MODEL and LURD’s Leaders Must be Held Responsible For Atrocities Committed


By Winsley S. Nanka

 

The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia

November 19, 2003

The massive destructions of lives and properties in Nimba County, Bong County, Grand Bassa County and other places in Liberia by MODEL and LURD’s thugs are indication that the two rebel groups predominately made of the late Liberian President, Samuel K. Doe’s followers have never been serious about helping to liberate Liberia for the benefit of the Liberian people.

The Leaders of MODEL and LURD and their thugs are presently creating mayhem in Liberia because their goals for helping to remove brutal Liberian dictator, Charles Taylor from power have been three folds, (a) to reclaim the power lost when the Grand Gedeh County dominated Samuel Doe’s government was deposed in 1990, (b) to avenge the deaths of their supporters killed by Taylor’s thugs, and (c) to regain the ill gotten wealth they acquired during the Samuel Doe regime.

The Liberian people must hold Thomas Yaya Nimley, MODEL’s Foreign Minister; Eugene Dean Wilson, MODEL’s Managing Director, Forestry Development Authority; J. D. Slanger, MODEL’s Commissioner, Maritime Affairs; Rev. Sam Wlue, MODEL’s Commerce Minister; Damate Conneh, LURD’s maximum leader and chief warlord, Kabeneh Janneh, LURD’s Justice Minister, and the entire Leaderships of LURD and MODEL responsible for the atrocities their thugs are committing in Liberia. Liberians whose relatives have been killed or properties destroyed should take MODEL and LURD’s leaders to courts of competent jurisdictions in Liberia or the United State, Belgium and other western countries. MODEL and LURD’s leaders are not immune from prosecution for the atrocities their followers are committing in Liberia.

Liberians will have to set a precedent! It is sad that in spite of strong evidence to prosecute perpetrators of human rights violations in Liberia, neither the first generation of Liberian warlords and their supporters including Charles Taylor, George Boley, Alhaji Kromah, George Dweh, and the others have ever been dragged to court for crimes against humanity. Why Liberians are not making lives uncomfortable these warlords?

Liberians cannot allow the second generation of Liberian warlords including Thomas Yaya Nimley, Damate Conneh and others to go unpunished. They should be made to understand that insecurity for our people in any part of Liberia means insecurity for them. If Liberians fail to hold these individuals legally responsible for the destructions of lives and properties in Liberia, it will serve as a dangerous precedent. Liberians must remember, “no Liberian has more claims on Liberia than another Liberian”.