the Republic of Liberia, declaring the 11th day of February of each year as Armed Forces Day to be observed as a National Holiday.

On the eve of the day, President Joseph Boakai, issued a directive for a scaled-back observance.

The President’s call for reduced activities comes amidst ongoing protests from the wives and widows of Armed Forces personnel. They have urged President Boakai to reconsider his nomination of the former Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. (Retired) Prince C. Johnson III as Minister of Defense.

For the past two days, the women have carried out protests, blocking the main route leading to the country’s only international airport and other major routes.