A large blaze ravaged parts of Liberia’s parliament building on Wednesday, a day after tense protests erupted following months of political deadlock.
Authorities said that the fire that broke out early in the morning had been brought under control and that an investigation had been launched to establish the cause.
President Joseph Boakai, who visited the scene and ordered an investigation into the incident, condemned the “wanton destruction in this country.”
The protests are being held against moves to remove the parliament speaker, who faces corruption accusations. The demonstrators are also calling for the president to step down.
On Tuesday, police arrested dozens of protesters and used tear gas to disperse the crowds.
Regional bloc ECOWAS and the US embassy have condemned Tuesday’s “violence” between police and protesters and called for calm in the West African nation.
It is the second time in a week that the parliament building has caught fire, though there was no indication that the incidents are connected. Local media reports said the police arrested some suspects in the area when the latest fire broke out.
The protests came after months of tension over whether Konati Koffa, speaker of Liberia’s House of Representatives, who is an opposition party member, would be removed from office for alleged corrupt practices.
Liberia’s law provides that the speaker can be removed by a two-thirds majority of the house. But without the necessary support for that, the parliament has become deadlocked, and the government has not been able to pass the annual budget.