A former Liberian warlord and key figure in the nation’s brutal civil wars from 1989 to 2003, Prince Johnson, passed away on Thursday at the age of 72.
His death was confirmed by officials from his political party and the Senate.
“Senator Johnson was the longest-serving senator,” said Siaffa Jallah, deputy director of press at the Senate.
A senior official in Johnson’s Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction party, Wilfred Bangura, also confirmed the news. “Yes, we lost him this morning. He passed away at Hope for Women (health centre),” Bangura told AFP.
Johnson gained international notoriety during Liberia’s first civil war when a video captured him sipping beer as his forces tortured then-president Samuel Doe to death in 1990. The gruesome event was one of the early and most shocking episodes of the conflict, which eventually spiralled into two devastating civil wars, leaving an estimated 250,000 people dead and the nation’s economy in ruins.
Despite his violent past, Johnson transitioned into politics and became an influential senator representing Nimba County, his home region in northern Liberia. Known for his charismatic and controversial persona, Johnson later embraced evangelical Christianity, becoming a preacher and maintaining significant popularity among his constituents.
Johnson was also a vocal opponent of efforts to establish a tribunal to prosecute crimes committed during Liberia’s civil wars, a stance that often sparked debate and criticism.
His death marks the end of a complex and contentious chapter in Liberia’s history, as the nation continues to grapple with the legacies of its past conflicts.
