Image of the Swedish Ambassador to Liberia/ Source: Embassy of Sweden
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Claim: A Facebook user alleged that the Swedish Embassy has closed down its operations in Liberia!
Verdict: Misleading! The Swedish Embassy in Liberia remains operational. An investigation by DUBAWA found that Sweden has only announced plans to phase out its bilateral development cooperation and to close the embassy by August 2026—not immediately.
Full Text
Following the Embassy of Sweden’s announcement of a planned phase-out of bilateral support to Liberia, Facebook user Blatta Blatta alleged on December 5 that “the Swedish Embassy has closed down its operation in Liberia.” The post included a screenshot of the official communication from the Embassy of Sweden’s official Facebook page.
The claim has since gone viral online, with several other social media accounts, including CDC 2029, sharing similar claims.
DUBAWA decided to investigate the claim as part of its commitment to combating misinformation and disinformation. It is also essential to investigate this claim to avert any panic that may arise, especially for persons who intend to use the Embassy in the next few months
Verification
Because the claimant referenced the official communication from the Embassy of Sweden, DUBAWA began its investigation by thoroughly reviewing the published statement.
Following the review of the document, our researcher found that the embassy’s statement did not announce an immediate closure.
Instead, it explicitly stated that “Swedish bilateral development cooperation with Liberia will be phased out and the Embassy of Sweden in Monrovia will be closed during the course of 2026.”
The statement further clarified that “the phase-out of bilateral support will be done in a responsible and orderly way, with operations terminated by the end of August 2026.
Conclusion
The claim that the Swedish Embassy has closed its operations in Liberia is misleading. While Sweden has announced its intention to phase out bilateral development cooperation and close the embassy, this process will not be completed until August 2026. Until then, the embassy remains open and operational.
