George Boley
George Eutychianus Saigbe Boley | |
|---|---|
Boley in U.S. custody; he became the first person removed under the Child Soldiers Accountability Act. | |
| Member of the House of Representatives of Liberia | |
| In office 2018–2024 | |
| Preceded by | Alphonso Gaye |
| Succeeded by | Marie G. Johnson |
| Constituency | Grand Gedeh-2 |
| Minister of Education | |
| President | Samuel Doe |
| Minister of Presidential Affairs | |
| President | Samuel Doe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 7, 1949 |
| Party | United People's Party |
George Eutychianus Saigbe Boley (born 7 December 1949) is a Liberian politician and former warlord.[1] He is a member of the Krahn ethnic group.[2]
Boley served in the government of President William R. Tolbert Jr. and later held cabinet positions under President Samuel Doe. During the First Liberian Civil War, he became the leader of the Liberia Peace Council (LPC), a militia faction accused by human rights organizations of committing abuses during the conflict.[3]
Early career
Boley served in a junior ministerial role in the administration of President William R. Tolbert Jr.. He was briefly jailed for alleged connections with opposition groups but was released following the military coup of April 1980 that brought Samuel Doe to power.
Under Doe, Boley later served as Minister of Presidential Affairs and as Minister of Education.[4]
Civil war
After the assassination of Samuel Doe in September 1990 during the First Liberian Civil War, Boley went into exile in the United States. He later returned to Liberia and became the leader of the Liberia Peace Council (LPC), a militia faction active during the civil war.
Human rights organizations accused the LPC of committing widespread abuses during the conflict, including killings, forced displacement, and the recruitment of child soldiers.[5] The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia later identified Boley as a key leader of the LPC militia and recommended that he be investigated for alleged wartime abuses.
Political career
Boley ran for president in the 1997 Liberian general election. Representing the National Democratic Party of Liberia (NDPL), he received 1.26% of the vote.[6]
In 2010, Boley was detained in the United States on immigration-related charges.[7] In February 2012 he was deported to Liberia by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after U.S. authorities determined that he had committed human rights abuses during the Liberian civil war.[8][9] His deportation marked the first removal carried out under the United States Child Soldiers Accountability Act.
In the 2017 Liberian general election, Boley was elected to the House of Representatives of Liberia.[10] He represented Grand Gedeh County's 2nd electoral district on the ticket of the United People's Party.[11]
Boley ran for re-election in the 2023 Liberian general election as a candidate of the Liberia Rebuilding Party but was defeated by Marie G. Johnson.[12][13]
References
- ^ "George Boley, Liberian Warlord, Is Finally Under Arrest". The Atlantic. 27 January 2010.
- ^ "Human Rights Abuses by the Liberian Peace Council and the Need for International Oversight". Human Rights Watch. 17 May 1994.
- ^ "Human Rights Abuses by the Liberian Peace Council and the Need for International Oversight". Human Rights Watch. 17 May 1994.
- ^ "Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia". Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia.
- ^ "Human Rights Abuses by the Liberian Peace Council and the Need for International Oversight". Human Rights Watch. 17 May 1994.
- ^ "Elections in Liberia". African Elections Database.
- ^ "George Boley, Liberian Warlord, Is Finally Under Arrest". The Atlantic. 27 January 2010.
- ^ "Liberia ex-warlord George Boley to be deported from US". BBC. 7 February 2012.
- ^ "Liberian human rights violator removed from U.S." U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
- ^ "Liberia: Representative George Boley Sues Fellow Lawmaker Dixon Sebo for Damages for Wrong". FrontPage Africa.
- ^ "National Tally Center Final Results Report for the Presidential and Representative Elections on 10 October 2017" (PDF). National Elections Commission. 19 October 2017.
- ^ "LIBERIA: Rep Gray, Speaker Chambers Ousted from the Legislature". Smart News Liberia. 19 October 2023.
- ^ "Elections 2023: House of Representatives Results". Global News Network Liberia. 22 October 2023.