STAND Plans New York Protest at UNGA 81 Over Liberia’s Escalating Drug Crisis

MONROVIA, Liberia — August 14, 2026 — The Solidarity & Trust for a New Day (STAND), in collaboration with a coalition of Liberian civil society organizations, youth activists, anti-drug advocates and members of the diaspora, says it will stage a peaceful protest and advocacy campaign in New York during the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September.

The planned Liberia Anti-Drug Global Action at UNGA 81 is intended to draw international attention to Liberia’s growing narcotics problem and pressure the Liberian government and its international partners to strengthen investigations, accountability and institutional safeguards against organized drug trafficking.

In a statement issued Thursday, STAND said the mobilization would go beyond a conventional protest by combining public demonstrations with diplomatic and institutional engagements during the UN General Assembly.

The group said it intends to present a formal Liberia Anti-Drug Accountability Memorandum to international stakeholders, outlining its concerns, available evidence and proposed reforms.

STAND Wants Drug Crisis Taken to Global Stage

According to the organization, the initiative is driven by what it describes as the alarming scale of recent cocaine seizures in Liberia.

The group cited a reported interception of approximately 237.6 kilograms of cocaine at Roberts International Airport in June 2026, valued at more than US$19 million.

It also referenced the subsequent discovery of an alleged 4.2-metric-ton cocaine operation in Duazon, which authorities reportedly valued at approximately US$336 million.

STAND said the seizures, while representing successes by law-enforcement authorities, raise broader questions about the networks responsible for financing, transporting and facilitating the movement of such large quantities of narcotics.

The organization is demanding investigations that go beyond couriers and other lower-level operatives to identify alleged financiers, organizers, facilitators and beneficiaries.

“Liberia must never be allowed to become a safe haven, storage base, destination or transit corridor for international narcotics trafficking,” the consortium said in its release.

Pressure on Government

The planned action comes with a direct call for greater accountability from the Government of Liberia.

STAND said it wants credible and independent investigations into the narcotics cases, including examination of whether Liberia’s security institutions may have been compromised or penetrated by criminal networks.

The organization also called for stronger cooperation between Liberia and international partners, including neighboring West African states, ECOWAS, United Nations institutions and INTERPOL.

Among the measures being sought are intelligence sharing, financial investigations, forensic assistance, border-security support and specialized training for Liberian law-enforcement institutions.

The group said increased resources for Liberia’s drug-control institutions must be matched by stronger accountability and safeguards against corruption and political interference.

Focus on Youth and Rehabilitation

While calling for tougher action against drug trafficking, STAND said Liberia’s response must not be limited to arrests and prosecutions.

The consortium described the drug problem as both a public-health and national-security crisis, calling for increased investment in prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, mental-health services, education and employment opportunities for young people affected by substance dependency.

It also called for community-based reintegration programs, arguing that people struggling with addiction require treatment and support rather than simply condemnation or incarceration.

“Not Anti-Liberia”

STAND emphasized that its planned action in New York is not intended to damage Liberia’s image internationally.

Instead, the group described the campaign as “pro-Liberia,” arguing that confronting serious institutional challenges openly is necessary to protect the country’s reputation and sovereignty.

The organization also commended law-enforcement officers involved in recent drug seizures, while insisting that every major seizure should trigger efforts to dismantle the wider criminal network allegedly behind the shipment.

STAND Says Action Will Be Nonpartisan

The group further sought to distance the planned protest from Liberia’s partisan political divisions.

STAND said the country’s drug crisis did not begin under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s administration and should not be reduced to a contest between the ruling Unity Party and the opposition Coalition for Democratic Change or other political organizations.

However, the group said the current government bears primary responsibility for addressing the crisis because it controls the institutions of the state.

“Successive governments and national institutions share responsibility for confronting this crisis,” the release stated, while maintaining that holding the government accountable is part of democratic citizenship rather than partisan politics.

Who Will Lead the New York Action?

STAND said the campaign will be led by Alplato Chukpue-Padmore, who will provide strategic and policy direction.

Dr. Marie Scott Wilson will focus on human-rights, humanitarian and international advocacy, while Titus B. Pakalah will coordinate youth mobilization and digital advocacy.

Samuel Jacobs will serve as spokesperson for the campaign.

STAND Chairman Mulbah K. Morlu Jr. signed the statement on behalf of the organization and identified himself as a member of the consortium.

The group said additional members of the campaign leadership will be announced as participation expands.

Taking Liberia’s Drug Fight to New York

With world leaders expected to converge on New York for UNGA 81, STAND says it intends to use the gathering to push Liberia’s narcotics crisis onto the international agenda.

The planned mobilization will reportedly include peaceful public action, meetings with diplomatic missions and international organizations, and engagement with diaspora, media, human-rights, public-health and anti-organized-crime groups.

The stated objective, according to STAND, is not merely to attract attention but to secure concrete international support for Liberia’s fight against drug trafficking and its consequences.

The group is calling for transparency in ongoing investigations, accountability across all levels, stronger institutions, rehabilitation for people affected by addiction, protection of young Liberians and sustained international cooperation.

As preparations begin for the September UN General Assembly, STAND says its message to Liberia and the international community will be straightforward: the country’s future must not be surrendered to drugs or to criminal networks capable of undermining its institutions.