MONROVIA — A deeply personal and emotional account shared by Veronica Doe, the eldest daughter of former Liberian President Samuel Kanyon Doe, is generating widespread discussion across Liberia after she recounted how her father allegedly protected the mother of his wartime rival, former President Dahkpana Dr. Charles Ghankay Taylor, during the early stages of Liberia’s brutal civil war.
In a lengthy social media post reflecting on memories from the conflict, Veronica Doe described a haunting phone conversation she had with her father while the country was descending into violence and chaos in the early 1990s.
According to her, rumors had begun circulating that Louise Yassa Zoe Taylor — the mother of Charles Taylor — was secretly staying at the Executive Mansion under the protection of her father— Doe.
“Papa, is it true that Charles Taylor’s mother is staying in the Mansion with you? I just heard that she is staying in mama’s room?” Veronica recalled asking her father over the phone.
She said there was silence on the line before the former president calmly responded with words she says she only fully understood years later.
“Mamie, a mother gives life, but she does not sit inside the mind of a grown man,” Doe reportedly told his daughter.
Veronica recounted that as a young girl overwhelmed by fear, anger, and confusion, she challenged her father emotionally.
“But why are you protecting someone whose son is killing other people’s entire families, including their mothers?” she remembered asking him.
According to her account, the late president remained calm throughout the conversation and explained that Charles Taylor’s mother was innocent and should not be punished for the actions of her son.
“He feared that angry soldiers or angry citizens might kill her because of her son’s atrocities and then place the blame on him,” Veronica wrote.
She further revealed that after she eventually calmed down, her father reassured her that Mrs. Taylor was comfortable and safe at the Mansion and that her other son, Jonathan Taylor — who reportedly served as Doe’s Press Secretary — frequently remained with her there.
In what she described as an attempt to ease her fears and redirect the painful conversation, President Doe allegedly shifted the discussion to football and began enthusiastically talking about Liberia’s national team players.
“I still remember the happiness in his voice as he mentioned names like Arthur Farh and Boy Cooper being with him at the Mansion, too,” she recalled.
According to Veronica Doe, she later learned after the war that her father had personally ordered troops to locate and rescue Mrs. Taylor after the conflict reached Monrovia and she was reportedly trapped in the Congau settlement in Bentol.
She claimed that President Doe sent truckloads of soldiers to retrieve Taylor’s mother and later housed her on the sixth floor of the Executive Mansion in the apartment usually occupied by Liberia’s First Lady, Nancy Doe.
“She was given her own staff to care for her and sometimes they all ate together,” Veronica stated.
Her account further described how conditions at the Mansion later became increasingly dangerous as fighting intensified around Monrovia.
According to her, helicopters began firing toward the Executive Mansion from offshore positions, and during one attack, former Justice Minister Cllr. Nyenplue and then-Commerce Minister John McLean reportedly came under heavy fire alongside President Doe.
Following that incident, she said, her father concluded that Bentol would be safer for Mrs. Taylor and personally financed her relocation there.
Veronica further claimed that President Doe assigned one of his trusted soldiers, Captain Madison, along with a small security detail, to remain with Mrs. Taylor in Bentol and protect her at all times.
She stated that the security team remained with her until the deadly September 9, 1990 ambush that led to the killing of her father and numerous members of the Armed Forces of Liberia after his capture by forces loyal to the late rebel leader Prince Yormie Johnson.
Louise Yassa Zoe Taylor reportedly survived the war and later reunited with her son before her death on June 25, 2003.
Beyond the personal recollections, Veronica Doe used the post to reflect on what she described as her father’s humanity during one of Liberia’s darkest periods.
“Looking back now, I finally understand what my father was trying to teach me,” she wrote. “In war, humanity is often the first thing people lose.”
She argued that despite the violence and political betrayal surrounding Liberia’s civil conflict, her father attempted to show compassion even toward the family of the man leading the rebellion against his government.
Her post also revisited Liberia’s long-running political divisions and included strong criticism of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, whom she accused of political hypocrisy, vengeance, and contributing to Liberia’s civil conflict.
Veronica contrasted Sirleaf’s administration with what she described as the respectful treatment her mother later received from President Charles Taylor after Doe’s death.
According to her, Taylor welcomed former First Lady Nancy Doe as a private guest, restored her security privileges, provided financial assistance, and ensured state institutions supported her during his presidency.
She alleged that those privileges were later withdrawn during the Sirleaf administration.
The emotional account has since sparked intense reactions across Liberian social media, with many users debating the complex relationships, contradictions, and humanity that existed behind the brutal realities of Liberia’s civil war.
For some Liberians, the story serves as a reminder that even amid violence and political hatred, moments of compassion and personal decency still emerged during one of the bloodiest chapters in the nation’s history.
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