Why
There Must be Accountability in Liberia
By failing to include provisions that would seek to identify and prosecute
those responsible for the most heinous crimes - massacres, rape, torture
and other forms of macabre atrocities - the parties to the Liberian
Peace Agreement of 18th August 2003 and the mediators and facilitators
alike, have failed to put Liberia on the road to sustainable peace,
genuine reconciliation and democracy. Their decision to pursue the path
of impunity through blanket amnesty for even the most horrific and egregious
crimes that have been visited on Liberia for the past 14 years is tragic
and stunning, especially when one looks at how impunity in the past
has led to more and more violence.
Cultural Cynicisms
& Market Forces-Women Empowerment Struggle In Liberia and West African
Countries
This article examines patriarchy system in West African countries by critically analysing the interplay between market institutions and traditional cultural practices. When African countries gained their independence from former colonial bosses in the early 60's the expectation was economic and social inequalities that characterised colonial rule would cease to exist. Men and women in liberation movements hugged each other in comradeship and shouted ‘amanda-n’kawitu’-
expression of happiness after long and sometimes bloody battle for self-rule.
Wheelbarrows
Hold Monrovia Together (AP)
MONROVIA, Liberia - Thousands of men weave through the mortar-blasted
streets of Liberia's capital, pushing wheelbarrows laden with sacks
of rice, onions or anything else in need of fast delivery. They are
an industry born of war, and perhaps a solution for the future.
Exiled
Liberian Leader May Face Trial (Reuters)
Liberia's exiled leader Charles Taylor could one day face trial at home
for war crimes, President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, where Taylor
now enjoys asylum, said on Saturday.
French
army in Ivorian rebel town (BBC)
French troops in Ivory Coast have for the first time entered
the rebel stronghold of Bouake, following a bank robbery and a shootout
that killed at least 23 people. The intervention was approved by the
rebels, and designed to curb violence in the city, a French army spokesman
said.
Root
Out the Little Tyrants
(Open Letter to Jacques Klein)
The ongoing deconstruction of the repressive state structure left
in place by the indicted and now departed Charles Taylor is a welcome
development in the evolution of the democratic process in Liberia.
Social forces like the youth and the student movements can now wage
a conscientious struggle for democracy, and participate in the national
political debate, without fear of life-threatening consequences.
The
Liberian Politicians And Civil Society Have Done It Again
The self-anointed representatives of the Liberian people, who assembled
in Ghana for the so-called peace talks to end the terrorism, which
was inflicted on the Liberian people, by barbarians and evil men,
have done it again. They have replaced one war criminal and a low
down common thief, with several criminals and potential thieves. It
seems as if the biggest problem with Liberians is that they do not
learn from past mistakes. Does anybody remember what the 4 previous
chairpersons of the various interim governments of Liberia accomplished
during their tenure in office?
Liberian
Marketeers Fire Charles Taylor Associate from Top Post
(The Inquirer)
The Board of Directors of the Liberia Marketing Association (LMA),
has be reconstituted with the setting up of an interim leadership.
The LMA board, according to a resolution adopted September 10, 2003
among other things cited political interferences as the reasons for
their action.
HIV/AIDS
and the World of Work: Policy Advocacy Issues
The role of the World of Work in HIV/AIDS remedial efforts is now well
recognized thanks to the efforts of the International Labor Organization
(ILO). The ILO HIV/AIDS program in three years is now a major strategic,
policy and programmatic force in global efforts to stem the tide of
HIV epidemic. Dr. Franklyn Lisk the Director of the program and Assane
Diop the Executive Director for Social Protection, ILO, deserve special
commendation for their work in the last three years.
After Charles Taylor,
What Next?
Charles Taylor, the epitome of modern day African War-Lordism and all
of its obnoxious hang-ups, has finally succumbed to international pressure
and reluctantly departed Liberia after accepting Nigerian President
Obasanno's gracious offer of exile in Nigeria. The Nigerian leader,
for reasons best known to himself, voluntarily guaranteed Taylor protection
from prosecution by the U. N. sponsored Tribunal on War Crimes in Sierra
Lone.
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| Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf |
Liberian
Political Parties Honor Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (The
Inquirer)
Unity Party’s standard-bearer, Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf says
she remains undaunted in the search for peace, equal opportunity and
social justice in Liberia. Speaking last Monday at the Monrovia City
Hall, when the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) honored her for
working tirelessly in the search for durable peace and stability in
Liberia and the sub region, Madam Sirleaf said the search for social
justice and peace for everyone in Liberia remains one of her primary
focus.
Profile of
ECOMIL Force Commander Festus Okechukwu Okonkwo (The Inquirer)
Due to the precarious political, military and humanitarian situation
obtaining in Liberia especially during the last three months (June -
August 2003), facilitators at the Accra peace talks negotiated a cease-fire
that was signed by the three belligerent forces (LURD, MODEL, GOL) on
June 17, 2003. No sooner had the cease-fire been signed, it was broken.
 |
| Benoni Urey |
Liberia Maritime
Commissioner, Other Clash (The Inquirer)
Mr. Benoni Urey and Mr. Sam Cooper of Constituency #5, reportedly engaged
in a fight on Monday, as a result of disagreement over certain issues
relative to the elections. Mr. Urey is said to have physically assaulted
Mr. Cooper during the row which ensued between the two men at the Monrovia
City Hall.
United
Nations Accuses LURD, MODEL of Carrying On Slavery In Liberia (The Inquirer)
What appears to be the practice of slavery is said to be going on
in Central Liberia and other parts of Liberia, a report monitored
this week revealed, though that is yet to be confirmed independently.
The report, quoting the United Nations, incriminates the two rebel
groups, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and
the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL) as the perpetrators.
Wives
of Slain Liberian Government officials Want Benjamin Yeaten Arrested (The Inquirer)
The wives of the two slain government officials, John Yormie and Isaac
Vaye, are demanding the bodies of their husbands for proper funeral
rites.
U.N.Officials Explain
Happening In Liberia Port City
of Harper (The Inquirer)
Fresh reports emanating from the small coastal city of Harper, Maryland
County, since its occupation by MODEL forces in May this year, speak
of a virtual desertion of the area.
Down
Memory Lane: Remembering Maryland, the Shining Eastern Star
Hard news is difficult to come by when we're talking about Liberia.
It is harder still, when the focus is not Monrovia. I was thrilled
the other day when 'Friends of Liberia' published some news about
Maryland County. Reading the names of places where I grew up was thrilling.
Although the news out of Pleebo and Harper is not quite good, it was
nice to be assured that those lovely places still exist.
 |
|
Moses Blah
|
Liberian Government
Officials Threatened With Dismissal (The
Inquirer)
President Moses Z. Blah says the Government of Liberia will not be
run by remote control from outside Liberia. He said anyone trying
to run the country from outside will be engaging in a fruitless exercise
as the present administration will not allow that to happen.
Ellen
Johnson-Sirleaf Storms Monrovia, Receives Rousing Welcome
(The Inquirer)
Unity Party's presidential hopeful, Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, last week stormed Monrovia with rousing welcome from hundreds of Liberians and foreign nationals, while the iron-lady of Liberian politics has pledged her commitment to work with the in-coming Gyude Bryant-led transitional government in a bid to achieve its mandate. Speaking to newsmen at her temporary residence shortly after arrival in the country on September 20th, Madam Sirleaf said the Gyude Bryant administration is to usher in a new day and new order in Liberia, and as such a broad-base participation of all Liberians is required.
Top Liberian
Religious Group Under Public Probe For US$250.000
(The Inquirer)
Religious leaders in Liberia have attributed the country’s prolonged
civil conflict to alleged atrocities and transgressions by political
leaders and the people. They even said until the leaders of the country
repent, God’s wrath will hang over the country.
Liberians
Welcome Deployment of 15,000 UN Peace-keeping Force (The
Inquirer)
The United Nations Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution
establishing a 15,000 strong stabilization force for Liberia to assist
with the smooth implementation of the peace process.
Welcoming
The UN Resolution (The Inquirer)
AT THE 4830TH meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New
York on Saturday, 19 September 2003, the assembly unanimously adopted
Resolution 1509 (2002) establishing a 15,000-strong stabilization
force for Liberia to assist in the implementation of a cease-fire
and peace agreement signed on August 18 in Accra, Ghana, which aims
at national elections by the end of 2005.
Joint Monitoring Committee
Meets In Monrovia (The Inquirer)
The first meeting of the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC), established
to monitor and verify cease-fire violations, took place on Wednesday,
September 17, at the ECOMIL Headquarters.
Unknown Armedmen
Flogged Liberian Journalist In Monrovia (The
Inquirer)
A reporter of The ANALYST newspaper, Mr. J. Caesar Padmore was on
Thursday night flogged and rubbed by two unknown armed men.
Liberia:
Don’t Let the Thugs Scare You
On September 19, 2003 I got an email message from Vabolee Kamara whose
email address was given as
vabolee@msn.com
and the message was as follows "you will regret." I believe
this was a response to an article I had written and published by The
Perspective "
Liberia: How to
Make the Peace Deal Work" (September 19, 2003) I can only guess
what the statement means and why Vabolee decided to threaten me. Of
course I replied to the message and dare him to carry out his threat
but there is something more ominous about the message and I recalled
how the Doe dictatorship treated its critics. Mr. Vabolee’s threat
is consistent with that tendency and a probable harbinger of things
to come.
United
States policies and educational programming in postwar Liberia
Liberia is a country in dire need of international assistance as the
result of years of political chaos and economic mismanagement. The
country lies at an important historical crossroads as the many challenges
facing her are enormous to say the least. Indeed, the gravity of the
humanitarian challenges facing this oldest of African countries, in
the wake of recent fighting is simply awesome in its depths and unmitigated
proportions. Entire towns and cities have been laid to waste and the
country has been transformed into a huge wasteland. There is widespread
uncertainty among the general populace at the dawn of the inauguration
of a post Taylor interim administration.
The Chilling Message
from Warlords and Politicians
When day lights pierces through the window, most politically oriented
Liberians in the foreign land are before their computers searching
and flipping through the Internet to read about the situation back
home. After months of deadly violence, Liberians want to read and
know whether there is a tiny ray of hope and what is happening to
lives and souls of their love ones, relatives, friends and other connections.
Liberians want to know whether sanity, peace and comfort are returning
to their motherland.
Liberia: How
to Make the Peace Deal Work
"Not all gutter rats were born in the gutter and therefore not
all gutter rats will die in the gutter." - The Secretariat/LURD
National Headquarters, Voinjama City, Lofa County, Republic of Liberia.
In 1997 when Charles Taylor "won" the elections, the slogan
that captured international attention was "you killed my pa, you
killed my ma, but I will vote for you [papay - Charles Taylor's nom
de endearment]." At the time I had written that Taylor's proposition
to the Liberian people was "your vote or the bullet." Liberians
parted with their votes and Taylor became the "democratically elected
president."
MODEL, Lift the
Siege on Buchanan
On yesterday, Sept. 17/03, while rushing through some news items, I
came across an article critical of LURD's threat to disengaging from
the on-going peace process in Liberia should it not be allowed to have
it's way. This news
article, which was
attributed to the MODEL organization further said that LURD must accept
the reality that the war on the Liberian people was over. What a strong
statement of good will coming out of people who just two months ago,
killed their fellow Liberians with absolute impunity. MODEL, thank you
any way!
U.N.
Approves 15,000 Peacekeepers for Liberia (Reuters)
The U.N. Security Council on Friday unanimously approved some 15,000
peacekeepers for Liberia to help rebuild the West African nation and
stop marauding militias, robberies and rape.
Taylor Forming Alliance
with MODEL to Sell Buchanan's Iron Ore Stockpile?
An unscrupulous scheme tele-guided by Charles Taylor from Calabar, Nigeria,
is underway to sell 800,000 metric tons of iron ore stockpiled at the
Port of Buchanan for a staggering amount of 5.6 million dollars and
convert same to the personal use of him and his cohorts. An agreement
for the sale of iron ore was signed on February 6th, 2003, between the
Liberian Mining Corporation (a wholly owned Government company) as the
seller and FIDC Inc. (a foreign investment firm) as the buyer.
Liberia:
UN sends food to tens of thousands for first time in months (UN)
The United Nations has sent food to tens of thousands of people in the
rebel-held Liberian city of Buchanan for the first time since heavy
fighting erupted between the government and rebels earlier this year,
but hundreds of thousands more in the West African country have received
no humanitarian aid for months.
Can the
New Liberian Transitional Government Succeed?
If everything goes as planned, on October 15th, 2003, Mr. Gyude Bryant,
the Chairman of Liberian Action Party will be inaugurated as the 5th
transitional leader of Liberia since 1990. Rather than a national electoral
process, the new leadership came out of a consensus between warring
factions and political parties. The warring parties - the NPP-NPFL,
LURD and MODEL- do not represent the will of the Liberian people, nor
do most of the political parties.
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| After signing the Peace Agreement, Taylor's Lewis Brown and MODEL's Thomas Nimely embrace while LURD's Damate Conneh looks on. |
Working With
LURD: Still a Dangerous Proposition
Liberians, both at home and abroad have held our collective breath since
the peace agreement was signed earlier this year in Ghana. We have waited
tentatively for the transitional team to implement the agreement and
hopefully put our country back on course. There are those, especially
the ex-warring factions of LURD and MODEL, who were jubilant that the
agreement was signed - they were happy that the terms of the agreement
manifested their aspirations. Remember: The world was shown a photo
of erstwhile enemies embracing and hugging each other.
In
Exile, Taylor Exerts Control: Exercises Influence From Nigeria (Washington
Post)
OWENSGROVE, Liberia -- The words painted on this town's welcome sign,
"Charles in Charge. Our Beloved," offer a surprising message,
considering that former president Charles Taylor, an indicted war criminal,
fled into exile in Nigeria last month.
U.N.
Readies Approval for Peacekeepers in Liberia
(Reuters)
In an effort to rebuild a nation, the U.N. Security Council is expected
to approve some 15,000 peacekeepers for Liberia by Friday to stop marauding
militia, robberies and rape in the West African country.
MODEL Condemns LURD's
"Threats" Against Chairman Bryant
The Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), one of the rebel groups
that signed the recent Liberian peace agreement in Ghana says it takes
"serious exception" to the recent press statement by LURD
threatening to withdraw from the government of national unity that
is being formed in Liberia. LURD has threatened to withdraw from the
interim government because of what it called "attempt to deny
it key government positions".
The
people of Liberia deserve better: The international community, in
partnership with Liberia, must rise to the challenge - Says Jacques
Klien.
For the past twelve years they have lived in hellish
limbo, suffering at the whim of warlords and despots, exploited by
a criminal kleptocracy without help or relief in sight. Their lives
and their country are held hostage by armed drugged thugs who destroy
the state and engulfed the region in chaos. The ravages of self-centred
political and criminal ideologies spread the conflict beyond Liberia's
borders and caused enormous suffering and havoc in the neighbouring
states
Liberia: Laying
the Foundation for Sustained Peace
On October 14 a new interim government would be inaugurated in Liberia.
This occasion will provide Liberians another opportunity to take the
path to peace and stability. This is no easy feat. After all, the country
has witnessed more than 14 years of violent and destructive civil conflict,
preceded by nine years of a repressive military dictatorship. As a result,
more than 300,000 Liberians may have lost their lives, a million more
displaced. What this actually means is that one in every three Liberian
does not live where he or she lived in 1989 when Mr Charles Taylor launched
his war to capture state power.
EU
Gives $13.5M for Liberia Peacekeepers
(AP)
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Union said Tuesday it would give
another $13.5 million in emergency aid to support African peacekeepers
in Liberia. The European Commission said $9 million would be used
to cover support costs for peacekeepers from Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal
and Mali and other peace-building efforts in the West African nation.
U.S. Calls for U.N. Force for Liberia
(AP)
UNITED NATIONS - The United States called Monday for the United Nations
to send as many as 15,000 peacekeepers and 900 police officers to
Liberia to help restore peace and start rebuilding the battered West
African nation.
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|
D. Conmany Wesseh
|
Conmany Wesseh,
Others Elected (The Inquirer)
In keeping with the recent Accra peace agreement for parties to the
Liberian conflict and other stakeholders including the civil society
and political parties to nominate their respective representatives
to the Transitional Legislative Assembly (TLA), the civil society
and political parties have begun the process. Over the weekend, the
Civil Society Movement of Liberia(CSML-L), which divided itself into
its constituent groupings for the exercise, began the process of electing
their representatives to fill the seven slots allotted to them.
Selection for Liberia’s Transitional Legislative Members Intensifies (The Inquirer)
The process leading to the selection of members of the Transitional
Legislative Assembly (TLA) for each of the 15 counties in the country,
has intensified with almost all of the counties holding separate meetings
to elect their lawmakers to the incoming Transitional Government.
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| Sankan Nyanseor |
Sankan Eyes Future in
Biochemistry; Admitted to National Society of High School Scholars
18-year-old Sankan Worhwinn Nyanseor, a senior and super honor
roll student at Tri-Cities High School in East Point, Georgia, was
admitted to membership in the prestigious "invitation only"
National Society of High School Scholars late last month for her scholastic
achievements and academic excellence.
Minister Questioned
on the Circumstances Surrounding Death of Two Government Officials
(The Inquirer)
Circumstances surrounding the deaths of two government officials,
Deputy Minister John Yormie of the Ministry of National Security,
and Mr. Isaac Vaye, Deputy Minister for Technical Services at the
Ministry of Public Works; continue to raise eyebrows in many circles.
New Appointment
In Unity Party (The Inquirer)
The opposition Unity Party of iron-lady Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has
made fresh appointment within the youth wing of the party. According
to information gathered, the Executive of the Youth Wing of the party
has appointed a frightened Liberia youth and political figure as Chairman
of the National Youth Wing. He is Mr. Martin S. Kollie.
Akosombo 2003: The
Challenges Posed For Liberia
This is the first of a series of dialogues that we intend to engage
in with the Government of Liberia and with our people. We note that
many of Liberia’s past governments have shown great sensitivity
to criticisms and a high level of intolerance of discussions and views
not held or shared by them. Most of our officials have regarded criticisms
of the government’s handling of the affairs of state and its treatment
of our people as treasonable, seditious, or opposition to the government,
and have meted out to them severe punishments because of the views held
or expressed. Even our courts had joined in the fray, regarding analyses
or criticisms of their opinions as contemptuous and desiring of severe
punishment.
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|
Gyude Bryant
|
LURD Wants
More "Spoils of War", Threatens Chairman Bryant
While Liberians are still blaming those who participated in the
Ghana Peace Conference for rewarding warring factions for the atrocities
they have committed in Liberia, LURD -one of the warring factions
that benefited from the agreement - wants more jobs and power. The
Ghana agreement gave LURD the Ministries of Finance, Justice, Labor,
Transport, and State. Besides, LURD was given the Liberia Free Zone
Authority; Liberian Telecommunications Corporation, Liberian Produce
Marketing Corporation, National Ports Authority, General Service Agency,
and the National Investment Commission. For each of these ministries
and public corporations, LURD is to provide the head and two deputies.
But it seems that LURD wants it all.
Africa: A
Continent Advancing Backward
A few weeks ago I heard Jack Beatty of The Atlantic
monthly say the silver tongue Charles Taylor, former president of Liberia,
was the only leader whom he knows of elected under the slogan "He
killed your mother and he killed your father and if you do not vote
for him he will kill you".
LIBERIA:
LURD threatens to quit government over jobs row (IRIN)
The Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) rebel movement
has threatened to pull out of a broad-based transitional government
that is due to take power next month, claiming there are plans to deny
it key government posts."
International Crisis Group
Makes Recommendations to the UN Security Council
The 18 August 2003 peace agreement signed in Accra by the parties to
Liberia’s civil conflict is fragile. The situation on the ground
is still highly dangerous, with ceasefire violations; manoeuvring by
the armed forces of the parties to establish new facts and leverage
in advance of what is bound to be a long and difficult political process;
and inadequate conditions for urgently needed humanitarian relief.
Liberian
Peacekeepers Round Up Rebels (AP)
MONROVIA, Liberia - Peacekeepers loaded rebel fighters into trucks
and carried them off the battlefield after brokering a regional cease-fire,
seen as a test of the international force's ability to tame Liberia's
violence.
A
Critical Eye On The New Deal's Reaction
The Overview: I can not help but be impressed with the New Deal Movement
and the dedication with which it summoned the level of fervency of
its response
to the "New Democrat" containing 5,381 full word counts
wafting in nine pages of insults laden document to the Paper's editorial
of August 25, 2003, entitled, "The Dawn of Unholy Alliances in
Post-Taylor Liberia,"
Master’s
Degree in Public Policy Fellowship at Princeton University
The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International
Affairs at Princeton University in conjunction with the World Bank
is offering a one-year Master of Public Policy Fellowship program
to all members of the World Bank borrowing countries (developing countries).
War crimes
tribunal is the only appropriate forum for accountability
With the megalomania Charles Taylor out of the way and
exiled to Calabar, Nigeria, and the willingness to stop the killing
by the groups of drug-stoned thugs that had terrorized the Liberian
people over the years, perhaps there will finally be durable peace in
Liberia. But lest we forget that we had been through this path of well-crafted
peace agreements before, with their lavish dispensation of perks to
each group of psychopaths who ardently subscribes to the doctrine of
nihilism only to repeatedly find ourselves become victims of their insatiable
greed.
Catholic
Human Rights Commission Wants War Crimes Court In Liberia
(The Inquirer)
The Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) is reminding parties
at the on-going Accra Peace Talks on Liberia that the future survival
of the Liberian Nation and its people lies in their hands.
Liberians
in fear of food raids
(BBC)
Looting from war-displaced people in Liberia by government and rebel
militias has become so widespread that some hungry civilians have begun
pleading with aid agencies not to give them stockpiles of food for fear
that it will attract attacks.
What's Up, Uncle Sam?
Recent writers on U.S.-Liberia relations have variously
referred to the latter country as "Uncle Sam's Stepson" or
"America's Stepchild". (See, "Liberia: Uncle Sam's Stepson",
book by Bill Frank and "Liberia: America's Stepchild", a documentary
by Nancy Bright). This relationship has existed for more than a century
and a half - dating as far back as 1818, when the first attempt to colonize
this part of the Grain Coast (present day Liberia) was made. This first
expedition was terminated on Sherbro Island, a territory belonging to
the British Colony of Sierra Leone, due to lack of sufficient funds.
"It
is important to identify those who truly are guilty" of war crimes,
says Jacques Klein (UN News Centre)
I have asked the UN legal advisers to find out how broad are the powers
of the Special Court for Sierra Leone and, when we have a United Nations
mandate here, what I am obligated to do. But I intend to have a very
strong judicial cell in the mission. It is important to identify those
who truly are guilty.
Chairman
Bryant appoints a thirty-member Transition Committee
Gyude Bryant, the Chairman-elect of the National Transitional
Government of Liberian (NTGL), has appointed a 30-member transitional
committee. Chairman Gyude Bryant was selected by the Liberian warring
factions to head the interim government of Liberia.
Liberia's
Taylor Won't Give Up Empire (AP)
MONROVIA, Liberia - Charles Taylor used fear, patronage and state
monopolies to control what diplomats and business leaders estimate
amounted to 90 percent of Liberia's economy - everything from imported
rice to diamonds, timber and lucrative shipping registry fees.
MODEL Distributes
"Spoils" of War?
The Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), one of
the three rebel groups that carved up government ministries and public
corporations as spoils of war at the recent peace conference in Ghana,
is said to have selected Eugene Dean Wilson, the spokesman for the rebel
group, as Liberia's Foreign Minister to serve in the incoming interim
government. According to MODEL sources, Dean Wilson's selection was
consummated at the end of the recent peace conference in Ghana; and
is awaiting submission to Chairman Charles Bryant.
Troops
to move beyond Monrovia (BBC)
West African peacekeepers are preparing to deploy outside the Liberian
capital Monrovia for the first time on Saturday, having secured the
city. The deployment follows appeals by aid agencies for more security
outside the capital.
Peacekeepers
Prepare to Head to Liberia (AP)
MONROVIA, Liberia - West African peacekeeping forces said they would
send troops to north-central Liberia as early as Saturday, moving
into the countryside for the first time to quell unrest that has forced
tens of thousands of civilians to flee.
Liberia: Lifting
sanctions will fuel instability and jeopardise peace
'Against the People, For the Resources', a new briefing
document released today by Global Witness, the Nobel Peace Prize-nominated
investigative group, details the risks of lifting UN Security Council
sanctions on Liberia, as to do so would fuel regional instability and
imperil Liberia's nascent peace process.
Give Chairman
Bryant the Benefit of the Doubt
If you have been following the news since the election
of Gyude Bryant as Chairman of the Liberian Transitional Government,
words like "political novice" and "inexperienced politician"
have popped up to describe him. Even though I do not personally know
Mr. Bryant, I think these words wrongly characterize this wonderful
man. I think we need to stop characterizing him and rally around him
in the cause of Liberia.
Thousands
Flee Shooting in Central Liberia (Reuters)
SALALA, Liberia - Tens of thousands of frightened people trudged with
their bundles from camps in anarchic central Liberia Wednesday after
reports of more gunfire in spite of last month's peace deal.
Two Years for
an Interim: Too Short or Too Long? (Corrected
Version)
According to the Accra Peace Agreement on Liberia,
the Interim Government has two years within which to set the stage
for elections. Some Liberians think that is not sufficient time for
all that there is to be done. Well, it all depends whether or not
the interim government would be working in the best interest of the
Liberian people. Let us suppose, for a moment, that the incoming interim
administration turns out to be a replica of previous failed administrations
of vivid memory (same song, different tune) then would the Liberian
people wish to have them around for two full years of selfishness,
corruption, incompetence, suffering, dictatorship?
Liberians
flee 'rebel attack' (BBC)
Tens of thousands of displaced people have been fleeing fighting in
the centre of Liberia, heading towards the capital, Monrovia.
A Code
of Official Conduct for Liberia
The citizens of Liberia are entitled to, and deserve
fair, ethical, and accountable government. This is especially the case
after the "wild adventures of Charles Taylor." Government
officials and employees hold positions of public trust and their actions
must remain above suspicion. In keeping with the obligation to excellence
in public service, the effective and objective performance of democratic
government requires that:
Liberia Betrayed Again
All the world looked on as a defiant Ghana government
on June 4, 2003 refused to arrest Charles Taylor, the embattled Liberian
president who had just been indicted on charges of war crimes and crimes
against humanity by the UN-backed War Crimes Tribunal in Freetown. In
the end, Accra could manage only to guarantee Taylor's safe passage
back to Monrovia. He was whisked off on a Ghana presidential jet, accompanied
by a full military guard of honor.
Peace
takes hold in Liberian capital (BBC)
Liberia's nightmare of war is over, the United States ambassador in
Monrovia has said, as West African peacekeeping units continue to arrive
in the country. Ambassador John Blaney said the US would continue to
support the Nigerian-led peace enforcement mission in Liberia, but he
repeated President Bush's pledge to pull US soldiers out of any direct
role by 1 October.
Crisis
Deepens for Displaced Liberians: Rumors of Fighting Spur Many More Toward
Capital (Washington Post)
HARBEL, Liberia -- The masses of displaced people first arrived on the
outskirts of Monrovia during last month's fighting and D. MacDouglas
Samuels's head started to pound that same day. He didn't need his skills
as a math teacher to quickly calculate that there wouldn't be nearly
enough room for them all.
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Dr. Amos C. Sawyer
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A Conversation with
Dr. Amos C. Sawyer
In 1979, as a professor and Dean of Liberia College at the University
of Liberia, Dr. Amos C. Sawyer posed the greatest challenge - both legally
and politically to the one-party system of the True Whig Party by presenting
himself as an independent candidate for the office of Mayor of Monrovia.
The contest never took place because of the Samuel K. Doe military coup
of April 1980. He is a founding member of the Movement for Justice in
Africa (MOJA) . In 1982, he chaired a commission to write the new Liberian
constitution but after declining to be Samuel Doe’s running mate
and creating his own political party, the Liberian Peoples’ Party
(LPP), he was arrested and banned from public speaking.
Rebuilding amid the
rubbles: We can't afford to fail Liberia
It is no time to shy- the courage to participate in
the debate about the future of Liberia is now. The mentality of the
people's thing and the battle of leaving traditional politics of Liberia
with some experts in the Liberian society are over. When politicians
make political plunder and our people, the ordinary and innocent victims
of these sexed up political games, as with the present situation in
our land bear the brunt of the burden of the rage, recklessness and
the projected pain that flow from it.
General Praises U.S. Moves in Liberia (AP)
WASHINGTON - Peacekeeping in Liberia, led by West African troops and
supported by a relatively small U.S. force, is likely to have a lasting,
positive impact on the region, a senior U.S. general said Tuesday.
U.S.
Seeks Missing American in Liberia (AP)
MONROVIA, Liberia - The U.S. Embassy is trying to determine the fate of an American citizen of Lebanese descent missing since July in former rebel territory, officials said Tuesday.