By: Frank P. Martin
MONROVIA: President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has moved to defend the government’s decision to reclaim and rehabilitate military barracks across Liberia, insisting that land historically designated for the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) must be restored.
President Boakai who is also Commandeer-In-Chief (CIC), of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), made the assertions as affected business owners and civil society groups warn of economic loss, weak due process and a widening land crisis in the country.
Speaking to reporters at the executive mansion on Thursday, February 5, 2026, Boakai addressed growing controversy surrounding the planned renovation of several military barracks, with particular attention on Camp Ramrod, commonly known as the 72nd Barracks, in Paynesville, outside Monrovia.
“The army people know their boundaries, and they know what land belongs to them,” the president said. “God is not making new lands again. The soldiers are entitled to their place.”
The president said the ongoing rehabilitation is part of a renewal effort to improve the welfare of the military and strengthen national security.
He stressed that property rightfully belonging to the AFL should be returned to it, indicating that decades of postwar encroachment have undermined the army’s ability to expand accommodation and modernize facilities.
That position, it appears, has placed the current administration on a collision course with civilians and business owners operating near the 72nd Junction area, where the Ministry of National Defense has ordered the “immediate evacuation of all illegal occupants” within and around Camp Ramrod.
Among those affected is Frances Yonger Morsay, owner of the “Help Yourself Business Center,” who says she risks losing an investment she values at more than US$1.5 million.
In an emotional interview with journalists on Capitol Hill on Thursday, February 5, 2026, Morsay said, she received no formal eviction notice and disputes claims that her property sits on AFL land.
“I am not on the properties of the AFL,” she said. “Even if we are asked to leave, we must be given notice. As a Liberian businesswoman, I have invested over US$1.5 million, and I was not notified of any eviction plans.”
Morsay narrated that she acquired the land about a decade ago from a family she claims holds deeds, dating back to the 1970s, before Liberia’s civil war.
According to her, the family, now living in the United States, requested two weeks to return with documentation, a request she says the AFL has declined.
“Since I acquired the land ten years ago, at no time was I informed the place belonged to the army,” she said.
She added that business activity at the center has stalled for more than a week after barricades were erected near the property.
Morsay said affected proprietors reached out to Montserrado County District #4 Representative, Priscilla Abram Cooper, but have yet to receive relief.
She said she plans to petition President Boakai and the Ministry of National Defense directly. “If my property is confiscated, I will lose everything I worked for,” she said. “I reached this far with no support.”
Camp Ramrod has been occupied by civilians since Liberia’s civil war years, and previous governments efforts to reclaim the site reportedly faltered due to the scale of settlement and competing land claims.
The ministry’s latest move signals a renewed push to reestablish exclusive military control of the barracks.
On January 21, 2026, the Ministry of National Defense reiterated calls for the immediate evacuation of all illegal occupants on its Camp Ramrod Military Barracks, widely known as the 72nd Barracks.
The ministry, in a press release, encouraged civilians who are currently within and around the barracks unlawfully to respectfully but firmly evacuate the barracks within a period of fourteen (14) days as of Monday, January 19, 2026.
According to the Defense Ministry release, during this voluntary evacuation period, the Armed Forces of Liberia Engineering Battalion will engage in erecting physical barricade aimed at demarcating its property; hence the public and especially those squatting within and around the barracks are asked to remain calm, cooperate fully, and proceed along clearly marked exit routes, with highest assurances that no personal belongings will be confiscated during the evacuation and that no action will be taken against those who comply promptly and peacefully.
The release added that since the Liberian Civil War, Camp Ramrod has been occupied illegally and every effort to recover the property over the years has not been successful.
“The continued illegal occupation of the barracks has constrained the AFL’s ability to rehabilitate the facility and undermined efforts to expand accommodation for newly recruited personnel and operational units,” Defense Ministry indicated.
According to the release, since early 2024, the Ministry of National Defense has held multiple engagements with the leadership of the occupants and formally communicated the requirement for voluntary evacuation.
In addition, a written four-month notice to vacate the premises was issued in May 2025 to allow for orderly relocation. Despite these engagements and ample notice, the occupants remain within the barracks.
“It is worth emphasizing that out of thirty seven (37) acres of land currently being illegally occupied, the AFL now has only thirteen (13) acres which is being earmarked for renovations,” the ministry disclosed.
Defense Ministry: “Camp Ramrod Military Barracks, also referenced as the 72nd Barracks is strategic to Liberia’s national security in providing rapid response to queer down any uprising/chaos that would require the deployment of the Armed Forces of Liberia on the northwestern flank of Monrovia.
In conclusion, the ministry reminds all that the 72nd Military Barracks and all other restricted military zones are not designated for civilian residence or activities.
According to the release, signed by signed by Oscar F. Mulbah, Assistant Minister for Public Affairs Ministry of National Defense, RL, continued presence may place civilians at risk and interfere with essential operations.
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