Former Liberian warlord Prince Johnson, who was in charge during the brutal killing of former president Samuel Doe amid the country's civil wars and later became a senator and influential political figure, has passed away at the age of 72.
His death was confirmed by officials from his party and the Senate on Thursday. Johnson played a significant role during the civil wars in Liberia from 1989 to 2003 and was known for a notorious video in which he was seen drinking beer while his fighters tortured then-president Samuel Doe in 1990.
Siaffa Jallah, the deputy director of press at the Senate, noted that Johnson was the longest-serving senator. Wilfred Bangura, a senior figure in Johnson’s Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction party, confirmed that he died at the Hope for Women health centre.
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| Samuel Doe |
The brutal killing of Samuel Doe marked the start of a conflict that resulted in two civil wars, claiming approximately 250,000 lives, with thousands more mutilated and raped, and devastating the nation’s economy. Johnson was actively involved in this turmoil, gaining infamy after his fighters captured, tortured, and executed former president Doe. In a notorious 1990 video, Johnson was seen celebrating with cans of Budweiser while watching as his men cut off Doe's ear with a knife before killing him. Johnson later expressed regret over the murder and sought reconciliation with Doe's family.
After the war, Johnson continued his political career and was elected as a senator in his stronghold of Nimba County in 2006. He later became a preacher in an evangelical church, gaining considerable popularity. He was also a notable opponent of establishing a tribunal to address crimes from the civil wars. In 2011, he threw his support behind former president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and later endorsed George Weah in the 2017 run-off against Sirleaf's ruling party successor, Joseph Boakai.
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