IPNEWS: In mid-February 2025, the government of Liberia headed by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., constituted a committed to oversee the proper reburial of former Presidents William R. Tolbert, Jr. and Samuel Kanyon Doe.
In his Annual Message delivered on January 27, 2025, President Boakai declared the his government’s commitment to accord dignified burials to President Tolbert and his Cabinet Members who were killed in April 1980, as well as President Doe, who was slain during the Liberian civil war. This historic initiative is part of the government’s broader efforts to foster national unity, reconciliation, and healing by bringing closure to a painful chapter in Liberia’s history.
The committee members, Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah – Minister of Education (Chairperson),The Right Reverend James B. Sellee – Bishop of the Episcopal Church of Liberia, Bishop Samuel J. Quire – Bishop of the United Methodist Church, Senator Zoe Pennue – Grand Gedeh County, Senator Abraham Darius Dillon – Montserrado County, Mrs. Clavendar Parker – Senior Citizen, Cllr. Gloria Musu Scott – Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia, Brigadier General Davidson Fayiah Forleh – Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of Liberia, Ambassador Ethel Davis – Member, Policy Advisory Council (PAC), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
11. Mrs. Alfreda Tamba – April 22nd Memorial Group, and Hon. Benoni Urey – Former Director General, Liberia Maritime Authority. Others are Hon. John T. Richardson, and Rev. Ambassador Emmett Dun. The Committee, chaired by Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah, has moved into planning and executing the programs to ensure the dignified reburial of the two former Presidents.
Dr. Jallah, a seasoned academic and public administrator, brings over 23 years of expertise in academia, strategic planning, and public sector management. She holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Delaware State University and previously served as Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at the same institution.
This initiative represents a significant step toward national healing and reconciliation, acknowledging Liberia’s complex history while striving for a united and peaceful future. The government remains committed to fostering dialogue, understanding, and national unity through this solemn and historic undertaking.
Amidst the ongoing Planning by the presidential committee, the family of former Preesident Samuel Doe, have issued a Formal Notice of Cancellation regarding the Government’s proposed reburial of Former President Samuel Kanyon Doe.
The family rejection outlines in full detail of the uneasiness and discontent due to the ongoing exclusion, misconduct, and disregard demonstrated throughout the committee’s handling of this deeply sensitive matter.
A leaked audio in the possession of this Newspaper highlights the displeasure of former first lady Mrs. Nancy B. Doe in a conversation with Mr. Chris Bailey, former Superintendent of Grand Gedeh County outlining various forms of disrespect and unconstitutional overreach that has compounded the family’s distress since the death of former president SAMUEL Doe.
“Let it be made unequivocally clear: the Government-planned reburial is fully cancelled and condemned by the Doe Family. Any attempt to proceed without our express consent will be considered a direct violation of ancestral, legal, and spiritual principles—and will not stand.”
“We will handle President Doe’s reburial independently, with honour, dignity, and spiritual authority. The Government will be informed of our plans in due course, should it wish to attend as guests—not organisers.”
“We urge you to respect this decision and cease all references and preparations related to President Doe’s reburial under the current arrangement.” Family of former president Samuel K. Doe mentioned.
In late February 2025, the remains of Liberia’s late President Dr. William R. Tolbert and 13 former senior officials from his government are set to be exhumed from the Palm Grove Cemetery on Center Street.
This action, organized by the April 22nd Memorial Group, will take place as part of a somber effort to honor the memories of those who perished during the tragic events of April 22, 1980.
On that fateful day, President Tolbert, Liberia’s 20th President, was assassinated in a coup led by Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe and his soldiers. His lifeless body was taken to Palm Grove Cemetery, marking the beginning of a brutal chapter in Liberia’s history.
Shortly after, 13 senior government officials from Tolbert’s administration were executed, their bodies thrown into the same grave, creating what would become a mass burial site.
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For years, Dr. Tolbert and his family members held annual memorial services and beautification efforts at the grave site, keeping the memories of their loved ones alive.
However, the passage of time has led to a deteriorating condition of the grave, prompting the Tolbert family to take further steps.
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In a release, the group announced that a solemn reburial ceremony will be held later in the year at a new memorial site. This decision comes amid growing concerns about the preservation of the grave, as well as the larger context of the country’s turbulent political history.
The exhumation comes on the heels of a statement by President Joseph Boakai, who pledged during his second State of the Nation address to institute plans for the proper burial of both President Tolbert and his assassin-turned-rival, Samuel K. Doe.
The two leaders were pivotal in Liberia’s history, marking the end of 133 years of Americo-Liberian rule and the violent beginning of a new political era.
Tolbert’s assassination was followed a decade later by the tragic death of President Doe, who was captured and executed by the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL) during the early stages of the country’s civil war in 1990.
To this day, the whereabouts of Doe’s remains remain unknown, despite efforts by his family to locate them.
While the government has promised to address the issue of proper burials for these leaders, questions remain about the progress of such plans.
President Boakai’s statement regarding the burial of both Tolbert and Doe follows the tragic loss of other prominent figures in Liberia’s political history, but the fate of Doe’s remains unresolved, with ongoing suspicions regarding their treatment by the rebels who captured him.
The April 22nd Memorial Group’s exhumation of President Tolbert and his colleagues is seen as a step towards honoring the memory of the 1980 coup’s victims.
