Residents of Bethel in River Cess County say more than 100 men from nearby Bah Clan communities stormed their town after rumors falsely accused them of killing a missing hunter, leaving 24 homes and 27 rice kitchens burned and over 150 women and children sleeping under the palaver hut with almost nothing to eat. Survivors described being beaten, chased from their homes, and watching their belongings looted and set ablaze, while one elderly man was allegedly tortured and is now in critical condition. Ten days after the attack, residents say county authorities and police were slow to respond, with officials posting misleading updates online and only arriving much later to arrest a handful of suspects. Human rights experts warn the incident reflects a growing national crisis of vigilante violence fueled by weak police presence and lack of access to justice, as the people of Bethel now plead for urgent help to rebuild and prevent an even deeper humanitarian disaster.

Eric Opa Doue reports in this social media Video. To read more about this story click this link: https://frontpageafricaonline.com/news/liberia-vigilante-mob-levels-river-cess-village-authorities-slow-to-respond/

This story was a collaboration with New Narratives. Funding was provided by the Swedish Embassy in Liberia. The funder had no say in the story’s content.