MONROVIA, Montserrado – Sheikh Kafumba Konneh, a leading Muslim cleric, died late Monday, July 20 at his home in Topoe Village, Montserrado, following a period of illness.  He was 71 years old.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf described his death as a great loss to the nation.

Sirleaf portrayed Konneh as a great statesman. “When a giant tree falls in a forest, it impacts other trees far and near,” she said. Konneh played a noticeable role in the peace process that led to the ending of the Liberian civil war in 2003.  He was also a member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia, which was founded in 2005.

Sirleaf told hundreds of mourner at the funeral rites of the late Muslim leader that Konneh’s death should serve as a catalyst to consolidate peace and stimulate national healing.

The late Konneh was given a heroic burial and was laid to rest on Tuesday, July 21 at Samukai Town, Caldwell, Montserrado in keeping with Islamic tradition.

Featured image courtesy of Augustine Naplah/MICAT