Gongloe Lashes at VP Koung

By Lincoln G. Peters

Capitol Hill, Monrovia, April 30, 2026: Renowned Liberian human rights lawyer and former Solicitor General Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe has criticized his kinsman, Vice President Jeremiah K. Koung, for comments he made regarding the Liberia-Guinea border dispute.

Gongloe described the Vice President’s remarks as “recklessly inflammatory and irresponsible.”

Speaking at the University of Liberia’s Capitol Hill Campus on Thursday, April 30, 2026, Cllr. Gongloe referenced a recent appearance by VP Koung on State Radio ELBC.

During the broadcast, VP Koung allegedly stated that there are unnamed individuals in Liberia, “two or three of them”, who could take a city in Guinea, a claim that Gongloe argues could escalate tensions between the two countries.

“That statement was irresponsible, reckless, and inflammatory, and it is not expected from a responsible vice president of Liberia. Vice President Koung undermined his position by making that statement, jeopardizing the relationship between Liberia and Guinea. We don’t need that,” Gongloe stated.

Reflecting on his own experience with Guinea-Liberia border issues, Gongloe asserted that Guinea would never attack Liberia. He recounted that, as a former Presidential envoy to Guinea, Guinean authorities told him they owed Liberia a debt of gratitude too great to repay.

Nonetheless, Gongloe emphasized the need for wise conflict resolution. He recommended that President Joseph Boakai establish a commission of inquiry to investigate the matter and help find a solution, something he believes any responsible government should do.

“President Tolbert did that after the April 14, 1979, street protest that turned into rioting. President George W. Bush also did so in 2002. When something serious happens in any country, the wisest thing to do is to set up a fact-finding team. I volunteer to be part of the team because I have experience; I served as chair for such a commission before. Today, the President has not set up the commission. There is a need to establish it because the Liberian people don’t know what happened at the border,” Gongloe explained.

He further argued that, rather than focusing on forming a commission of inquiry, the government has instead suspended one of its members for making inflammatory statements, while the situation at the border remains unresolved and Guinean soldiers are reportedly still on Liberian soil.

“Even though Representative Yekeh Kolubah was expelled, the situation still persists. We need to establish the commission of inquiry to stop all these emotional reactions. Liberians need to know what is happening because the Guinean soldiers are still on our soil,” Gongloe concluded.