President Boakai, reflecting on the historical significance of the gesture, said the act of remembrance was part of a broader national initiative to promote healing and unity.
Monrovia – President Joseph Boakai on Tuesday signed the Book of Condolence in honor of Liberia’s 21st President, the late Samuel Kanyon Doe, at the Centennial Memorial Pavilion in Monrovia.
The ceremony, attended by senior government officials and members of the Doe family, marked a solemn moment in the country’s ongoing effort to reconcile with its past and honor former leaders who died under tragic circumstances.
President Boakai, reflecting on the historical significance of the gesture, said the act of remembrance was part of a broader national initiative to promote healing and unity.
“Today, we honor the memory of President Samuel Kanyon Doe not only as a former Head of State but as a son of Liberia whose life and leadership, though considered controversial by some, played a significant role in shaping our history,” the President said after signing the condolence book. “May this gesture serve as a step toward reconciliation, peace, and national cohesion.”
President Doe, who led the country from 1980 to 1990 following a military coup that overthrew President William R. Tolbert, became Liberia’s first indigenous leader to ascend to the presidency. He was killed in September 1990 at the height of Liberia’s first civil war, a period marked by widespread violence and national fragmentation.
The Book of Condolence signing is part of a effort by the Boakai administration to reinter former leaders and provide proper national recognition, especially for those who died in extraordinary or violent circumstances.
