The Visit of Liberia’s Foreign Minister… and Tropical Nostalgias

Ambassador Abdel Mahmoud Abdel Halim
With a pace as swift as the days of the blessed month of Ramadan hastening towards their end, people followed through the media the arrival, meetings, and departure of Ms Sarah Besolo Nyanti, Liberia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, to Sudan. The visit marked the highest level of engagement between the two countries in several years. Observers noted that it was the first visit by an African official to the country via Khartoum Airport since the recent circumstances.
Ms Sarah is a distinguished diplomat and an expert in development, humanitarian diplomacy, and issues relating to women, children, leadership, and governance. Before assuming the office of Foreign Minister in her country, she served as an Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations. She has worked with the United Nations in several senior positions, including with UNICEF, as Resident Coordinator in Nepal, and as Deputy Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.
She was also among the candidates for the presidency of Liberia in the 2023 elections, before supporting the current President Joseph Boakai in the second round. She has represented her country in a number of diplomatic missions and activities in the Sahel region, within ECOWAS, and at the UN Security Council, where Liberia currently occupies one of the non-permanent seats.
Liberia — or the “Land of the Free” — possesses distinctive African particularities. It was among the earliest independent republics on the African continent, established as a homeland for formerly enslaved people from the United States. Its capital, Monrovia, is named after the American President James Monroe. Liberia, along with Ethiopia, largely escaped direct European colonial domination, except for Ethiopia’s Italian occupation between 1936 and 1941.
The Liberian minister’s visit stirred old tropical memories. The Atlantic clouds were merciful that day, granting us bright sunshine which allowed us, through the aircraft window as it descended towards Monrovia Airport, to glimpse its enchanting shores and dense rainforests. Awaiting us was the then Foreign Minister Cecil Dennis, tall and dressed in a spotless white African suit, warmly welcoming our delegation, which had come to attend the 16th African Summit in Monrovia in 1979.
Monrovia held particular significance for Sudan at the time, as Sudan was chairing the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) following the 15th African Summit held in Khartoum in 1978, one of the most successful African summits in terms of the attendance of heads of state and the range of issues it addressed. Among the duties of our delegation was to present President Jaafar Nimeiri’s address to the Monrovia Summit outlining the activities of Sudan’s year of chairmanship and to hand over the presidency of the organisation to Liberia’s President William Tolbert.
The Monrovia summit carried strong Sudanese echoes owing to the achievements of Sudan’s chairmanship. Among the most notable were Sudan’s efforts to implement the Khartoum Summit’s decision recognising the Zimbabwean Patriotic Front (Mugabe–Nkomo: ZANU–ZAPU) and rejecting the so-called “internal settlement” proposed by Ian Smith, which sought to circumvent Zimbabwe’s full independence. These efforts later paved the way for the Lancaster House Conference, ultimately leading to the completion of arrangements and the declaration of Zimbabwe’s independence.
The activities following the Khartoum summit also included Sudan’s efforts to follow up on UN Security Council Resolution 435 regarding the independence of Namibia and to support its legitimate representative, the SWAPO movement. There were also mediation efforts undertaken by committees established by the Khartoum summit to address disputes among certain African states.
Furthermore, the Council of Elders, chaired by President Nimeiri, addressed the issue of Western Sahara. Developments were also discussed regarding the decision to transform UNIDO into a specialised agency. President Nimeiri undertook additional diplomatic initiatives, dispatching Ambassador Philip Obang to Cotonou and Libreville as his representative to resolve a crisis related to the expulsion of Beninese nationals from Gabon.
A particularly notable point in Sudan’s statement was the raising of the issue of the Tanzanian invasion of Uganda, drawing the continent’s attention to its potential repercussions.
We departed from Monrovia unaware that the wheels of fate would soon turn against the regime of President William Tolbert, and that those beautiful shores would become the site of the execution of the elegant Foreign Minister Cecil Dennis and other senior government officials. President Tolbert himself would be killed in the 1980 coup led by Master Sergeant Samuel Doe, who ruled the country from 1980 to 1990. Unlike the previous ruling elite descended from formerly enslaved Americans, Doe represented Liberia’s indigenous groups.
Yet the wheel of fortune would also turn against Samuel Doe himself. Millions around the world watched footage of his capture and brutal killing at the hands of Prince Johnson, one of Liberia’s warlords. Liberia would then endure two devastating civil wars: the first from 1989 to 1996, and the second from 1999 to 2003.
The first war saw the rise of Charles Taylor, who was later elected president. During the second conflict, he was forced from power and went into exile in Nigeria, from which he attempted to flee. He was eventually arrested while crossing the border into Cameroon and handed over to the Special Court for Sierra Leone for his support of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) led by Foday Sankoh. The court sentenced him to 50 years’ imprisonment, which he is currently serving in a British prison.
Over the past two decades, Liberia has witnessed significant efforts to recover from the tragedies of its civil wars. In one such milestone, the distinguished Liberian footballer George Weah won the presidency in free and direct elections. He governed the country from 22 January 2018 to 22 January 2024, becoming the first professional footballer in history to attain such an office.
Weah, who won the FIFA Ballon d’Or in 1995, also enjoyed a distinguished professional career with clubs such as AS Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Olympique de Marseille. He succeeded Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first African woman to be elected president of her country through democratic elections, serving two terms.
Since the Accra Peace Agreement of 2003, Liberia has continued striving to close the chapter of two civil wars that claimed the lives of approximately 250,000 people. This has been pursued through political processes, the work of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the disarmament of militias, and efforts to secure resources for economic recovery and growth.
President Joseph Boakai recently undertook a symbolic gesture by honouring both Samuel Doe and William Tolbert and apologising to the people and to the victims, in an effort to heal wounds. Yet the road to recovery remains long for Liberia, despite the progress achieved, due to poverty, limited resources, and the lingering effects of epidemics such as Ebola, which once devastated the country.
In Monrovia, the waters of the Atlantic still embrace its enchanting shores… perhaps yearning to wash away the precious blood once spilled upon them.

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