The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Leonardo Santos Simão, condemns the violent clashes at the Capitol Hill that erupted on December 17 in Monrovia between the Liberia National Police and protesters.

The Special Representative is deeply dismayed by the destruction wreaked by the fire incident that engulfed on Wednesday morning the Capitol Hill, the seat of Liberia’s Legislature.

He calls for calm and restraint and urges all Liberians to act with responsibility, in the interest of their country and in full respect of Liberian laws.

The Special Representative expresses its solidarity with the people and the Government of Liberia and encourages all Liberians to maintain the hard-won peace and stability in the country and resolve their differences through peaceful means.