What Happened To The Tolbert Family During The 1980 Coup (Wilhelmina Tolbert Holder Testimony) 01

Описание: After assuming power, the Doe government reportedly confiscated William Tolbert's wealth and property, "except for the houses occupied by his surviving family, who were all placed under house arrest".

According to another Africa Confidential report, Adolphus Benedict (A. B.) Tolbert was the son of William Tolbert and son-in-law of Côte d'Ivoire's President Félix Houphouët-Boigny (17 May 1991). A.B. Tolbert was reportedly murdered by Samuel Doe or his men "in the earliest day of his [Doe's] regime".

Doe had promised Houphouët-Boigny that AB [Tolbert], who had been dragged from the sanctuary of the French embassy in Monrovia, would be spared. Huophouët-Boigny never forgave this perfidy.

Another report indicates that A.B. Tolbert was married to Houphouët-Boigny's foster-daughter, adding that he had been the Chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee (Africa Contemporary Record 1981, B530). The same source adds that A.B. Tolbert had sought refuge in the French Embassy at Monrovia on 14 April 1980, from which he was taken by soldiers on 14 June of the same year. Although a fair trial for him was publicly promised, by 1981 he was presumed dead, with rumours reportedly blaming Doe's Deputy-Head of State Weh Syen for his death.

Samuel Doe gradually released a number of detained former members of the overthrown government, including at least one former Minister, and later announced an amnesty for political prisoners on Christmas 1981 (Ibid. 1980, B531; Ibid. 1982, B454). However, three prominent figures from the overthrown government were not released by that amnesty: Clarence Simson (Secretary General of the True Whig Party), Bonnie Warner (former Vice-President) and A.B. Tolbert (Ibid.).

Sumo Jones, Tolbert's head of security, was reportedly named Deputy Foreign Minister by Samuel Doe. Due to political pressure, Jones was them moved to the Information Ministry.
+
#politics #coup #history