Liberia will hold a symbolic reburial ceremony on Tuesday for former President William Tolbert and 13 of his cabinet members, 45 years after they were executed following a bloody 1980 coup. The reburial, led by President Joseph Boakai, marks a major moment of national reflection and reconciliation.
Tolbert was murdered on April 12, 1980, during a military coup led by Sgt. Samuel Doe ended more than a century of Americo-Liberian rule. Ten days later, 13 of his top officials were tied to stakes and executed by firing squad near a Monrovia army barracks. Their bodies were never recovered.
This state funeral follows the recent reburial of Samuel Doe, who was killed in 1990 during Liberia’s civil conflict. President Boakai described both reburials as steps in “healing from our wounds and remembering with respect.”
Family members of the slain officials welcomed the long-overdue tribute. Yvette Chesson-Gibson, daughter of executed Justice Minister Joseph Chesson, called it “the beginning of closure.” Bindu Dennis, daughter of Foreign Minister Charles Cecil Dennis, added: “Our fathers were simply murdered in one of the world’s most despicable acts of cruelty.”
The reburial is part of Liberia’s broader effort to confront decades of violence, injustice, and civil war, which left deep scars and displaced generations. As the country reckons with its past, families say this ceremony is not about forgetting, but about finally finding dignity and peace.