Former Liberia's notorious warlord Prince Johnson dies at 72

MONROVIA, Liberia

Liberian former warlord Prince Johnson, who oversaw the brutal murder of former president Samuel Doe as civil wars rocked the country before later serving as a senator and political kingmaker, has died at the age of 72.

"It is true that he died this morning," family member Moses Ziah told reporters on Thursday. Family spokesperson Wilfred Bangura also confirmed that Johnson, who suffered from high blood pressure, had died earlier in the day.

More than 200,000 people were killed and thousands more mutilated and raped as over 1 million were displaced in brutal civil wars that tore apart Liberia between 1989 and 2003 in which Johnson played an active role.

Johnson rose to notoriety after his men captured, tortured and mutilated former president Doe before executing him.

In a now infamous video from 1990, Johnson was seen celebrating with cans of Budweiser and looking on as his fighters sliced Doe's ear off with a knife before executing him.

Johnson subsequently said he regretted the murder and sought reconciliation with Doe's family.

While Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission named him among those recommended for prosecution for war crimes, saying his group had committed rapes and killings, Johnson never faced trial.

After the war, he remained in politics and was elected as a senator in his Nimba county stronghold in 2006. He went on to play a role as kingmaker in various presidential elections.

He threw his support behind former president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in 2011, then endorsed George Weah in the run-off against Sirleaf's ruling party successor Joseph Boakai in 2017.

However, he switched his support to Boakai in the 2023 election in which Boakai defeated Weah in a run-off.

In a condolence message to his family, President Joseph Boakai – who Johnson supported in his presidential campaign last year – described him as “a figure who played a pivotal role in Liberia's complex historical evolution and contributed to national discourse through his service in the Senate”.

While some have celebrated his political role, others viewed him as a symbol of the country’s struggles with accountability.

“We see his death as a blow to many victims who were awaiting to see the senator to face justice given his role in the civil war,” human rights activist and campaigner for a special war crimes court Adama Dempster told our correspondent.