A former Liberian warlord and prominent figure in the country’s civil wars, Prince Johnson, passed away on Thursday at the age of 72.
His death was confirmed by officials from the Senate and his political party.
“Senator Johnson was the longest-serving senator,” stated Siaffa Jallah, Deputy Director of Press at the Senate.
Wilfred Bangura, a senior official from Johnson’s Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) party, added, “Yes, we lost him this morning.
He passed away at Hope for Women health center.”
Johnson gained international notoriety during Liberia’s first civil war when a video surfaced of him sipping beer while his forces tortured then-President Samuel Doe to death in 1990.
This event was a harrowing prelude to Liberia’s two civil wars, which spanned from 1989 to 2003, leaving around 250,000 people dead and the nation’s economy in ruins.
After the wars, Johnson transitioned into a preacher at an evangelical church and enjoyed widespread popularity in Liberia’s northern Nimba region, his birthplace.
As a senator, he became an influential figure in the nation’s politics.
Despite his controversial past, Johnson remained a vocal opponent of establishing a tribunal to prosecute crimes committed during Liberia’s civil wars.
His legacy is one of both notoriety and influence, reflecting the complex history of Liberia’s recovery from decades of conflict.
AFP
