A 57‑year‑old grandmother from rural Montserrado is fighting for justice after surviving rape, but the system meant to protect her has instead demanded illegal fees and placed heavy burdens on her. Her experience highlights how corruption and poverty continue to block many rural women from accessing justice in Liberia, turning an already painful situation into…
Liberia
Depression, Anxiety, Despair Stalk Liberians in Aftermath of Civil Wars; Experts Say Mental Illness is Hidden Crisis That Needs More Resources
By Gloria Wleh with New Narratives ST. PAUL BRIDGE, Montserrado County – Musu sits in a circle in a small community office here. Dozens of community members – mostly women – listen as she tells her story. Musu was just 15 when a commander with the National Patriotic Front of Liberia took her from her…
Experts Warn Mental Health Counseling Needed Across the Country as War Crimes Court Planning Gets Underway
By Gloria Wleh with New Narratives SINJE, Grand Cape Mount County – Asata’s war experience would make anyone cry. In 1996, when she was 22 years old, Asata says a group of five older rebels from the ULIMO K faction gang raped her. She was left emotionally and physically scarred. Before the rape Asata dreamed…
Depression, Anxiety, Despair Stalk Liberians in Aftermath of Civil Wars; Experts Say Mental Illness is Hidden Crisis That Needs More Resources
Since the end of the civil conflicts in 2003 there has been no comprehensive assessment of the state of Liberians mental health. But experts say there is no doubt that at least a million of us are suffering.And as Liberia begins the process to hold accused perpetrators to account in a war crimes court, experts…
Expresses Concerns Over Surge of Mpox Cases in Neighboring Sierra Leone
By Gloria Wleh with New Narratives Liberia’s Ministry of Health and the National Public Health Institute have expressed concern over a rapid increase in mpox cases in neighboring Sierra Leone. The country has reported a total of 2,634 confirmed mpox cases and 14 deaths, marking a significant increase since the country’s first cases were identified…
Calls for Unity Rise as War Crimes Court Rift Deepens at Justice Conference
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: What was intended as a forum to build consensus instead laid bare deepening divisions over Liberia’s proposed war crimes court. At the justice conference in Monrovia last week, an ongoing public dispute between the Office of War and Economic Crimes Court of Liberia and a…
Experts Warn of Deadly Indoor Pollutants After Three Men Die While Sleeping in Enclosed Room
Three young men are dead after sleeping inside a locked store on Camp Johnson Road, in central Monrovia. As Tetee Gebro tells us police say an investigation is ongoing, but health experts warn the men may have died from deadly indoor air pollution. New Narratives’ Tetee Gebro reports from Montserrado County for Okay FM. This…
Liberia’s Wetlands Under Threat as EPA Sounds Alarm on World Wetlands Day
Liberia’s wetlands are under threat—but communities are stepping up to protect the ecosystems that sustain their lives. This short video takes you inside the fight to save these vital landscapes, showing how rising pollution, unchecked construction, and climate pressures are putting our future at risk. Watch how local voices, environmental advocates, and everyday citizens are…
Former Legislator and Abortion Advocate Says Public Health Bill Is Not “Abortion on Demand,” But Live Saving Measure
Liberia’s stalled Public Health Bill has revived debate over abortion. One former lawmaker and advocate for the bill says it would make abortion available for life saving emergencies such as ectopic pregnancy complications, fetal malformity and mental illnes. Joyclyn Wea reports in this social media Video. To read more about this story click this link: Liberia:…
Liberia’s Wetlands Under Threat as EPA Sounds Alarm on World Wetlands Day
By Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon, New Narrative Climate and Enviromental Reporter Summary · Liberia’s wetlands are rapidly disappearing due to illegal settlements, weak enforcement of environmental laws, and public neglect, with the Mesurado Wetlands in Greater Monrovia among the hardest hit, environmental authorities warned during World Wetlands Day. · EPA officials revealed severe ecological damage, including…
New Malaria Drug Available in Eight African Countries Promises Breakthrough for Infants; Liberia May Wait Years
Across Africa, a new malaria drug for newborns and young infants is being hailed as a breakthrough, one that could save tens of thousands of lives each year.The medicine is already approved in eight African countries. But in Liberia, where malaria remains one of the leading killers of children, health officials say it may take…
Experts Warn of Deadly Indoor Pollutants After Three Men Die While Sleeping in Enclosed Room
By Tetee Gebro, New Narratives health correspondent Summary: SWAKAMORE, Monrovia – Here in this community on the outskirts of the capital, silence has replaced laughter. On Friday morning, three young men from the community, who had been preparing to paint a store, were found dead after sleeping inside the enclosed space. The store, in Camp…
Former Legislator and Abortion Advocate Says Public Health Bill Is Not “Abortion on Demand,” But Live Saving Measure
By Joyclyn Wea, New Narratives health correspondent Summary When a pregnancy turns dangerous, doctors do not always have time to debate words. Liberian pharmacist and former politician Joseph Somwarbi told a recent workshop in Monrovia that abortion opponents have taken advantage of the issue to score political points at the cost of thousands of Liberian women’s…
U.N. Begins Training Lawyers Ahead of War Crimes Court’s Establishmen
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the primary United Nations body responsible for global human rights, is today beginning the training of Liberian lawyers focused on accountability for past crimes, as momentum rebuilds toward the establishment of a war crimes court in…
Liberian Government Relocates Rape Survivor Family Over Safety Threats
By Tetee Gebro, gender reporter with New Narratives Summary: The Liberian government has approved an emergency relocation for the family of an eight-year-old rape survivor after her mother reported intimidation, unauthorized filming, and repeated visits by strangers following media coverage of the case. Officials say the intervention was driven by safety concerns, underscoring both the real risks…
Experts Warn Lack of Price Information Keeps Farmers Trapped in Cycles of Exploitation by Predatory “Middlemen”
More than one million Liberian farmers grow the food that feeds the country, but many of them do not know the real market prices of what they produce. Without this information, farmers often sell their crops at very low prices to middlemen who later make big profits, leaving farming families struggling to survive. Without access…
Government and Money Transfer Businesses Breathe Sigh of Relief as Trump’s Remittance Tax is Cut to 1%; But U.S. Citizens Now Also Face the Levy
By Aria Deemie with New Narratives The United States Congress passed the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which President Donald Trump signed into law on Friday. The Senate sharply reduced a controversial tax on remittances, money sent abroad by immigrants from an initial 5 percent proposal to 3.5 percent, and finally to 1 percent, easing the burden…
Liberian Finance Official Defends Debt Strategy Amid Public Concern
By Aria Deemie with New Narratives As civil society organizations intensify calls for debt cancellation and fiscal reform, the Liberian government has defended what it calls a deliberate effort to rebuild trust with global lenders. Alice E. Williams, assistant minister for External Resources and Debt Management at the Ministry of Finance, acknowledged the country’s historic…
Liberia’s Civil Society Demands Fiscal Reform and Climate Justice Ahead of Global Finance Summit
By Aria Deemie, climate, environment, and science reporter with New Narratives As Liberia prepares for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, a vital United Nations-led global summit focused on mobilizing resources to fund sustainable development, later this year, civil society leaders has mounted a bold challenge to the status quo — demanding transparency, tax justice,…
A Proposed U.S. Remittance Tax Could Hit Liberian Families Hard– Few know it’s coming but experts warn the impact could be profound.
By Aria Deemie with New Narratives In a quiet office on the outskirts of Monrovia, Isaac Success Yomah manages a stream of transactions from Liberians collecting money sent by loved ones abroad, mostly from the United States. It’s steady business, and for many of his customers, essential. But a provision in President Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill“ put…
EPA Shuts Liberian-Chinese Mining Company, Seizes Equipment Over Alleged Illegal Operations; Issues Ultimatums to Others
By Aria Deemie, climate, environment and science reporter with New Narratives Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has shut down and seized the equipment of a Liberian-Chinese mining company over alleged illegal operations and given 7-day ultimatums to a number of others, including a fully Chinese owned company. Scott Investment is co-owned by Gao Freng, a Chinese national,…