SUP Labels Former President Doe as "Mass Murderer," Criticizes Government for Reburial Initiative

Monrovia, Liberia: The state-owned University of Liberia campus-based Students Unification Party (SUP) has strongly condemned the Government of Liberia's plan to conduct a state reburial for former President Samuel K. Doe. SUP calls the move an abomination to peace.

In a scathing statement issued this week, the student-led political movement described late President Doe as an “internationally recognized warlord and certified murderer,” accusing him of being responsible for the brutal deaths of hundreds of Liberians during the onset of the civil war in 1990.

SUP argues that honoring former President Doe through a state burial sends the wrong message to victims of Liberia’s violent past and undermines ongoing efforts toward justice and reconciliation.

“The reburial of Doe is an abomination to peace,” the statement read. “It disrespects the memories of those who suffered and died under his regime and signals a dangerous attempt to rewrite the history of our nation”.

While the government has not officially confirmed details of the reburial, reports of planned ceremonial honors for the late president have sparked controversy across political and civil society groups.

Samuel Kanyon Doe, who came to power in a 1980 military coup, was brutally killed in 1990 by the late Nimba County Senator Prince Y. Johnson, leader of the defunct Independent Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL) during the early stages of bloody civil conflict.

Former President Doe’s legacy remains deeply polarizing, with supporters viewing him as a nationalist leader while critics condemn his regime for widespread human rights abuses.

SUP has called on civil society organizations and justice advocates to resist what it sees as a dangerous glorification of tyranny and to demand accountability for past atrocities.