Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah says the position of Liberia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Lewis Brown, reaffirms the African Union’s (AU) stance on Venezuela. According to him, Liberia, as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, does not have independent views outside the African Union’s position.
Speaking Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at the Ministry’s regular press briefing in Monrovia, Piah stressed that Liberia, a bloc of the African continent, cannot express an opposing view. He called on the public not to see the Ambassador’s statement as an independent view of Liberia as a country.
Speaking on behalf of the A3 countries- the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, and Liberia- Brown called for restraint and a peaceful resolution to the conflict. In a statement issued on January 3, 2026, the A3 nations said the African Union is gravely concerned over recent developments in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela regarding the reported abduction of President Nicolas Maduro and a military attack on Venezuelan institutions.
The statement indicated that the African Union reaffirms its commitment to the fundamental principles of international law, including respect for the sovereignty of states, their territorial integrity, and the right of peoples to self-determination, as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.
The AU underscores the importance of dialogue, peaceful settlement of disputes, and respect for constitutional and institutional frameworks, in a spirit of good neighborliness, cooperation, and peaceful coexistence among nations. The African Union further emphasized that the complex internal challenges facing Venezuela can only be sustainably addressed through inclusive political dialogue among Venezuelans.
By Joseph Sirleaf
