Monrovia, Liberia

It is fortunate that the Vice President was in the area and was able to mediate and bring some calm to the situation. The Liberia National Police (LNP), The Emergency Response Unit (ERU), and United Nations Military Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), have since been deployed in the affected areas and a dusk to dawn curfew has been imposed. The situation is now under control.
An investigation into the incident will be undertaken, while those identified as the perpetrators will be arrested and prosecuted in keeping with law.

In the meanwhile, a joint delegation from the Council of Churches and the National Muslim Council will proceed to the County to initiate a mediation effort.

The Government points out that there is no religious conflict and calls upon all citizens in Lofa County and beyond to remain calm as the matter is addressed.

Meanwhile, the Al Jazeera news outlet has reported that the Liberian government has imposed a curfew in the northern county of Lofa after religious clashes between Christian and Muslim nationals.

The government issued curfew orders on Saturday after the Talawayon hospital in Vionjama confirmed that four people had died and 18 more injured in clashes on Friday.

The violence erupted in the town of Vionjama after the body of a child “with body parts extracted” was found near a mosque, the statement said.

“The Liberia National Police, the Emergency Response Unit, and United Nations Military Mission in Liberia have been deployed in the affected areas, and a dusk to dawn curfew has been imposed.”

Witnesses told Reuters that rioters had burnt down the Catholic, Baptist and Episcopal churches in the area.

And George Tengbeh, a local government official, said the violence was sparked after unconfirmed rumors spread that a mosque had been attacked by residents in another town in the region.

He said Muslim residents went on a rampage, burning down two churches, a clinic, shops and the mayor’s residence.

Human rights observers say violence that is triggered by religious incidents in the first instance often becomes politicized, and can involve disputes over land or property.

United Nations has deployed peacekeepers to the northern Liberian town.

Yasmina Bouziane, a UN spokeswoman told AFP: “We have sent an additional team … to calm the situation down.”

“There is an ongoing investigation into the actual incident.  There was an outbreak of violence locally which needed to be brought into control.”

Some 10,000 members of the peacekeeping force are stationed in Liberia tasked with restoring peace since 2003, the end of a string of civil wars in which some 250,000 people died since 1989.

About two-fifths of the 3.3 million population in the West African nation are Christians and about one-fifth Muslim with the rest of the population following mostly traditional beliefs.