The President of the Republic, Dr. George M. Weah, has received with enormous sadness news of the passing of former Interim President Dr. Amos C. Sawyer. The President has described Dr. Sawyer as a pillar of strength for Liberia’s pro-democracy movement who contributed immensely to the peace that the country now enjoys.
“I fondly recall the opportunity he gave me to be an inspiration to many of Liberia’s youth during the civil war when he appointed me as Sports Ambassador,” the Liberian leader said, noting that Dr. Sawyer was a motivation to leaders in different spheres of life. The President said he remained a friend of the Sawyer family over the years since his assignment to the crucial national post.
The former interim president died on Wednesday, February 16, 2022 in the United States of America following a period of illness.
Dr. Sawyer was a founding member of the Movement for Justice in Africa, a social justice organization which was very active in the 70s, and which is credited for raising the political consciousness of the population. Other contemporaries of MOJA included H. Boima Fahbulleh and Togba Nah Tipoteh.
Dr. Sawyer also served Liberia in many other capacities before his demise, including as Interim President, when warring factions controlled large swaths of territories. He helped organized many peace missions in and out of the country which led to some cessation of hostilities. Before that, he was a renowned professor of political science at the University of Liberia, and ran for City Mayor in 1979.
Dr. Sawyer recently served as Chairperson of the Governance Commission that was established following the 2003 Comprehensive Peace Accord to recommend policies for reforming the public and security sectors, as well as the management of land in the aftermath of the civil war.
President Weah has said Dr. Sawyer’s footprints will remain etched in the story of the country for generations to come. He extended his sympathy to the bereaved family, particularly the widow of the late statesman, Mrs. Thelma E. Duncan Sawyer, whom he regarded as a mother, urging them to take solace in the Lord.