Ritual Killings

DATE: 27 January 2005

Following the recent alleged case of missing persons said to be the result of ritual killing in Harper, the information below is a background note.

Although there is no evidence to suggest that the reported case of missing persons in Harper is linked to ritual killing, murders associated with ritual killings are known to take place in Liberia. There is a long history, particularly in Maryland, of ritual killings often carried out by high level tribal authorities. A look at the newspaper archives and other government papers indicated that ritual killings have been a regular occurrence in Liberia, particularly during election time. There are records of government prosecuting people for that crime.

Starting with pre-republican Liberia, when secret societies were already operating, there have been cases of ritual killing often associated with individuals known as “heart men”. When Liberia was established, the settlers (Americo Liberians), who resided on the coast, were against ritual killings in part because the practice was against their Christian beliefs. A decree was issued in 1912 outlawing the activities of secret societies. In Harper, for example, the Neegee secret society was banned. But ritual killings continued. In the 1920s, there were reports of people being arrested. Eventually secret societies were driven underground.

The two most talked about secret societies are the Poro and Sande. Both societies operate mainly in Bong County. Initially, the Poro and Sande secret societies were banned, but the settler politicians, who had yet to travel through the country, realised that becoming part of both groups was critical to winning the political support of indigenous people in the hinterland. In addition, ritual killings were not as pervasive among the Poro and Sande societies. Political leaders also realised that they could not rule the country without the support of the Poro and Sande societies, and in turn, secret societies became part of Liberia’s political culture.

However, from 1940 onwards, there were reports linking politicians in Monrovia to ritual killings. Outside of Monrovia, many reported cases of ritual killings tended to come from Maryland. In a case of ritual killing in 1962, President Tubman, also from Maryland, is reported to have said “I know this is very common and tribal authorities are aware of what is going on”.

The most celebrated case of a ritual killing was in 1979 when six officials of the True Whig Party from Harper were tried and executed under the government of President Tolbert. It is worth noting that Tolbert lost the support of his own political class when he issued the death sentence.

Reports of ritual murders in Harper have continued in modern times. In July 1999, there was large scale rioting because of the death of a young boy whose body parts were reportedly traded in Côte d’Ivoire. From 2002-2003, there were reports from Harper about a spate of killings in which the body parts were being sent to Côte d’Ivoire. Some sources say this was linked to the war in that country. On 20 December 2000, The News reported a case of a ritual killing in Harper. A man was detained for allegedly extracting the organs of his grandson.

There are likely to be increasing reports of ritual killings in the lead up to elections in October. A number of Liberia’s political leaders believe in and have used ritual killings to gain and maintain political power. Ritual killings are associated with strength and power, the assumption being that human sacrifice and consuming or bathing in human blood can give you considerable powers. In the battlefield, such activities are said to give you supernatural powers. We need to understand what Liberian politicians are prepared to do to obtain power. The heart man is about politics.

UNMIL should not at any stage take the issue of ritual killings lightly, even if it does not result in riots. It is not always easy to know who is involved in these killings. By their nature, secret societies are secret. The point to note is that ritual killings do exist, Liberia’s governmental and newspaper archives bear testimony. People fear the so called heart men and according to one source, Liberians tend to be rather schizophrenic in how they respond to cases of ritual killing. Christian leaders often appear to be ambivalent about ritual killings. While they often preach against such activities at the pulpit, there are allegations that some are also involved.

A big concern is public reaction. Demonstrations, sometimes accompanied by mob violence, are common. You will recall that in mid-2004, parts of the population in Monrovia mobilised quickly to seek revenge against those suspected of participating in ritual killings, although there was no evidence of such activity. UNMIL will need to deal with the exaggerated reaction of Liberians. The “heart man” phenomenon plays a central role in Liberia. People believe it and see it as normal business.

Even if authorities cannot convict anybody, it would be a mistake to dismiss claims of ritual killings as rumour. Obviously, there is no proof that the recent case in Harper is linked to an actual ritual killing. However, whenever such allegations arise, UNMIL should continually issue press statements condemning such activities, making it clear that it will not tolerate such activities. As was the case with the recent statement by you, UNMIL’s future statements on this subject should continue to categorically state that the mission will rigorously investigate cases of ritual killings and will come down hard on those found to be involved in these activities.