INQUIRER Suspends Activities of LURD Leadership

The Inquirer
Monrovia, Liberia

Distributed by

The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia

July 31, 2004

The Editorial Staff of The INQUIRER has suspended the publication of the activities of the leadership of the former warring group, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy(LURD).

According to paper’s Editorial Department, its decision to suspend the publication of LURD’s activities is due to the glaring feud within the group’s executives and leadership.

Making the disclosure late evening yesterday, the paper’s Managing Editor Philip N. Wesseh said, The INQUIRER will not, at this time, project thereby promote by publishing any situation wheresoever and whatsoever, that has the potential to derail the peace process, like publishing the activities of a divided organization that is rife with the trading of accusations and counter- accusations amongst its executives and leadership.

Mr. Wesseh said, LURD and others should be thinking about the dissolution of their respective factions than to be scrambling over positions. He said the Liberian people are tired with these kinds of activities.

The INQUIRER said it would not want to be caught in a similar situation like in 1996, when the two ULIMO factions(ULIMO-K and ULIMO-J) after the trading of utterances resorted to heavy fighting in Monrovia that led to the destruction of lives and properties including The INQUIRER’s offices then located on Carey Street.

The INQUIRER observed that instead of promoting the peace process and bringing relief to the Liberian people, especially with the full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Accord signed in Accra last August, the split in LURD is worrisome to the Liberian people who want nothing but “transparent peace”.

The INQUIRER used the occasion to state its commitment to promoting and supporting the peace process and as such would only give credence to a unified group that is determined to bring relief to the Liberian people.

Yesterday, Justice Minister Kabineh Jan’eh said he has been elected as the new national chairman of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy(LURD).

However, Sekou Damante Conneh who signed the CPA as LURD’s national chairman, speaking to the British Broadcasting Corporation(BBC) from Senegal said, he remains the chairman of the movement.

Sekou Conneh said currently the vice Chairman and Secretary General of the Movement are in Ghana taking orders from him as the head of the movement.

This is the paper’s second time of taking such action in recent time. Recently, the paper announced a similar action against the Patriotic Consciousness Association (PACA).