Editor’s Note: Every Friday, Andrew Green curates the top news and analysis from and about the African continent.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, this week to demand the government salvage the country’s cratering economy. Police met them with water cannons and tear gas, and dozens of demonstrators were taken to the hospital in the aftermath of the altercation.
The Liberian economy has suffered badly since President George Weah, a former soccer star, took office two years ago. Banks are now unable to pay depositors and the salaries of civil servants are regularly delayed. Inflation is skyrocketing.