April 23, 2026
The Solidarity & Trust for a New Day (STAND) strongly questions the decision by the Center for African Peace and Conflict Resolution (CAPCR), California State University, Sacramento, to confer a peace award on President Joseph Nyuma Boakai. STAND contends that this award is deeply insensitive and risks insulting victims of poor governance in Liberia, especially in light of the President’s reported characterization of critical citizens as “barking dogs” shortly before departing on an international trip, while the country continues to grapple with widespread poverty and hardship.
STAND finds this decision deeply troubling in light of serious and unresolved human rights concerns under the Boakai administration. It effectively reduces a peace award to a hollow endorsement of alarming governance failures and ongoing violations of fundamental rights in Liberia.
STAND maintains that, amid credible, shameful, and persistent allegations of human rights abuses, the prevailing pattern of governance failures fundamentally undermines President Boakai’s suitability for international recognition under the banner of peace. These include:
- Weak rule of law and constitutional tensions
- Due process violations, including disputed international transfer cases
- Excessive force and brutality by the Liberia National Police
- Shrinking civic space and repeated crackdowns on peaceful protests
- Politicization and abuse within the security sector
- Resource-related violence and community repression in concession areas
- Corruption concerns and controversial public spending amid national hardship
- Institutional strain between branches of government, including executive support for the expulsion of a sitting lawmaker, Hon. Yekeh Kolubah
- Ongoing diplomatic and border tensions
These are not isolated or abstract concerns. They reflect a sustained pattern of governance failures that stands in direct contradiction to the principles of peace, accountability, and justice.
STAND further notes unresolved incidents involving attacks on its headquarters, arrests of its members following peaceful protests, and reported threats against its leadership developments that deepen concerns about intolerance for dissent and shrinking civic space.
“The inclusion of controversial security officials particularly the widely criticized Police Director Gregory Coleman in presidential delegations further undermines the credibility of any peace-related recognition. It sends a disturbing message at a time when credible allegations of killings of civilians, including a mentally challenged man, Kinjor protesters, and protesting students of the Student Unification Party (SUP), alongside serious and unresolved human rights abuse claims linked to Col. Coleman, remain uninvestigated and unaccounted for. This continued absence of accountability deepens public concern and erodes confidence in any peace branding associated with the current administration,” Chairman Morlu alarmed.
Peace cannot be externally awarded while democratic space is constrained and violated at home.
STAND cautions that proceeding with this award risks damaging CAPCR’s credibility and reducing a respected academic platform into a vehicle for political validation rather than principled engagement.
Accordingly, STAND calls on CAPCR and California State University, Sacramento to immediately reconsider this conferment. Any engagement with President Boakai must be anchored in truth, accountability, and rigorous scrutiny not ceremonial endorsement.
According to a release signed by Chairman Mulbah K. Morlu, Sr, STAND remains firmly committed to justice, democracy, and the protection of civic space in Liberia.
The Truth Is Our Guide