Following the latest in a series of street protests by students of the state-owned University of Liberia (UL), the Inter Religious Council of Liberia (IRCL) has set a committee to intervene in the long-running unrest which has nearly paralyzed academic activities.
Last Friday, some UL students went on the rampage on their Capitol Hill Campus in Monrovia, burning tyers on the road and barricading the main street in front of the President’s office at the Foreign Ministry, demanding the resignation of UL President Ophelia Weeks for allegedly denying thousands of students from completing their registration.
As a result, traffic on the main Boulevard leading into central Monrovia came to a virtual standstill for several hours.
At the UL main campus at Fendall outside Monrovia, students also protested and set up roadblock on the Monrovia-Kakata highway.
In a statement issued after the riot, the Liberian religious leaders spoke of the urgent need to mediate in the dispute in order to prevent further destruction of properties and disruption of classes as well as ensure free movement of citizens.
The IRCL expressed concern on the prevailing situation on and the UL campus and therefore called on parties to exercise restraint and uphold the peace.
At one point during the protest, the vehicle belonging to the UL President was nearly smashed by protesting students.
All attempts by senior Liberian government officials to persuade the UL students to remove the barricade on the main street failed for several hours, until they had satisfied themselves.
Some of the protesting students expressed regret that the UL president was insensitive to the plight of the Students and therefore does things at her will.
The students claimed that the estimated number 19,000 have registered so far, leaving 11,000 others who had deposited their fees at a local bank but were denied completing their registration by the UL authorities.
Others also claimed that during the registration process, some UL staffers assigned at various registration windows abandoned the registration processes and engaged in other activities
Some of the students threatened to destroy the cameras and phones of Journalists and others who tried to take photos of the demonstration.
The UL administration has not reacted to the latest disturbances and the students demand, up till the posting of this report.