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Early Wednesday morning, December 18, 2024, Liberians woke to an intense smoke billowing from the Capitol Building. Flames had engulfed the compound of the first branch of government. The incident happened at about 6:00 am. Passengers passing through Monrovia on their way to work and business saw the flames and blew the alarm on social media.
The fire has caused huge damage to the House of Representatives and other offices within the building. The damage affected a large portion of the building, reducing to ashes the Joint Chambers (where the President’s State of Nation Address is usually held), with walls collapsing due to the intensity of heat that engulfed the building.
The National Fire Service and other Agencies such as the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation and Environmental Protection Agency were called in to help quench the fire only to face a huge challenge with limited resources.
Screenshot of the Joint Chamber below
This is the second time the building has suffered from a fire incident. The first incident happened on December 10, 2024, when members of the Majority bloc commenced budget hearings for the 2025 National Budget. The budget hearing triggered mixed reactions from both blocs with supporters of embattled Speaker Koffa trying to stop majority bloc members from proceeding with the hearing. It resulted in an intense tussle between Lawmakers in the Capitol Building. Based on the tension, the budget hearing was then held in the offices of Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah instead of the Joint Chambers where it is usually held.
A few hours later, security was alerted about a fire incident that had engulfed a portion of the building, particularly the angle of the Office of Representative Samuel Kogar, Chairperson of the Majority Bloc. Due to quick notice, the fire was quenched before escalation.
Electrical fault or arson?
The cause of both fires is, however, unknown while the Police have launched investigations into the matter. It is still not clear whether it is a case of an electrical fault or a case of arson.
On December 17, 2024, a group of citizens under the banner “Concerned Citizens for the Protection of the Constitution, Democracy and the Respect of the Rule of Law” headed by Janjay Baikpeh, a member of the opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) staged a protest against the majority bloc calling for the recognition of embattled Speaker Koffa by the majority bloc. According to them, the embattled Speaker Koffa is the legitimate Speaker of the House of Representatives, as such, Lawmakers calling for his removal should desist from the act and work under his stewardship.
The protest ended in violence when protesters started throwing stones at Law Enforcement Officers and blocking the main road, resulting in traffic as the Police retaliated. A few hours later, embattled Speaker Koffa posted on his official Facebook page chanting “Alamo”.
The post was deleted a few minutes later.
Screenshot below
According to Vocabulary.com dictionary, the term Alamo referred to a siege and massacre at a mission in San Antonio in 1836. Mexican forces under Santa Anna besieged and massacred American rebels who were fighting to make Texas independent of Mexico. Butchery, carnage, mass murder, massacre, and slaughter were the dominant features around the time.
Alamo meant to have to have a willingness to do whatever it takes to defend your ground. If that means swallowing your pride, so be it. If it also means learning a new skill, changing your business model, or refreshing your sales model, so be it.
Because of the controversial post by the Speaker, some critics are beginning to link him to the fire outbreak that engulfed the Capitol Building.
In a conversation with Journalist Sylvester Choloplay of Spoon TV, embattled Speaker Koffa acknowledged his post but clarified that he had no idea about the flames on Capitol Hill.
Also, Representative Frank Saah Foko Sr. of District #9, a member of the embattled Speaker Koffa bloc was recently summoned by Police Apparatus in connection to the incident. The Police decision to summon Foko is based on a threat he made to burn down the Capitol when his request to embattled Speaker Koffa (now his ally) to set up a specialized committee to investigate the Managing Director Amos Tweh of Liberia Petroleum Refining Company did not materialise.
At the same time, Representative Moima Briggs Mensah of Bong County has blamed the situation on the current impasse among lawmakers. In her speech, she said the division in the House has created some uncertainty that has damaged the first branch of government. Representative Mensah’s comments can be found here.
Meanwhile, the Liberian Senate has allocated $1.8 million in the 2025 Fiscal Year National Budget to address the destruction.
Furthermore, President Joseph Boakai has called for an investigation into the matter. The President stressed the need for accountability for whosoever might be responsible for such a disaster.
Meanwhile, the opposition CDC has called for an investigation into the incident, urging the government to probe the situation. The CDC statement was reported by Frontpage Africa here.
