Amb. Lewis Brown, Liberia’s Ambassador to The United Nations Photo source: New Narrative
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Claim: A Facebook user, Aloysius Howe, claimed, “Liberia’s ambassador Lewis Brown has condemned the U.S. violation of international laws.”
Verdict: Misleading, the statement did not represent Liberia as a country, but the A3 countries on the United Nations Security Council.
Full Text
A Facebook user and staunch supporter of the immediate past administration of soccer legend, George Weah’s presidency in Liberia, Aloysius Howe, has said that Liberia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Lewis Brown, has, on behalf of Liberia, condemned America’s action against Venezuela.
Howe, in a Facebook post, claimed, “Liberia ambassador Lewis Brown just spoke at the U.N. emergency security council meeting and has condemned what he terms as U.S. violation of international laws, calls for respect of Venezuela sovereignty, and said Liberia stands with Venezuela.”
This post garnered significant public attention and engagement, resulting in over 490 comments, more than 30 shares, and over 300 emojis.
Also, several other persons spread similar claims as seen here, here, and here
The claim arose from a recent statement by Ambassador Brown during a called meeting of the United Nations (UN) regarding the United States-Venezuela situation.
Verification
Because it borders on foreign policy and the relationship of the United States of America, DUBAWA thought it was necessary to ascertain the facts about the claim.
To begin with, the researcher contacted the claimant to determine the source of his claim, but to no avail, after sending him a couple of WhatsApp messages.
The researcher then reviewed the official statement read by Liberia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amb. Lewis Brown, during the UN Security Council meeting.
According to the statement, it was the official position of three African non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, known as the A3: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and Liberia.
The statement said in part, “The A3 aligns itself with the recent Communiqué of the African Union on the situation in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and continues to monitor developments there with deep concern. In particular, we note reports regarding the detention of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, and incidents involving Venezuelan institutions. Such developments present serious challenges not only to Venezuela’s internal stability, and underscore the imperative to safeguard the broader peace and security of the region.”
What is the A3?
The A3 at the UN refers to the three African countries serving as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, acting as a unified bloc to promote African interests
Their goal is to ensure African priorities, perspectives, and solutions are central to Security Council discussions, especially on African conflicts and governance. This is done through the delivery of joint statements, bloc voting on resolutions, and the presentation of unified positions, significantly increasing African influence.
Also, the Liberian Ministry of Information has since clarified that the statement read by Amb. Brown at the UN Security Council meeting does not represent Liberia.
Liberia’s Information Ministry, Jerolinmek Paih, addressing a news conference in Monrovia, stated that Liberia as a country did not say anything on the matter, and as such, any statement attributed to it will not be correct.
Minister Paih said, “Liberia is a member state of the African Union. Liberia is also sitting on the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member, but not on its own accord, and the seat being occupied by Liberia belongs to the African continent.”
The Liberian Information Minister’s comments are found between 10:27 to 14:10 minutes/seconds of the over one-hour press conference.
Conclusion
Based on the search conducted and the available evidence, the claim that Liberia condemns America’s actions against Venezuela and that Liberia stands with Venezuela is misleading.
