retired female brigadier general, Geraldine George, acting minister of defence
Liberia gets first woman Defence Minister as govt replaces Johnson
Liberia’s President Joseph Boakai has appointed a retired female brigadier general, Geraldine George, as the acting minister of defence following protests by the wives of soldiers that forced her predecessor, Charles Johnson, to resign.
This is the first time Liberia will get a woman is serving as Defence Minister, although it is unclear why Mrs George has been appointed only in an acting capacity.
The new Defence Minister enlisted in the army in 2006 during its rebuilding after the end of a civil war. She rose to become part of the elite forces, serving as the deputy chief of staff for the last six years.
After Boakai was sworn in as president on 22 January, he appointed her as the deputy for administration in the defence ministry.
Indeed, her elevation came after Defence Minister Prince Charles Johnson III resigned following protests by the wives of soldiers on Monday.
Johnson’s appointment had been confirmed by Liberia’s senate only last week, but the protests forced him to step down.
The women said as the former chief of staff of the armed forces, he was responsible for low wages and poor living conditions in the military barracks.
The women set up roadblocks near the capital, Monrovia, and elsewhere in the country, forcing Mr Boakai to cancel National Army Day celebrations on Monday.
Boakai took office after narrowly defeating the incumbent, George Weah, in a run-off election last November as neither of them secured an outright majority in the first round of voting.