Sweden, long Liberia's most reliable and generous development partners, announced on Friday that it will end bilateral aid to Liberia and close its embassy in Monrovia by August bringing an abrupt end to decades of deep cooperation. In a statement on Facebook, the embassy described the decision it described as "difficult...This decision has not been taken lightly and is a consequence of reduced funding in our overall budget for development budget," the statement read. "Other countries that are being affected in Africa are Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Tanzania." Announcing the decision at a press conference in Sweden, Benjamin Dousa, Minister for Development Cooperation, said the money will go to Ukraine instead. After Russia's invasion Sweden joined the North American Treaty Organization, a group of countries in Europe and North America that have promised to protect each other if any one of them is attacked. Many Swedes feared their country might be a Russian target. "We see that the need is even greater in Ukraine," said Dousa, speaking in Swedish. "It is a defining moment in the history of Europe." The embassy said the withdrawal "will be done in a responsible and orderly way," adding that Sweden's support through the European Union and multilateral organizations would continue. The decision, it said, was "not in any way linked to policies or events in Liberia." Still, the announcement sent shockwaves across Liberia, where Sweden has been one of the last major bilateral donors standing. The U.S. government, historically Liberia's largest partner, cut an estimated $US300 million in assistance earlier this year -- the equivalent of more than one-third of Liberia's national budget -- leaving Sweden, the EU and a handful of international partners to fill critical gaps. Under its current cooperation strategy for Liberia -- a SEK1.85 billion or $US196.7 million program running from 2021 to 2025 -- Sweden funds 39 projects spanning human rights, rule of law, governance reform, sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality, youth and women's empowerment, agriculture, infrastructure, media development, climate resilience and environmental protection. (New Narratives has been a beneficiary of Swedish support.) Sweden is also the only international donor so far to fund Liberia's war-crimes court process. Its support was routed through the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, which in turn provided assistance to Liberia's Office of the War and Economic Crimes Court. Experts warn that Sweden's withdrawal will further weaken Liberia's already fragile transitional-justice efforts. The pullout is likely to result in significant job losses across the many programs Sweden supports and will also affect the thousands of Liberians who directly benefit from those initiatives. Despite the phase-out, Sweden said it intends to preserve what it called the "excellent relationship" between the two countries. "We will seek to strenghten and broaden the partnership between Liberia and Sweden beyond development cooperation not least through enhanced trade and business relations," the embassy said. "Sweden remains a steadfast partner to Liberia and attaches great importance to our shared priorities and values which together with our strong historic ties provides a solid foundation for continued good relations between our two countries." Officials at Liberia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Information -- including assistant minister for public affairs Saywhar Gbaa, Jerolinmek Matthew Piah, the information minister and deputy information minister Daniel Sando -- did not respond to requests for comment. "This will indeed be a difficult moment for us as an institution," said Eddie D. Jarwolo, executive director of Naymote Partners for Democratic Development in a whatsapp message. "Especially with the termination of the USAID partnership, the Swedish government has been our strongest and most dependable source of support." Sweden's departure also comes at a critical moment for Liberia. The timing coincides with the year Liberia is set to begin its term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council -- "a timing that couldn't be more unfortunate," Tehoungue said. George Kronnisanyon Werner, a former education minister in the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf administration, criticized the Liberian government for failing to avert the pullout. "We could have articulated Liberia's continuing relevance in West Africa's stability," Werner argued in a Facebook post. "We could have made a principled and evidence-based case for continued bilateral cooperation. We could have appealed to Sweden's historic role in Liberia's democracy and peace. But we did none of this. We did not use the tools available to us." "This did not happen overnight," said Werner, who himself benefited from Sweden's support when he was at Civil Service Agency. "The consequences will be felt not only in our infrastructure and institutions, but also in our fragile democratic ecosystem." Werner noted that the first warning sign might have appeared weeks ago when the Folke Bernadotte Academy -- Sweden's premier peace and security institution -- abruptly closed its Liberia program. "When the agency responsible for Sweden's global peacebuilding footprint chooses to withdraw from a country, it is rarely a routine bureaucratic decision," he said. "It is almost always the first tremor before a larger strategic shift. Liberia missed that tremor entirely." In August, Sweden pledged to contribute approximately SEK2.7 billion or $US275 million in military support package to Ukraine. The govenrment plans to redistribute SEK 2 billion or $US200 million Ukraine in the coming years. Some humanitarian support, including for sexual and reproductive health and rights, will continue globally Experts say the news, coming at the same time as a proposal in the Senate to slash legislators' pay, will put even more pressure on government to cut corruption and curb excessive spending on itself. Jarwolo urged the government to reassess its development priorities. "The government of Liberia should focus more on using the resources of the country to support the development and sustainability of democracy, peace and stability," said Jarwolo. "Political governance, and democracy enhancement could encourage more investments in the country to create jobs, and improve national development." This story is a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the Investigating Liberia Project. Funding was provided by the Swedish Embassy in Liberia which had no say in the story's content. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 set off the biggest war in Europe in decades, and Ukraine has depended heavily on help from Western countries to defend itself. But in the past year, Europe has struggled to keep up support after the United States--Ukraine's largest military backer--cut major funding. European leaders say they want to continue helping Ukraine, but many countries are dealing with their own economic problems, high energy prices, and limits on how much ammunition and equipment they can produce. As the war drags on, experts warn that Ukraine's future depends on whether Europe can step up and fill the gap left by the U.S. funding shortfall. "When you factor in indirect employment--construction workers on infrastructure projects, farmers in agricultural value chains, trainers in skills development programs--the affected population easily reaches thousands," warned Tennen B. Dalieh Tehoungue, a former national programme officer for Gender and Human Security at the Swedish embassy, in an email. "Communities in counties where Swedish road rehabilitation projects operate may see work halt mid-construction. Health facilities receiving Swedish support for maternal health services may see programs wind down, exacerbating Liberia's already dire maternal mortality rates. The broader aid economy--hotels, vehicle rentals, restaurants, printing services--that depended on donor presence will fall sharply." Diplomatic relations between the two countries date back to 1958 when the Liberian-American-Swedish Mining Company, known as Lamco, a major iron ore mining project, made Sweden one of the country's biggest foreign partners. The company built railways, roads, and the town of Yekepa, but it was also criticized for taking profits out of Liberia and leaving behind economic and environmental damage when the mines collapsed during the civil war. In 2023, the two nations celebrated 65 years of relations, marking one of Liberia's longest-standing bilateral partnerships. Jarwolo said Sweden had "contributed immensely to the advancement of democracy in Liberia, and for that, we remain deeply grateful...The partnership and collaboration we have enjoyed over the years with the Swedish have had a meaningful impact, and its closure is something we never anticipated at this time," said Jarwolo. "Liberia will truly feel the absence of the embassy and its work. Naymote appreciates the cooperation, friendship, and shared commitment to strengthening democratic governance in our country with Sweden's support."

Liberia: 'A Quiet Earthquake' - in Major Blow, Sweden Plans Exit As Largest Remaining Bilateral Donor

Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines Werner called Sweden's withdrawal a "quiet earthquake." Tehoungue agreed that the implications of the withdrawal would be far reaching. "For a country that has worked tirelessly to rehabilitate its post-war image, having a major European partner withdraw suggests either development saturation or strategic deprioritization-- I argue, neither narrative helps Liberia's diplomatic standing," she said. "While Sweden emphasized the decision is not linked to any policies or events within Liberia, the political message is clear: Western countries are prioritizing the development needs of their countries." Tagged: Liberia West Africa External Relations International Organisations Aid and Assistance