Liberia’s transport crisis exploded into a full-blown political showdown on Monday, August 18,2025 as commercial drivers across Monrovia launched a nationwide strike that paralyzed movement in the capital, while employees of the Ministry of Transport continued to demand U.S. sanctions on top government officials linked to the controversial Liberia Traffic Management Incorporated (LMTI) concession.
By Willie N. Tokpah, [email protected]
The strike brought key commercial hubs, including Redlight Market to a standstill as scores of drivers parked their vehicles in solidarity.
They are demanding the immediate dissolution of the Liberia Traffic Management (LTM), which they accuse of duplicating the Ministry of Transport’s role while fueling police harassment and extortion.
“The Liberia Traffic Management document is not working,” one driver lamented.
“My car was placed on a tow truck, and when I went to LTM, they told me to go back to the police officer who parked my car. We are tired of the embarrassment. People must not benefit indirectly from our suffering.”
Other drivers accused police of seizing licenses and demanding L$3,000 before returning them.
“Over two months now, 1262 can come and arrest our drivers and take their licenses, sometimes 10 or 15 at a time. Everybody must pay before they are returned,” another driver recounted.
Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman, who visited Redlight Market during the protest, acknowledged the grievances but issued a stern warning:
“I’m here to tell you that no one should obstruct anyone who decides to run their car despite the ongoing protest. Anybody obstructing those who have decided to run their car will be arrested,” Coleman said.
He emphasized that while some drivers may choose to park, others depend on daily earnings and should not be prevented from working.
“Most of your concerns here have been heard,” he assured while urging calm.
But drivers at the scene insisted the police themselves are the problem. Some accused officers of issuing unofficial tickets that do not reflect government revenue but instead go into personal accounts. One driver alleged that an officer claimed to be the brother of Deputy Police Inspector Cllr. Nelson Freeman frequently visits Redlight Market to seize tickets and then demand L$3,000 each for their release.
“We want one single document system under the Ministry of Transport, not parallel systems that confuse us and put money in people’s pockets,” a commercial driver stressed.
Ministry Workers Push for U.S. Sanctions
Even as drivers staged their protest, the Ministry of Transport workers have since reminded the public of their earlier petition to the U.S. Embassy.
In a document signed by Africanous M. Fahnbulleh, Director of Inspectorate at the Ministry, the workers accused five top officials of “playing central roles” in advancing the
LMTI concession, naming
Police Inspector General Gregory O.W. Coleman,
Justice Minister Cllr. Oswald Tweh, Montserrado Senator Saah Joseph, Grand Gedeh Senator Zoe Emmanuel Pennue and
Montserrado District #17 Representative Bernard Blue Benson.
The petition alleged that LMTI’s leadership has ties to extremist groups, including Hezbollah and Al-Qaeda, and warned that the deal poses “significant security risks and economic harm to the Liberian people.”
“Both former Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and George Weah rejected similar proposals,” the workers reminded, urging President Joseph Boakai to scrap the agreement immediately.
“This is about national security,” one Ministry employee told reporters. “Previous governments saw the danger and refused this deal.
We can not allow our country to be sold out under the cover of traffic management.”
The workers further appealed to Washington to impose Global Magnitsky sanctions on the accused officials.
Governance Crisis for Boakai
The commercial drivers’ protest on Monday, August 18,2025 paralyzed transportation, and while Transport Ministry workers have also since appealed for international intervention, they have quickly escalated what began as a dispute over licenses and vehicle documentation into a governance crisis.
The commercial driver’s strike left thousands of commuters stranded, with transport fares skyrocketing in some parts of Monrovia.
Striking drivers in Redlight vowed to continue their action.
“We are not fighting. We will just keep our cars parked until Liberia Traffic Management is gone.”
The controversy now represents a defining test for President Boakai’s administration, caught between a grassroots street revolt and damning allegations from within his own government institutions.
