Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah and Local Government Minister, Francis S. Nyumalin may have ended their long-running acrimony by smoking peace pipe, but reports of bitterness amongst political rivals and families still permeating Foya and parts of Lofa County.

Recall that two partisans of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) lost their lives in devastating violence that erupted between supporters of then Representatives Fallah of the CDC and Nyumalin of the Unity Party during the 2023 general and presidential elections.

Fallah was seeking to represent Lofa County District #1, Foya Administrative District, in the House of Representatives against Nyumalin who was seeking re-election. The two figures could not see face to face as bitter rivals representing two different political ideologies and interests.

About three years since the incident which parents of the deceased CDCians still mourn, Fallah and Nyumalin are now political bedfellows, almost drinking from the same fountain, a situation crowned by Fallah's public apology at the weekend.

Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines

Not many are happy with his apology to Nyumalin when the memories of the incident remain fresh amongst the people of Foya, mainly members of the CDC who bore the brunt of the violence.

During a gathering to commemorate the arrival of the government's celebrated Yellow Machines, Fallah, wo is the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, publicly apologized to Nyumalin, now Minister of Local Government and elders of Foya over the violence that rocked the town during the 2023 elections, calling for forgiveness and unity.

Speaking at the gathering, Fallah acknowledged that his actions and the events of the past may have caused pain and extended an apology to Nyumalin and community elders.

"I know I might hurt you, big brother, but I say sorry. Sorry for what happened," Fallah said.

Nyumalin also appealed for forgiveness from community elders over the events of the past.

For Fallah and Nyumalin, the exchange marked an effort to put their political differences behind them and promote unity in Lofa County.

The gathering attracted a large number of residents and elders, who celebrated the arrival of equipment they believe could help improve infrastructure and advance development.

Although he expressed regret over the past, Fallah did not provide a detailed account of the incidents or specifically identify the victims who lost their lives during the election violence.

Recall that during the 2023 elections, political tensions between supporters of the CDC, then represented in the area by Fallah, and the Unity Party, associated with Nyumalin, turned Foya into a place of fear and uncertainty.

Residents faced a difficult political atmosphere, with some afraid to openly express their political preferences over fear of being attacked by rival supporters.

The violence that erupted claimed the lives of two citizens and left several injured, according to accounts of the incident.

Foya, the traditional stronghold of both men, became a flashpoint, forcing security forces to intervene.

The apology has reopened painful memories, according to reports emenating from Foya, while the equipment was the focus of the celebration, the public apology brought the county's painful political history back into the conversation.

Many, including Kolubah Akoi, Acting Lofa County Chairman of the CDC, expressed emotional distress over the lawmaker's decision to apologize for an action that affected him the most.

Akoi said the apology brought back painful memories of the violence, recalling that he and other CDC members were present in Foya when the incident occurred.

In a Facebook post that has gone viral, Akoi wrote "Today, as the Acting Lofa County Chairman of the biggest opposition political party in Liberia, the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), I shared tears as I listened to Thomas P. Fallah utter words of apology directed at Francis Nyumalin over the violence in Foya that claimed the lives of two of our partisans who were defending him."

Akoi said he became deeply troubled when he heard the apology to the Unity Party over an incident that took the lives of two of our colleagues.

He further stated "On that fateful day, Mohammed O. Sheriff, Justice M. Kelleh, Makula Kamara, and I had just left our guest house in Foya when the violence occurred.What if we had been caught in that madness? What if we had also lost our lives? Today, the very man we were prepared to stand and possibly die for is apologizing to the very people alleged to have been responsible for the violence."

Akoi wondered how families feel, how their children understand this, adding "This is the pain that weighs on the hearts of those who knew our fallen comrades. Their families are still struggling to survive, while their children continue to face the daily challenges of life without their loved ones."

He stressed how Fallah's words broke him down emotionally, and how they also sent a serious warning to those who continue to place unquestionable trust in political leaders.

"Today, it may be our colleagues who pay the ultimate price, and tomorrow, it could be you. And perhaps, one day, the same leader you stood for may offer an apology to those you believe were responsible for your suffering,"Akoi added.

"Let me be clear, reconciliation is not a bad thing. We need peace, dialogue, and peaceful coexistence. But reconciliation must not serve only the interests of those seeking to retain political power. It must also recognize the pain of the victims, respect the sacrifices of the fallen, and consider the suffering of their families."

The CDC Foya chairman said loyalty should never mean surrendering your ability to think critically or to ask difficult questions, stressing "Remember, this is about Foya, not Lofa."

He used the medium to memorialize the fallen brothers, saying "To our fallen comrades, go and rest. You paid the ultimate price, believing in a cause and standing for a leader you believed in. Your deaths must never be reduced to a political footnote or forgotten in the pursuit of reconciliation and power. We will continue to celebrate you as revolutionary martyrs of the great Congress for Democratic Change."

Political observers have indicated thart Akoi's comments raise critical questions about the relationship between political reconciliation and accountability, particularly when those affected by political violence believe their pain has not been fully acknowledged.

For many CDCians in Foya, they argued, the question is how politicians treat people who sacrificed for them.

Fallah, who won Lofa District #1 in 2023 on the CDC ticket but later aligned with the ruling establishment, now serves as Deputy Speaker.

For him, the apology is political maturity and a move to heal Foya, but for Akoi and others, it is a betrayal of memory.

As one elder in Foya put it, lasting reconciliation will require not only forgiveness between former political opponents but also recognizing the lives lost, the people injured and the families left to bear the consequences of the 2023 election violence.

Until the families of the deceased are acknowledged, compensated, and their children cared for, many in Foya say, apologies between big men will only reopen wounds, not heal them.