Liberia has held a symbolic state funeral for former President William R. Tolbert Jr. and 13 members of his cabinet, 45 years after they were executed during the country’s 1980 military coup. The memorial, attended by President Joseph Boakai and other dignitaries, took place Tuesday at the Palm Grove Cemetery in Monrovia. Tolbert, who served as Liberia’s 20th president from 1971 until his assassination on April 12, 1980, was overthrown in a bloody coup led by Master Sergeant Samuel Doe. The violent power grab marked a pivotal moment in Liberian history, abruptly ending more than a century of political dominance by Americo-Liberians—descendants of freed African American slaves who settled in Liberia in the 19th century.
Following the coup, 13 of Tolbert’s senior officials were executed by firing squad on a Monrovia beach after summary trials. Their bodies were believed to have been buried in a mass grave, which has never been conclusively located. During Tuesday’s ceremony, an empty grave was symbolically prepared in honor of the victims, with hopes that their remains may one day be found and properly laid to rest. The reburial follows a similar ceremony held last week for former President Samuel Doe, who was himself brutally killed by rebel forces in 1990 during the country’s descent into civil war.
Liberia endured two civil wars between 1989 and 2003, leading to the deaths of an estimated 250,000 people and widespread destruction. A peace agreement signed in 2003 paved the way for democratic elections and ushered in the presidency of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2005. Africa’s first elected female head of state, Sirleaf established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to examine the root causes of the conflicts and recommend reparative justice for victims. Although the Commission issued detailed findings in 2009, few of its recommendations—particularly those involving prosecution—have been fully implemented, leaving many Liberians still searching for closure. President Boakai, during the funeral, emphasized national unity and remembrance. “Today is a day to honor those we lost, to reckon with our past, and to reaffirm our commitment to peace, justice, and reconciliation,” he said.
