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Claim: A Facebook user has alleged that the Liberian government, through the Ministry of Justice, has announced that it fully endorses and supports a solidarity protest for Burkina Faso president Ibrahim Traoré.
Verdict: Misleading! DUBAWA’s investigation found no evidence that the Liberian government endorsed the May 1, 2025, solidarity protest for the Burkinabè leader. The Director of Press and Public Affairs at the Ministry of Justice says the ministry has condemned the protest as unauthorised.
Full Text
A group of Liberian protesters on Wednesday staged a demonstration outside the Ivorian Embassy near Monrovia, denouncing what they called foreign interference in Burkina Faso’s internal affairs. They accused the governments of France and the United States of attempting to destabilise the peace and sovereignty of the West African nation.
The protest ignited widespread debate on social media, with several users alleging that the Liberian government had endorsed the demonstration.
One such allegation was made on May 1, 2025, by a Facebook user, Torkpa Korkoryiza, who stated that:
“The government of Liberia has announced through the Ministry of Justice that they fully endorsed and supported yesterday’s protest against the United States and France.”
We decided to verify the claim given DUBAWA’s commitment to combating misinformation and disinformation.
Verification
DUBAWA contacted the claimant to provide evidence for his claim. In response, the claimant shared a press release, urging our researcher to focus on a particular sentence in the second paragraph, which reads:
“The Ministry of Justice wishes to inform the public that it sanctioned this march.”
However, upon reviewing the entire press release, DUBAWA discovered that the overall content contradicted the above sentence. The ministry categorically condemned the protest, labelling it “unauthorised.”
When asked about the contradiction, the claimant deferred responsibility, saying it was up to the Ministry of Justice to clarify the message.
To verify further, DUBAWA contacted Jutonue Y. Kollie, the Director of Press and Public Affairs at the Ministry of Justice.
In a WhatsApp message, Mr. Kollie stated:
“The Ministry of Justice did not endorse any solidarity protest. The press release is misleading. We are in a political terrain where anyone can be manipulated. But consider the official one on our Facebook page.”
Our researcher then visited the Ministry of Justice’s official Facebook page to review the press release posted on May 1, 2025.
Following the review, DUBAWA discovered that, contrary to the version circulated by the claimant, the MoJ release did not refer to government endorsement.
Paragraph 4 of the official release clearly states:
“The Ministry of Justice condemns this unauthorised solidarity march and all other protests or marches that do not adhere to the processes under which such activities are held!”
Conclusion
The claim that the Liberian government, through the Ministry of Justice, endorsed a May 1, 2025, protest in support of Burkina Faso’s president is misleading. The Ministry of Justice has publicly condemned the protest as unauthorised, and no credible government communication supports the claim.
