MONROVIA – President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. has by official proclamation declared Saturday, July 5, 2025, as “National Healing, Reconciliation and Unity Day” to be observed as a working holiday across the country.
According to a release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the proclamation calls on all citizens and families to participate in the commemorative events organized by the Presidential Reburial and Reconciliation Committee, which has been tasked with coordinating the day’s observance.
The proclamation follows President Boakai’s announcement earlier this year, on January 27, 2025, regarding the official reburial of former Presidents Rev. Dr. William R. Tolbert Jr. and Dr. Samuel Kanyon Doe. A special presidential committee was subsequently established to oversee a dignified reburial process for the former leaders.
In addition to honoring the former presidents, the committee also recognized the need to remember other victims of Liberia’s tragic past, including those who lost their lives during the 1980 coup d’état, the civil wars, and the Ebola and COVID-19 pandemics. Many of these individuals were never properly buried, and their families have not had the opportunity for closure.
The proclamation emphasized that “National Healing, Reconciliation and Unity Day” is intended to provide a space for national mourning, reflection, and healing, while also renewing Liberia’s shared commitment to peace, unity, and reconciliation.
“This day is not only to honor the memory of prominent national figures,” the proclamation reads, “but also to recognize the thousands of unnamed ordinary Liberians who suffered and perished during the country’s darkest hours. It is meant to give their families a sense of closure and to affirm the resilience of our democracy and national identity.”
The day’s official program will be held at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, Montserrado County, and will be led by the Presidential Reburial Committee. The keynote address will be delivered by Rev. Dr. Antoine Rutayisire, a globally recognized expert in post-conflict healing and reconciliation.
The release further highlights that in light of Liberia’s painful history of civil unrest and its lingering impact, embracing national healing and reconciliation remains critical to fostering long-lasting peace, unity, and nation-building.
All citizens are urged to observe the day in a spirit of solemn reflection and national solidarity.
