VP publicly apologises to the presidency

Liberian Vice-President Jewel Howard Taylor has apologised to President George Weah live on morning television for leaving the country “frequently” without informing him, reports the New Dawn newspaper.

The newspaper goes on to say there has been speculation for some time about bad blood between the two “with some pointing to lack of trust over connection with her ex-husband, jailed former President Charles Taylor”.

Mr Taylor was convicted in 2012 for terrorism, rape, murder and the use of child soldiers by rebel groups in neighbouring Sierra Leone during the 1991-2002 civil war, in which some 50,000 people died.

The alliance between Mr Weah, the former World Footballer of the Year, and Ms Howard Taylor always seemed somewhat unlikely.

Historically Mr Weah was a staunch critic of Mr Taylor and his National Patriotic Party (NPP), so observers wondered about his motives.

That’s especially as Ms Howard Taylor made her allegiance to her ex-husband clear. During campaigning for the election she said that the country needed to get back to the “agenda” outlined by Taylor when he was president.