Thousands protest price hikes, corruption in Liberia

Thousands of people took to the streets of Liberia's capital Monrovia Friday to protest rising prices and corruption, posing a key political test for President George Weah.

The football icon is being challenged over the same issues on which he campaigned in his rise to the presidency of the impoverished West African state just 18 months ago.

About 10,000 people took part in the demonstration, according to an AFP count, while a police official put the turnout at around 4,000.

Some held aloft placards reading: "We are tired of suffering" and "We want better living conditions."
"Now, 1,000 LD can't feed us. This is how bad things have become. A bag of 25 kilos (55 pounds) of rice used to sell for 1,500 LD, now it is 2,800 to 3,000 LD. We are finding it difficult to make ends meet."
An independent probe found no money was missing, but flagged "concerns regarding the overall accuracy and completeness of the CBL's internal records."
"We met the hardship and inherited all the bad conditions and without making excuses, we are solving them."