Three dead as clashes taint Liberian election

A clash between Liberian police and protesters in Monrovia has left at least three people dead.

MONROVIA, LIBERIA (Catholic Online) - Protesters accuse police of exchanging fire with the crowd opposing a runoff presidential election. The demonstrators hit the streets on Monday after Winston Tubman, the opposition candidate said he would boycott the runoff and called his supporters to do the same. Tubman cited concerns of fraud as the reason for his boycott.

The current spate of violence is the result of Tubman's accusation that the first round of voting was tainted by a string of irregularities in favor of the incumbent, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

In response to the violence, people have boarded up the area where the protesters have gathered. Tear gas and riot rounds have been used. Members of Liberia's UN peacekeeping force are reported to have been deployed to break up the clashes between the protesters and the police.

Protesters have shown the bodies of three dead young men to reporters who they claimed were shot merely for opposing the runoff vote.

Police claim that protesters fired the first shot, which prompted return fire. They also claimed that protesters have been throwing stones for which tear gas has been used in response.

Many people claim that the violence is unprecedented from the police, despite a long-running history of turmoil in the tiny African nation. Lavla Washington told reporters, "I have never in my life seen the police treat civilians like the enemy. The Nobel peace laureate is killing us."

Washington and her statement was referring to Johnson-Sirleaf who was recently co-awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The United Nations has been working throughout the night to ensure peace during the elections process. However, protesters chanting slogans such as, "we want justice, we want freedom" continue to square off with riot police backed by UN peacekeepers. The UN's job is to ensure that the elections are peaceful, and they have orders to deter anyone who would disrupt the process. That includes suppressing the protests.

It is hoped that the violence will subside following the elections.

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