While the former footballer is due to hand over the reins to his successor Joseph Boakai in January 2024, he has had to refocus his diplomats following an imbroglio at the UN. On Tuesday December 19, during a UN Security Council vote on the Gaza conflict, some voted against a new resolution calling for an “urgent cessation of hostilities”. This went against Liberia’s official position.
In a statement issued late on Tuesday, the Liberian Ministry of Information said that its diplomats had voted without the approval of George Weah, who “as President, has the final say on foreign policy”.
The identity of these diplomats has not yet been revealed. According to observers, Liberia’s permanent representative was absent when her country voted against a ceasefire in Gaza. The only African state to take such a position.
This decision was strongly criticized by the Liberian population, which remains very attached to the rights of the Palestinian people. Under fire from the critics, George Weah even had to intervene with the General Assembly to cancel the first vote and request a new one, this time in favor of the ceasefire.
After his vote at the UN against a ceasefire in Gaza. President George Weah’s office claims the Liberian ambassador made the decision without the president’s advice. President Weah has written to the UN to change Liberia’s vote from NO to YES to a ceasefire. George Weah’s intervention at the UN is therefore also explained by his desire to maintain a good image in the eyes of Liberians and not be perceived as a president who condones the suffering of the Palestinians, before he leaves office on January 22.