By Kruah Thompson
MONROVIA, August 26, 2026 — Members of the University of Liberia Progressive Students Alliance (PROSA) clashed with Liberia National Police officers on Tuesday as students protested the continued disruption of academic activities at the state-run university.
The confrontation erupted outside the university’s Capitol Hill campus after protesting students gathered to demand the resumption of classes amid a prolonged dispute between the university administration and faculty and staff associations.
The protest followed a press conference held by PROSA on Monday, August 24, during which the group threatened unspecified actions if University President Dr. Layli Maparyan failed to ensure the resumption of academic activities.
The dispute comes amid continuing disagreements between the university administration and the University of Liberia Faculty Association (ULFA) over faculty welfare, salaries, working conditions, social security contributions, transportation and deteriorating campus infrastructure.
Tensions intensified in July when ULFA and the University of Liberia Staff Association (ULSA) expressed a vote of no confidence in the university’s leadership and suspended academic and administrative activities, demanding action on their concerns.
The university administration has acknowledged some of the challenges but said they cannot all be resolved immediately. It has called for dialogue, promised reforms and pushed for the resumption of classes.
The university’s Board of Trustees has also ordered faculty and staff to return to work, but the associations have continued to press for their demands to be addressed.
During an appearance at the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing, Dr. Maparyan announced that the university would reopen on August 25 while renovation work continued.
However, no instructors reported for classes on Tuesday, August 25, prompting PROSA Chairman Godwin K. Tarnue to renew calls for the administration to honor its commitment to reopen the institution.
PROSA later took journalists on a tour of the Capitol Hill campus, including areas undergoing renovation at the College of Business and Administration.
During the tour, journalists observed water in some classrooms and leaks from portions of newly installed ceilings. Other areas of the campus were also observed to be in poor and unsanitary condition.
PROSA said the conditions reflected what it described as inadequate government attention to the country’s flagship public university.
Following the tour, students gathered outside the university campus as police officers deployed to the area.
The situation later deteriorated when some protesters burned tires near the Capitol Building and threw stones at police officers. Police responded as students scattered from the area, resulting in clashes between the two sides.
Police subsequently called for reinforcements and eventually brought the situation under control.
The disturbance also resulted in damage to public property, including a police booth near the Capitol Building.
Meanwhile, Tarnue warned that PROSA would intensify its actions if academic activities do not resume.
He said the group plans to mobilize a larger student protest targeting the Capitol Building and the Executive Mansion to pressure the university administration and the Boakai administration to ensure the university’s reopening.
