UNMIL FOCUS · Teams, has been able to assist the Government to listen to and learn from the people in ways unimaginable a few short years ago. The County Development Farewell to

Vol. 5, No. 02UNMIL FOCUS

December 2008 - February 2009

Worms Scare

Second Battalion ActivatedMaking Roads, Building Bridges

Exclu

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N JOHNSO

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Message from the SpecialRepresentative of the Secretary-General

Ellen Margrethe LøjSpecial Representative of the Secretary-General andCoordinator of United Nations Operations in Liberia

2 UNMIL FOCUS December 2008 - February 2009

Five years after the civil warcame to an end, Liberia con-tinues to face daunting chal-lenges in many areas. In linewith the “One UN” concept,

UNMIL and all the UN agencies, fundsand programmes in the country are accel-erating their joint collaboration to supportthe Liberian Government in meetingthese challenges.

The Government’s Poverty ReductionStrategy (PRS), the blueprint for thecountry’s recovery efforts, outlines theoverall vision and key initiatives for thenext three years. UNMIL and the UNCountry Team provided joined-up adviceand support during the preparation of thePRS and this collaboration has since beenintensified through the joint developmentof the UN Development AssistanceFramework 2008-2012. The UN fami-ly’s response to the PRS outlines six jointprogrammes that would boost develop-ment of the counties and address issuesrelated to food security and nutrition,sexual and gender-based violence, genderequality, youth employment, andHIV/AIDS.

UNMIL and UN country team havealso collaborated actively in assisting therule of law sector to develop strategicplans for the Police, Ministry of Justiceand Judiciary, and with plans for similarefforts for Corrections and Bureau ofImmigration and Naturalization. The UN

family’s collaboration with theGovernment of Liberia will also includeefforts to implement these plans includ-ing through the solicitation of donor sup-port.

Further efforts to enhance the UNfamily’s joint collaboration and integra-tion are currently under way in line withthe principle of “at work together”. Theseinclude practical ideas to improve jointmechanisms and to strengthen communi-cation across the board. In this regard,the UN country team and senior man-agers of UNMIL held a retreat from 25-26 September 2008 in order to find waysto improve cooperation and integration ofthe UN in Liberia. The retreat reviewedexisting planning tools and previouslydefined goals of the UN, identified mech-anisms to increase delivery results, devel-oped a more integrated mission-widearchitecture; and recommended mecha-nisms to ensure continued UN impact onLiberia while UNMIL draws down.

My message to all UN colleagues andthe Liberian public is that in spite ofUNMIL’s drawdown and transition plan-ning, the UN will continue to activelysupport Liberia’s recovery efforts, as werecognize that Liberia’s recovery is stillunfinished business. I also urge the inter-national community to stay the courseand continue to support the country’sdevelopment efforts. Liberia can andshould be a post-conflict success story.

IN THIS ISSUE04 Farewell to Liberia

06 Second Battalion Activated

18 Making Roads, Building Bridges

10 Liberians in the Lead

12 Children’s lot improving...

14 Who Answers to Women?

16 Civil Society is the Way Forward...

18 Advancing Workers’ Rights

20 Interview: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

22 “Sexual Offences Court” Dedicated

25 Ashamed No More

26 Worm Scare

28 No More Sparkling?

30 Living Amidst Explosives

32 Peace, no just for Liberia

36 Interview: Jordan Ryan

38 Liberians Speak

The second battalion of the new Armed Forces of Liberia comprising 657 sol-diers was activated recently, marking a key milestone in Liberia's securitysector reforms. With this, the total number of AFL soldiers activated nowstands at 2074.

Much needed repair works on roadsand bridges are being carried outacross Liberia by UNMIL's contin-gent engineers to get major supplyroutes opened before they leave thecountry as part of the drawdown ofthe mission.

Reports of an attack on crops byarmy worms turned out to be a falsealarm but the caterpillar invasion hashelped mobilize the government andits partners to devise plans to staveoff any potential threat.

December 2008 - February 2009 UNMIL FOCUS 3

Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Coordinator of UnitedNations Operations in LiberiaEllen Margrethe Løj

Deputy Special Representative of theSecretary-General for Recovery and GovernanceJordan Ryan

Deputy Special Representative of theSecretary-General for Rule of LawHenrietta Mensa-BBonsu

Chief of Public InformationGeorge Somerwill

Editor and Head of PublicationsMathew Elavanalthoduka

Staff WritersSulaiman MomoduCarly Learson J. Wesley Washington

Design and GraphicsPaddy Defoxy Ilos, IIThomas Blidi

PhotosChristopher Herwig

Published by the Public InformationOffice, United Nations Mission inLiberia

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[email protected]

Printed by Buck Press Ltd., Accra, Ghana

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8 26


Ileave Liberia with a sense of hope.Hope that peace will hold. Hopethat Liberia will prosper. Hope thatthe Liberian people will emergefrom the chaos of war, with a

greater sense of self-reliance, more unitedand ready to meet the challenges the futurewill bring. I also leave with the expecta-tion that the peace and security that wehave all worked so hard to establish willbe the foundation for the long overduegrowth, development, and prosperity ofwhich Liberia is capable.

I first arrived in Monrovia in earlyNovember 2005 during the period of therun-off election. I had been chosen bySecretary-General Kofi Annan to be hisDeputy Special Representative in the UNPeacekeeping Mission. Landing at RIA onthat first day, I glanced out of the planewindow and saw UN soldiers and all thoseUN helicopters at the ready. Peacekeepingwas a new face of the UN for me, and itwas my new family. (My wife and daugh-ter had to remain in New York, notallowed to join me.)

That first evening I took that longdrive into town. I recall even now howdeep the potholes were on the road and thedarkness over the countryside. There sim-ply was no electricity in the villages on theway into Monrovia. I saw an occasionalfire that provided light and heat. I hadarrived in a nation devastated by war.

Upon awakening that next morning, Isaw the consequences of conflict. Thedawn revealed a capital city plundered,many of its buildings barely standing,marked by mortar and ammunition bar-rages. Electricity was only provided bygenerators and city-supplied running

water was unavailable. But today, a littlemore than three years from my arrival,Monrovia is bustling with considerableeconomic activity. And throughout theland much has changed.

Change can in large measure be said tohave originated with the desire of allLiberians for peace. It was advanced bythe election and inauguration of EllenJohnson Sirleaf. With the election,Liberians not only got the first womanpresident in Africa. They had also electeda dynamic, hands-on and passionate advo-cate for development.

I have known the President from herdays as an Assistant Secretary-General inUNDP where she headed the AfricaBureau. I knew that the Liberians hadselected a person with abundant energy, aforceful personality, and the knowledge ofdevelopment to get things moving. Shenever hesitated to call me whenever theneed arose, sometimes early in the morn-ing and other times late at night. I canassure you she’d always let me knowsquarely how the UN could do better. Butfrom the very first days sitting around thePresident’s kitchen table listening to hervision of a nation at work and at peace, Ihave been excited and honoured to be partof a UN team at work in partnership withthe President, her able team, and theGovernment of Liberia.

Liberia is blessed. I have flown overthe length and breadth of this country andjourneyed along its bumpy roads to visitdistant villages and districts. I have seenthe wealth of this nation, from its forests tofarm land, its rivers and sea coast (andbeen deluged by its great, pelting rains). Ihave seen its potential. Liberia’s future

will draw upon this wealth, but realizingits potential will truly require the efforts ofits greatest treasure, its people.

My hope for Liberia is based on thechange I have seen in each of the 15 coun-ties. With Liberians at work, recovery isnow underway everywhere. It started earlywith an emphasis on getting people backto their homes. The Government and theUN made every effort to treat each refugeeand internally displaced person with digni-ty and respect. And much was done for there-integration of ex-combatants, to trainthem, and to turn them into a force for thecollective good of the nation. Looking for-ward, I hope as Liberia confronts theeffects of the global economic crisis thatimportant international support and pri-vate investment will continue to be forth-coming.

On all my journeys I’ve enjoyed thechance to meet and talk with leaders andthe very poor, chiefs and school children,farmers, market women and youth. Theyhave shared with me their dreams andaspirations. And I have experiencedwarmth and hospitality, from the tradition-al greeting with a white chicken and kolanuts, to the taste of local dishes served upwith my favourite, hot pepper sauce.

And my hope is that the Governmentand the nation’s leaders will continue toapproach development from the people’sperspective, responding to their needs byassigning the highest possible priority toaccountability. I am pleased that the UN,through our innovative County SupportTeams, has been able to assist theGovernment to listen to and learn from thepeople in ways unimaginable a few shortyears ago. The County Development

Farewell to LiberiaBy Jordan Ryan


Agendas mark a new beginning of people-driven and people-oriented development.

Liberia’s broad agenda for reform,known as “Lift Liberia”, has been highlyeffective in helping the general publicunderstand what needs to be done torevive the economy and develop thenation. It has been hailed by donors forhelping to focus national efforts necessaryfor the country to recover. It is hearteningto see progress created by all Liberians –those who never left and those returninghome – keen to live their lives in thehomeland. Each Liberian has a role in con-tributing to a better tomorrow.

I have been enormously privileged tobe part of the United Nations team inLiberia and serve under the leadership oftwo remarkable SRSGs. I have enjoyedoutstanding support from the many agencyheads and colleagues: civilian, police andmilitary, staff and volunteers. Their dedi-cation and devotion to duty are extraordi-nary. I am also grateful to the many mem-ber states of the UN that strongly supportour work here and to the active NGO com-munity, a trusted partner.

Many armchair critics around theworld make a habit of disparaging the UNand our work. I urge them to visit Liberiaand witness for themselves what we areaccomplishing here. So much is nowunderway by committed, principled andinnovative individuals: from training thepolice to restoring national authority atlocal levels, addressing the food crisis,putting an end to gender-based violence,and securing the rule of law. UNMIL andthe many UN agencies, including theWorld Bank, are “at work together”, help-ing Liberians to rebuild their nation.

Most of all my hope for Liberia restswith its youth and children. I ferventlyhope they never experience the scourge ofwar. I hope they will inherit a land at peacethat provides them with the opportunitiesthat enable them to realize their full poten-tial. Liberia has come a long way in a shorttime. It has every chance to transformitself into a peaceful and prosperousnation. And by so doing, it will once againbe that beacon of hope, that bright star ofAfrica, a land of liberty.

See interview with Jordan Ryan, page 36

The overall security situationin Liberia remains relativelystable but is characterized by“an underlying fragility”,according to Secretary-

General Ban Ki-moon’s latest report onLiberia. Recovering from a brutal 14-year-long civil war, the country has madestrides in slashing poverty, but significantchallenges still remain in meeting securitybenchmarks, adds the report released inFebruary.

Since last August, Liberia has contin-ued to make “steady progress” towardsachieving its four-pronged poverty reduc-tion strategy which focuses on security,economic recovery, rule of law and infra-structure and basic services, Mr. Banwrote in his latest report to the SecurityCouncil, calling for international partnersto continue supporting Liberia, especiallyin its efforts to curb poverty.

“Despite the sharp increase in food andfuel prices in 2008, many of the potentialnegative effects were mitigated by proac-tive policy initiatives,” the report said,adding that the government has also triedto guarantee advances in several key areas,including the fight against corruption andpublic financial management reforms.“However, limited national institutionalcapacity across all sectors remains a seri-ous constraint, not least since most publicinstitutions, at national and local levels,have had to be completely rebuilt after theconflict,” including national security agen-cies, the Secretary-General said.

Stressing the ties between peace anddevelopment, Ban highlighted the impor-tance of ensuring simultaneous progress inall four pillars of the poverty reductionstrategy, “particularly given the potentiallink between high youth unemploymentand security.” The report also drew atten-tion to the challenges Liberia faces inmeeting its main security and rule of lawbenchmarks.

The country’s media and public opin-ion surveys consistently show how lawand order are a primary concern, it said.

“This partly reflects a continued lack ofpublic confidence in national securityinstitutions and the criminal justice sys-tem, leading people to take justice intotheir own hands, frequently resulting inserious injury, death or property damage.”

The presidential and legislative elec-tions slated for 2011 will be a key test ofprogress made in Liberia since it emergedfrom its civil war that killed almost150,000 people, mostly civilians. TheSecretary-General called for the develop-ment of a comprehensive electoral plan,including financial and technical require-ments, as soon as possible.

Delayed polls in bordering Côted’Ivoire and the recent military coup inGuinea have exacerbated the unpre-dictability in the sub-region, he said. “Anynegative trends in the security situation inthese neighbouring countries will have amajor impact on the situation in Liberiaand its peacebuilding efforts.”

Given the tasks ahead for Liberia, theSecretary-General said he recommendsthat no further adjustments to the militaryand police components of UNMIL bemade for the mandated period.

Liberia Needs MoreInternational Aid, says Ban

Ban Ki-moon


Abdurrahman reiterated that the activationof the 2nd Battalion marked another mile-stone in the country’s march towards theformation of a well respected and profes-sional AFL but warned that it will requirethe collective support of everyone for thenewly trained soldiers to carry out theirresponsibilities. The 2nd Battalion of 657soldiers comprises of five units includingthe Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and HeadQuarters and Head Quarters companies aswell as the Combat Support Unit.

“The trust reposed in you by theLiberian people must be jealously guardedboth collectively and individually as a bat-talion and during your everyday duty asyou prepare yourself in carrying out yourconstitutional roles,” Maj.-Gen.Abdurrahman cautioned the activated bat-talion.

The Keynote Speaker, Deputy Directorfor Operations and Logistics at the US-

Africa Command, Brig.- Gen. FrederickMartin termed the 2nd Battalion’s activa-tion as a significant step for the AFL andanother momentous leap for Liberia. Hereminded the battalion to be guarded bythree core values – integrity, service andexcellence. “Integrity is the core of astrong and professional military whichentails respect for human rights and thedignity of each individual. Integrityembodies the core of your character,” hewarned. “Service before self,” he cau-tioned, noting that they must ensure excel-lence in all they do as these three valuesare embodied in the spirit and pride of themilitary.

The US General noted that this battal-ion is shaping the future for securityreform and together with the 1st Battalion,will help provide security which ensuresstability, a strong economy and a strongregion where the rule of law is respected,

By J. Wesley Washington

Neatly dressed in green cam-ouflage military uniformswith caps and black bootsto match, over 650 newlytrained soldiers of the reor-

ganized Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL)stood “at ease” on the green turf of theBarclay Training Center (BTC) as theyattentively watched the formalities of the“Guide-on” being presented to the AFLCommand Officer-in-Charge by the battal-ion’s Sergeant-Major. After unfurling it,the Command Officer-in-Charge, in turn,presented it to the Battalion Commanderwho later returned it to the custodian of thebattalion, the Sergeant-Major, thus signi-fying the activation of the AFL’s 2ndBattalion, 23rd Infantry Brigade.

The AFL Command Officer-in-Charge, Maj.-Gen. Suraj Alao

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civilian control of the military pre-immi-nent, and there’s respect for human rightsand protection of civil liberties.

Liberia’s Defence Minister, BrownieSamukai, disclosed that the AFL’sCommander-in-Chief, President EllenJohnson Sirleaf, has authorized the AFL’sCommand Officer-in-Charge to seek sup-port from the international community,especially the United States of America, toactivate a Liberian National Coast GuardBattalion this year. Already, a US CoastGuard team has completed an assessmentwhile 40 officers are currently undergoingscreening to be recruited for the training ofa new corps of coast guard officers.

The Defence Minister noted that theAFL still faces numerous challenges as itis being developed. He cited young offi-cers and officers’ candidates who are yet tocomplete officers’ training. Non-commis-sioned officers have not had the opportuni-ty to travel to complete their training.

However, he was optimistic that thegovernment is taking steps, with the assis-tance from international partners, to pro-vide training opportunities for the AFLsoldiers. Samukai announced that the gov-ernments of Ghana, Rwanda and neigh-bouring Sierra Leone have agreed to trainnearly 50 soldiers in various areas. Thesoldiers are expected to depart to the vari-ous countries shortly.

Minister Samukai praised the efforts ofthe UN in providing security for the coun-try while the AFL and other security enti-ties are still under development. “Webelieve that the sacrifices of these men andwomen in the UN Mission in Liberia havebeen very crucial in giving us the opportu-nity to be able to develop the AFL at thistime,” he said, adding that overtime, it ishis conviction that the experience from theUN will be passed on to the AFL as part ofthe consolidation and drawdown of theUN mission.

Both the 1st and 2nd battalions of the23rd Infantry Brigade now have a total of2074 personnel. Of this, there are a total of

79 commissioned officers, 20 officers’candidates (still awaiting commission), 721st and 2nd Lieutenants, and 37 non-com-missioned officers.

Though it will take some time, proba-bly years, to develop the command andcontrol structures of the AFL, currently anumber of key positions are filled by sec-onded military officers from the sub-

region, notably, Benin, Ghana, Nigeria,and Sierra Leone.

The 1st Battalion, activated on 29August 2008, is expected to be operationalby September 2009 while the 2ndBattalion is anticipated to be operationalby the end of the year. Initial integratedtraining with UNMIL could begin duringthe first quarter of 2010.

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Brig-Gen. Martin, Defence Minister Samukai, Special Representative Løj at the ceremony

Maj.-Gen. Abdurrahman and Brig.-Gen. Martin


By Sulaiman Momodu

On 26 January, as the world’smost populous nation,China, celebrated the LunarNew Year ushering in theYear of the Ox, members of

the Chinese Engineering Contingent inZwedru were busy out in the jungle con-tributing to ensuring that roads in Liberiaremained passable.

The Deputy Commander of the contin-gent, Maj. Liu Xiangyoung, says the engi-neers were working along the 81km longZwedru - Greenville road and in areaswhere there was no mobile network toeven call their loved ones back home towish them a Happy New Year. The reha-bilitation of critical sections of the roadwas completed in just 18 days enablingnormal vehicular traffic unlike beforewhen only four-wheel drives could survivethe journey. Crushed stones were trans-

ported in trucks from a distance of over150 km for the repair work.

The Chinese engineers who areresponsible for the maintenance and reha-bilitation of the Zwedru – Fishtown,Zwedru – Tappita, and Zwedru –Greenville roads are part of a bigger teamof UN peacekeeping engineers from vari-ous contingents who are today a regularfeature of the road network rehabilitationscenes in Liberia.

Currently, much needed engineeringwork is being carried out especially in thesouth-eastern part of the country in aneffort to get major supply routes openedall year round before the contingent engi-neers leave Liberia as part of the draw-down process. The Ministry of PublicWorks (MoPW), which is in possession ofas many as 27 “Bailey” bridges donated byWorld Bank and the U.S. Agency forInternational Development (USAID), islooking into installing these “bridges in a

box” over the dry season using a mixtureof UNMIL military engineers, the ArmedForces of Liberia (AFL) engineers, andprivate contractors funded by either theministry or USAID.

The first project was a bridge connect-ing River Gee and Maryland countieswhich was damaged during the war andrecently became impassable. The engi-neers from the 7th Chinese contingentworked with the Public Works ministry torestore the important link. AFL also per-formed their first bridge launching as amilitary civic action project recently inRiver Cess County while UNMILPakistani engineers are all set to launch aBailey bridge to replace the QuineanBridge in Royseville, Bomi County. Manyof the road rehabilitation projects fundedby the World Bank, UNDP and the AfricanDevelopment Bank are executed by UNpeacekeeping engineers. The UN refugeeagency, UNHCR, and USAID are among

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other agencies involved in road works. Chief of UNMIL Civil-Military Co-

ordination (CIMIC), Col. ChristopherHolshek, says although plans are afoot toundertake large scale road rehabilitationduring this dry season with the WorldBank and MoPW projects led by theReintegration, Rehabilitation andRecovery Section, funding may not beavailable until very close to the rainy sea-son. “After this dry season there would besubstantial reduction in troops. By June2009 about 40 per cent of the militaryengineering capabilities in Liberia willhave gone,” he says, pointing out thatLiberia does not have the capacity toundertake road projects which are gradual-ly being undertaken by private contractorsat very exorbitant costs. During the coun-try’s civil war, many professionals left thecountry some of whom are yet to returncreating a market of mostly incapable con-tractors. To mitigate the impact of the

gradual drawdown, peacekeepers havebeen providing capacity building for thelocal population.

Liberia’s Information Minister Dr.Laurence Bropleh stresses the need toensure connectivity throughout the coun-try before the rains come. As roads reopenand Liberia gets more connected, manyLiberians, some of whom use to hardly seevehicles in their towns and villages, arefull of praise for peacekeepers. In Januarythis year, a road accident along the Ganta– Zwedru road resulted in the loss of lifeof two members of the Multi-roleBangladeshi Engineering Contingent(BANENGR-9) who were returning froma road assessment mission in their deploy-ment area in Nimba County. ContingentCommander Lt. Col. Sheheed Islam saysthey were very shocked by the accidentbut maintained that they remained com-mitted to their engineering duties. “Liberianeeds engineers now more than ever

before,” remarks UNMIL Chief ForceEngineer Col. Azmal Kabir, adding thatthey are doing their best to make roadspassable.

Since the commencement of the mis-sion in 2003, UNMIL’s military personnelhave been supporting various recovery anddevelopment efforts under CIMIC. Thepeacekeepers collaborate with governmentministries, agencies and local authoritiesto render assistance in various humanitari-an and development programmes all in aneffort to ensuring that Liberians enjoy last-ing peace and stability.

“Through this joint, collaborativeapproach, we can help the governmentclose a number of the capacity gaps in thePoverty Reduction Strategy,” says Col.Holshek. “It’s largely up to the govern-ment to get the ball rolling and take advan-tage of our ability to assist while we stillhave the means.”

BBuuiillddiinngg BBrriiddggeessChinese engineers at work


By Carly Learson

In the hills above Tubmanburg inBomi County the Pakistani Level 2Hospital is gaining a reputationthroughout Liberia as a centre ofexcellence in capacity-building and

providing services to the local community. For the past year the Pakistani medical

team has been running the only UNMILhospital to provide services not just toUNMIL staff but to the civilian populationas well. With specialist services includingradiology, pathology, ophthalmology andsurgery, as well as dental and psychiatriccare, the hospital is attracting people fromwell outside Tubmanburg, includingMonrovia.

After a year of operations the Pakistanimedical team is now handing over itsoperations to local staff, many of whomthey have trained. They will shortly bejoined by some doctors from Cuba. ThePakistani hospital is now going to move toHarper, where UNMIL has determinedthere is a greater need because of theremote location.

The hospital has been a project con-ceived under the principles of Civil-Military Coordination (CIMIC). Since thebeginning of the military drawdown inJanuary 2008 the CIMIC team has beenconcentrating on building the capacity oflocal civilians in the areas where the mili-tary has been filling the gaps – includingcrucial public services like the hospital atTubmanburg.

The CIMIC team is working closelywith other sections of the UN, includingthe County Support Teams and CivilAffairs towards an eventual withdrawal ofthe force altogether. The CIMIC strategystates as its end goal that success is aneventual drawdown with no debilitatingcivil-military impacts, 100 per cent civil-ian lead in all civil-military initiatives. Inother words, the peacekeepers are handingover the lead to Liberians in the areaswhere they had once taken the lead.

Commander Mohammed Arif Magrayheads the team in Tubmanburg and willreturn to Pakistan in a few weeks. He is

Liberians in the Lead


proud of the work his unit has done, butalso sees it as a responsibility. “When wego back we wish the Liberian staff canstand at their own stretcher,” he said. “Thisis the only way to help people here.” Histeam of doctors and nurses have spent thepast year providing medical services to thelocal community, but also training localstaff.

The Liberian staff at the hospital aregenerally confident that they can handlethe increased workload and take the driv-ers seat when the Pakistanis leave. SarahTengbeh started working at the hospital in2007 after leaving the MSF hospital. Shesaid the training has been extremely usefulto her professionally. “I’ve learned somuch working with the Pakistanis,” shesaid. Some of the new skills she has as aphysician assistant include ultrasound, x-ray, kidney test and general laboratoryskills.

Janet Howard is a nurse who workedin Tubmanburg before the war, but fled toMonrovia, leaving her job. Now she ishappy for the opportunity to return to thewell-equipped and professionally-run hos-pital. “People come here from Gbarnga,Kakata and other towns,” she said. “Manypay their own way to get here because it’sthe only place to get medicine for depres-

sion.”Charles B. Quaye is a social worker

who has used the resources the Pakistanishave provided to go out to local communi-ties and provide information and materialsto assist people to deal with HIV/AIDSprevention, as well as preventing diar-rhoea and malaria. “Prevention is muchcheaper than treatment,” he says.

The hospital is well equipped to dealwith most complaints and injuries as wellas surgery. Some of the most common ill-nesses treated at the hospital are anaemia,usually related to malnutrition, diarrhoea,respiratory illnesses and skin diseases.They are also seeing an increasing preva-lence of depression as well as river blind-ness – where worms enter the blood andfind their way to the victim’s eyes.

One of the major tasks of the doctors isdealing with women with labour compli-cations. Major Ali Kashif, one of thePakistani surgeons, finds that many of theemergency operations he is called on toperform relate to ectopic pregnancies andemergency caesareans.

Ibrahim Cooper is one of the Liberianparamedics who has been trained specifi-cally to operate equipment like x-ray andultrasound. He is becoming an expert indealing with complicated pregnancies and

ectopic pregnancies, but has also gainedexperience in diagnosing tuberculosis,liver disease and kidney stones.

In the children’s ward of the hospital,Captain Khushboo Adeel talks with someof the mothers staying with their babies.The ward handles up to 60 patients eachmonth, with most children admitted formalnutrition, mumps and respiratoryinfections. Titama is a mother who hastravelled to the hospital with her severelymalnourished son. He whimpers as DrKhushboo examines him. She says it willtake 10 to 15 days in hospital before thebaby is healthy enough to leave.

The Pakistani medics have made ahuge impact in Tubmanburg and the sur-rounding regions. By going beyond the

TThhee hhoossppiittaall iiss wweelllleeqquuiippppeedd ttoo ddeeaall wwiitthh mmoossttccoommppllaaiinnttss aanndd iinnjjuurriieess aasswweellll aass ssuurrggeerryy.. SSoommee ooff tthheemmoosstt ccoommmmoonn iillllnneesssseessttrreeaatteedd aatt tthhee hhoossppiittaall aarreeaannaaeemmiiaa,, uussuuaallllyy rreellaatteedd ttoommaallnnuuttrriittiioonn,, ddiiaarrrrhhooeeaa,, rreess-ppiirraattoorryy iillllnneesssseess aanndd sskkiinnddiisseeaasseess.. TThheeyy aarree aallssoo sseeee-iinngg aann iinnccrreeaassiinngg pprreevvaa-lleennccee ooff ddeepprreessssiioonn aass wweellllaass rriivveerr bblliinnddnneessss –– wwhheerreewwoorrmmss eenntteerr tthhee bblloooodd aannddffiinndd tthheeiirr wwaayy ttoo tthhee vviiccttiimm’’sseeyyeess..

requirements of the military in setting up ahospital to care for not just UNMIL staffbut the local population as well, and co-locating in the public hospital, they havebuilt strong connections with local staffand set an example of excellence in caringfor patients. As a CIMIC project the suc-cess of the hospital will be seen in howwell the local staff can continue providingthe services to the community. To date theproject has set an example to the rest of thecontingents on how to sensitively andeffectively implement CIMIC principles.

Pakistani doctors at the children’s ward

women in many developing countries.“Educating girls is pivotal to improvingmaternal and neonatal health and also ben-efits families and societies,” she said.

One of the major challenges holdingback Liberia’s children is malnutrition.Malnutrition is not simply about beinghungry. The quantity of food eaten maymake a child feel not hungry but that is notnecessarily enough to ward off malnutri-tion. With malnutrition contributing to 35per cent of child deaths, and causingmaternal health problems, tackling malnu-trition is one of the keys to improving thelot of Liberia’s children. Most malnutri-tion is caused by a combination of diet andinfection. In Liberia malaria and malnutri-tion go hand in hand, with one increasingthe likelihood of suffering from the other.Malnutrition can take a variety of formsdepending on the kind of nutrient that ismissing such as proteins, iron, iodine orvitamins.

In West and Central Africa 6.6 millionchildren have acute malnutrition that leadsto the body starting to waste away. Almost24 million have chronic malnutrition.Liberia’s children are suffering, but the sit-uation is worse for children in desert coun-tries like Mali and Niger where most chil-dren are not getting the nutrients they needto be healthy.

The UNICEF report finds that healthservices are most effective in an environ-ment supportive of women's empower-ment, protection, and education. With con-tinued investment in education and health,and infrastructure like water and sanita-tion, in an environment of women’sempowerment, the problems that plagueLiberia – malnutrition, disease, maternaland infant death, can become a thing of thepast.


By Carly Learson

Liberia’s world ranking in under-fivemortality has dropped from 5th inthe world to 20th, a sign that serv-

ices are improving, according toUNICEF’s recently released annual report,the State of the World’s Children. Whilethe number of children dying is decreasingworldwide, the decline in infant mortalityis faster in Liberia than in other develop-ing countries.

Given Liberia is one of the least devel-oped countries in the world, the trend isencouraging. However, for every 1,000children born in Liberia 133 will not livepast their 5th birthday. Liberia still has theworld’s highest rate of neonatal deaths –where a baby dies within one month ofbeing born.

Although things are improving forLiberia’s children, the situation is still direfor the country’s women. The country isone of the top ten riskiest countries in theworld for giving birth. Indeed a majorfinding of the annual report is that womenin West and Central Africa are a whopping470 times more likely to die as a result ofchildbirth than women in developed coun-tries. This region accounts for 30 per centof maternal deaths worldwide, while it hasjust 10 per cent of the population.

In developing countries like Liberia, awoman has a 1 in 76 lifetime risk of mater-nal death, compared with a probability of1 in 8,000 for women in developed coun-tries. Approximately 99 percent of globaldeaths arising from pregnancy and relatedcomplications occur in the developingworld, where having a child remainsamong the most serious health risks forwomen. The vast majority of such deathsoccur in Africa and Asia, where high fertil-

ity rates, a shortage of trained personneland weak health systems spell tragedy formany young women.

UNICEF Executive Director Ann M.Veneman said every year more than half amillion women die in childbirth. “Since1990 complications related to pregnancyand childbirth have killed an estimated 10million women,” she said. "Saving thelives of mothers and their newborns

requires more than just medical interven-tion.”

UNICEF estimates that 80 per cent ofmaternal deaths could be avoided ifwomen had access to basic health care.Many women in Liberia do not haveaccess to trained midwives, or they preferto be assisted by a traditional midwife whomay not have the medical training to dealwith complications. Veneman says thehigh rates of illiteracy are also an issue for

Children’s lot improving

but huge challenges remain


UNICEF in Liberia is working towards improving health careand giving children better opportunities. Some of their achieve-ments include:

1 million children have been vaccinated against polioWorking with the Government to establish 185 health facil-itiesTreated 100,000 women and children in IDP campsInstalling water and sanitation facilities, and providing edu-cation kits in 1,000 schoolsSupporting 100 teachers in completing primary trainingDemobilised 12,000 child soldiersTrained 1,500 police in child rights and protection

LIBERIA TODAY

Nearly 40 per cent of children are stunted from malnutritionNearly 40 percent of children don’t have access to safedrinking water75 per cent of children don’t have access to sanitation facil-ities230,000 children have been orphaned by the war and dis-ease500,000 children don’t go to schoolTwo thirds of children are being taught by teachers who arenot qualified

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UNICEF IN LIBERIA


By Carly Learson

In the lead up to the InternationalWomen’s Colloquium to be hostedby Liberia in March, the country isfocusing on women’s rights andaccountability. With a major leg-

islative reform in the pipeline, the firstNational Action Plan for Women on reso-lution 1325, the Liberian government isshowing the rest of the world that it iscommitted to improving opportunities forwomen and ensuring they have equalrights to men.

A benchmark report from the UNagency for women, UNIFEM, shows justhow difficult this task is. The Progress ofthe World’s Women report for 2008/09,called “Who Answers to Women? Genderand Accountability,” assesses the chal-lenges and achievements in holding gov-ernments accountable to women. With thefirst ever elected female President inAfrica at the helm, and huge gains in thereduction of corruption, Liberia is emerg-ing as a country where women have avoice and can influence government toensure their needs are met and their rightsrespected.

At the launch of the report, held atMonrovia City Hall, President EllenJohnson Sirleaf praised the fact that somany men were present and highlightedsome of the achievements of her govern-ment, including the establishment ofCriminal Court E dedicated to rape crimesand headed by a female judge. “Liberia isthe first African country, and the first post-conflict country, to have a National Action

Plan on 1325,” she said. “Let us all join inand celebrate the achievements of women,and find the means to address the chal-lenges of women.”

UNIFEM Regional ProgrammeDirector for West Africa, CecilieMukarubuga said that while many govern-ments make commitments, the challengeis in translating those commitments intoreality. “Accountability requires not justwomen in leadership, but a gender focusacross all government programmes,” shesaid. Statistics expert Hanny Cueva-Betetafrom UNIFEM in New York said that inboth national governments and multilater-al organizations accountability systemsneed to be changed and oriented to answerto women if commitments to genderequality are to move from rhetoric toresults. “It is time to move from lip-serv-ice to real results,” she said.

Accountability refers to the capacity ofcitizens, and of women in particular, toquestion government decisions and accessinformation, initiate investigations, seekcompensation and to see officials sanc-tioned if they fail to respond to women’sneeds or protect their rights.Accountability can be improved throughthe law, by changing procedures, puttingincentives in place and removing barriers.UNIFEM in Liberia is highlighted in thereport for its work driving women topolling stations so they could vote in the2005 election. But a big part of the processis changing attitudes, and in particular tar-geting men’s attitude to women.

Liberia was held up as an example forits 2006 reforms making rape a criminal,

Who Answersto Women?


non-parole offence and for the wayLiberian women are engaging with the jus-tice system through the police force.However, in Liberia, where the formal jus-tice system is still developing, informaljustice still plays an important part in thesociety. Informal justice, where a commu-nity decides on convictions and punish-ments according to traditional methods,doesn’t take into account human rights andgender bias.

In cases of sexual violence in particu-lar, without a formal justice system vic-tims can be disinclined to report rape ifthere is no guarantee of protection. Inaddition, where there is no specific lawagainst marital rape, community bias maytend towards blaming the victim if shereports a rape.

African women are working largely inagriculture, contributing 60 to 80 per centof the labour that goes into producing foodand cash crops for the region. Women insub-Saharan Africa collectively spend 40billion hours each year collecting water –more time than the entire French popula-tion spends working.

Africa shares with other developingregions a phenomenon that women whoare highly educated are more likely thanmen to migrate. With the talented womenleaving there are fewer voices left to speakon behalf of those women who don’t havea voice – women in remote areas, childrenand those without access to government.Worldwide it is still the case that men aremore likely to be in top positions in theprivate sector – 1 in 8 men can expect to bein senior management, while only 1 in 40women can.

In general, women struggle for an edu-

Cecilie Mukarubuga, UNIFEM Regional Programme Director for WestAfrica, and President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the launch of the

report

Women in sub-Saharan Africa collectively spend 40 billion hourseach year collecting water

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cation in Africa. With challenges that stemfrom ingrained discrimination such as sex-ual harassment and violence in schools,discrimination against pregnant girls, pri-oritization of boys’ education over girls’ aswell as a lack of sanitation facilities, mostsub-Saharan African countries have a longway to go to achieve the UN’s MillenniumDevelopment Goal of universal primaryeducation. The good news is that enrol-ment rates have increased for primaryschool children. However the rates forhigh school are not increasing as much –indeed only 23 per cent of girls in theregion finish high school – the lowestnumber in the world. Enrolments in terti-ary education are 40 per cent lower forwomen than for men.

Many countries the world over have

seen women’s participation in politics as akey step towards providing greateraccountability for women. There havebeen major improvements around theworld, with women now occupying 18.4per cent of national assembly seats, upfrom eight percent in 1998. The reportnotes the value of women’s groups inpolitical participation, and with theirstrong history of collective action Liberianwomen are well aware of the power suchgroups can have in the fight for women’srights.

Women in Liberia are among the bestrepresented in politics and the public sec-tor in the region, but President JohnsonSirleaf is determined to ensure that thispower is institutionalized. “Let us joinhands at all levels – national, county, con-tinental, global – and recognize thatenhancement of women’s rights adds todevelopment overall.”


By Sulaiman Momodu

Civil Society Organizations(CSOs) are no doubt vital topost-war Liberia’s recoveryand development. DuringLiberia’s divisive conflict,

civil society groups were vocal indenouncing the war lords and rejecting therule of the gun. Following the restorationof peace and democracy, some civil socie-ty leaders were offered positions in thegovernment.

As UNMIL gradually draws down,Special Representative Ellen MargretheLøj and other senior UN officials in

February met with CSOs in Liberia in aneffort to enhance their role in decision-making processes. As the peacekeepingmission scales down its strength, the needfor Liberians to be in the “driver’s seat” isincreasingly evident, and civil societygroups are looked upon as potential agentsto drive forward the momentum of democ-racy and development in the country.

The drawdown was one of the keyissues discussed at the meeting held at theUN mission’s headquarters in the Liberiancapital, Monrovia. Reiterating that the UNwill continue to support Liberia, UNEnvoy Løj informed the CSO representa-tives that although the strength of UNMIL

military will be decreased, the imminentdeployment of Indian and JordanianFormed Police units will enhance the num-ber of police personnel to complement theefforts of the Liberian National Police.

Although much progress has beenmade to stabilize the West Africa sub-region once devastated by civil conflicts,the region may not be completely out ofthe woods yet. Løj presented the draw-down from the regional perspective, high-lighting the recent coup in Guinea and thepostponement of elections in Côted’Ivoire.

In February last year, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared Liberia

Civil Society is the W


eligible for funding under the second win-dow of the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF),which is meant to establish a crucialbridge between conflict and recovery. ThePBF helps to address the most immediateneeds facing post-conflict countries tominimize the risk of a relapse into conflict.The fund of US$15m for Liberia vis-à-visthe role of civil society organizations wasdiscussed. The fund is managed by thePeacebuilding Secretariat hosted in theMinistry of Internal Affairs under strictguidance from the Joint SteeringCommittee made of representatives fromGovernment, UN, donor community andcivil society. Most of the peacebuilding

fund projects are expected to start in thefirst quarter of this year and will run foranother 18 months. The PovertyReduction Strategy (PRS), the LiberianGovernance Perception Index, whichassesses national governance against thepillars of the PRS, gender, and the correc-tion and justice systems were also issuesof deliberations.

UNMIL’s Chief of Civil AffairsFrancis Kai-Kai says the United Nationsfamily is working to strengthen the coun-try’s civil society and developing a com-mon strategy to enhance the participationof civil society organizations in nationaldiscourse and the consolidation of peace.

Way Forward…

It is envisaged that greater involvement ofcivil society in public discourse wouldstimulate more democratic, transparentand accountable local and national leader-ship.

UNMIL is currently collating data oncivil society groups throughout the coun-try to gather information on their location,areas of intervention, organizationalneeds, and their strengths and weaknesses.Many CSOs lament their lack of capacityand resources to properly function. Kai-Kai, however, notes that a better under-standing of the realities of civil societyoperations will help the UN family toaddress their challenges which alsoinclude sustainability and accountability.

“We have been scattered and not uni-fied. But with our collaboration with theUN, we are in the process of forming aNational NGO Council – our meetingswith the UN are very useful,” saysLancedell Matthews, the Chair of theNational Civil Society OrganizationAdvisory Committee, adding that previousefforts to form a national body of NGOshad not been very successful. Mathews,who is also the head of the New AfricanResearch and Development Agency, saysthe UN is engaging now with CSOs morethan ever before.

Although the UN mission has beenworking with CSOs, the February meetingis the second Løj and members of the UNfamily have had with the group. LastOctober, the UN Envoy had the first meet-ing with 34 CSOs during which the repre-sentative leaders were briefed onUNMIL’s mandate, their concerns heardand views exchanged.

Civil Affairs Officer Gilbert Ngesusays UNMIL and the UN Country Teamhave supported the Government, throughthe Ministry of Planning and EconomicAffairs, to draft and launch the policyguidelines on non-governmental organiza-tions operating in Liberia. The UnitedNations provided financial, technical, andlogistical support for the national consulta-tive process leading to the draft of the pol-icy, which, among other things, seeks toimprove NGO accountability. “I think avery effective and accountable civil socie-ty is the way forward for Liberia,” saysNgesu.

Members of civil society meet at UNMIL headquarters


relations between employees and employ-ers, to take into account informal employ-ment and expand the reach of the law tocover 1.2 million workers. The new lawswill include minimum wage levels for allthe workers as well as mechanisms toensure wage increases taking into accountinflation.

The International Labour Organization(ILO), the UN agency promoting fullemployment and decent work for all, is akey partner in Liberia’s efforts to carry outlabour reforms that should incorporate the

Advancing Workers’ RightsBy Carly Learson

Labour relations are difficult togovern in a country likeLiberia. Conventional rulesgoverning employment arenot quite adequate in a coun-

try where informal employment makes upthe majority of income generation for itscitizens.

In light of this inadequacy, theLiberian government is reviewing thecountry’s labour laws which govern all

informal labour sector. ILO runs a trainingcentre in Turin, Italy, and the success of itstraining courses led the agency to bring itstrainers to Liberia in order to reach a larg-er and more diverse audience and to moreefficiently use limited resources.

The two week-long training sessionsfor 70 participants were held in Februaryat the Liberia Chamber of Commerce,covering labour administration and media-tion and conciliation techniques. Thetraining was attended by officials from theMinistry of Labour, trade union leadership


and employer organizations. From thetraining the ILO will develop a strategicplan to address the needs of workers,employers and the Government of Liberia.

The three groups are brought togetherin Liberia under the National TripartiteCommittee. This cooperation betweenGovernment, employers and employees iscrucial to the success of good labour rela-tions. Wendell Addy, who works for theCommittee, said its formation last year isin recognition of the fact that dialogue andmediation are the key to successful rela-tions. “In the past Liberians have reliedtoo much on lawyers,” he said.

The training was conducted by SylvainBaffi of the Training Centre at ILO inTurin and Sharon Wakeford, an expert indispute resolution who has experience in anumber of African countries. Wakefordagreed that a major challenge in Liberiawas in moving away from an adversarialsystem to a culture of negotiation andmediation. She thinks one of the biggestissues for Liberia is in dealing with theinformal employment sector. “Somegroups fall outside the net, and they are

very vulnerable,” she said. “As time pass-es there will be more need to formalizeemployment.”

Rosetta N. Jackollie, AssistantMinister for Labour Standards, agrees.“Right now there is no protection forworkers in the informal sector, but we aretrying to bring them on board,” she said.Collecting data on Liberia’s informal sec-tors is a major project of the labour min-istry. The largest numbers of informal sec-tor labourers are in agriculture and mining.

Jackollie, who trained as a lawyer, saysthe government wants to formalize theiremployment and ensure they have ade-quate safety mechanisms, particularly inmining. It is also important to strike theright balance between promoting Liberiato foreign investors and ensuring Liberiansare not exploited. The development of theunion movement is crucial in this process.Jackollie says with the increasing credibil-ity of the union movement the rights ofworkers will be better protected.“Historically unions were just a cosmeticthing – they were very political,” she said.“But now gradually we have more women

coming on board, those in leadership areseen as legitimate.”

One woman taking a lead in the unionmovement is Elitha Manning, who wasone of the workers’ representatives toattend the training. Manning is the firstwoman elected as Vice President of theLiberian Labour Congress. A former jani-tor and a union member for 20 years, shedecided to run for an elected position. Shewas able to attend ILO training in Turin inNovember last year, but is now pleasedthat some of her colleagues too can bene-fit from the training.

Massa Lansanah is the ActingSecretary-General of the LiberianChamber of Commerce, and one of fourrepresentatives of the Chamber at thetraining. She says that developing a strongprivate sector in Liberia is an incrediblychallenging task. “It’s taking time,” shesaid. “That’s why we need to continue tohave dialogue with the Government.”

Other private sector representativeswere also pleased with the quality of thetraining and the new ways of thinking thatwere presented to them. Theresa Jordan,Recruitment Manager at Mittal Steel, saidthat it was always possible to find a win-win solution. “You have to focus on whatboth parties want, and work out what’sneeded to find a solution, rather thanfocusing on just holding your position,”she said. She is optimistic about the futureof the private sector in Liberia but thinkspeople need to change their attitude. “A lotof people depend on the Government tolook after them,” she said. “The privatesector requires people to take responsibili-ty for their own destiny.”

Abel F. Ngigie is the GrievanceChairman for the Firestone Workers Unionof Liberia, and responsible for mediatingdisputes at one of the nation’s biggestemployers, with more than 10,000employees. He says he has learnt a lotfrom the training. “We have very lowskills,” he said. “When our brothers fromILO come and develop our minds we canmediate better between the workers andmanagement.” He says ILO has beenengaged with the Firestone workers to tryand improve conditions. “ILO came to theplantation and showed us how to doinspections and ensure workers are notbeing exploited.”

Liberia’s new labour laws will include protection for workers in the informal sector


Three years now since you becamePresident -- half way through yourterm. You had set out a number of goalswhen you were inaugurated. Whatprogress has Liberia achieved sincethen?

First of all we have put forth a visionfor the country and we have formulated adevelopment agenda. That agenda has fourpillars which we consider the basis forrecovery. Under those pillars we have putour economic policies in place. We wereable to get our debt relief programme wellunderway after completing the staff moni-toring programme with the InternationalMonetary Fund (IMF). We’ve reached adecision point under the HIPC [HeavilyIndebted Poor Countries] Programme. Weexpect that the US$4.7 billion debt will allbe a thing of the past sometime toward theend of early next year.

We’ve been able to attract investment.Already, we have renegotiated certain con-cession agreements, for example,Firestone, Arcelor Mittal. We’re in theprocess of negotiating four other conces-sion agreements two of which havealready been concluded and are with ourlegislators. That’s going to mean a lot ofjobs.

We’ve started to rebuild the infrastruc-ture, road systems throughout the country,that’s an ongoing process. Schools andclinics are being rehabilitated. We’veenforced compulsory primary educationand that has resulted in [an increase of] 40per cent enrollment at the primary level inthe public schools.

We’ve been able to attract back sever-al bilateral partners that had left the coun-try. Today we have resources coming from

partners that’s averaging about US$300million a year and that’s used to supple-ment our own budget which was US$80million when we came in. It’s now close toUS$300 million.

Agriculture has become one of ourmain activities. We’ve been trying torevive our rubber industry with some diffi-culties now that the price has fallen.

What I think we’ve also done ischange the image of the country from afailed state to one that now has the poten-tial to be a successful post-conflict story.

I should also mention the security sec-tor where the new army -- some 2000 --has completed their first training after avery vigorous vetting process. The rest ofthe security apparatus still has some prob-lems but are on the way to being trained.

We’ve been able to get the UNSecurity Council to keep the UNMILarrangement in place with the peacekeep-ing force even though they’re reduced andhave a drawdown plan, but still they’rehere. They’re providing security for thecountry. Our partnership with UNMIL hasgone very well. So all in all, we think inthree years we’ve made all the importantfirst steps right across the agenda that weput forth to the nation and we still havechallenges.

Reconciliation was among the majorchallenges you had promised to tackle.Have Liberians found reconciliation?

Not totally. That’s still one of our chal-lenges. We’ve had a fractured country fora long period of time; many types of con-flicts. We’ve had dictatorships for manyyears, either military or benevolent civil-ian dictatorship. Today, we have multipar-

ty democracy that was tested for the firsttime in the country’s history from which Iemerged. We still have problems with theopposition who still say an opposition is aperson that always must take governmentto task.

We still have some ethnic problems.

We have problems of land that’s causing alot of divide in the society. We’re stillwaiting to get the legislation on the LandCommission to try to tackle that problem.So reconciliation, some of it has takenplace, some of it is ongoing. There’s a lotmore to be done on that.

On the other hand, we have had peacefor over five years and we still talk to eachother. We meet on the football field andwe act as though we’re one big happy fam-ily until we go back to our own cornersand our own agendas.

The Truth and Reconciliation

The UN has gone beyond peacekSSiinnccee wwiinnnniinngg tthhee mmuullttii-ppaarrttyy PPrreessiiddeennttiiaall eelleeccttiioonn iinn 22000055,, LLiibbeerriiaa’’ss PPrreessiiddeenntt EElllleennJJoohhnnssoonn SSiirrlleeaaff hhaass ccoommpplleetteedd tthhrreeee yyeeaarrss aanndd iiss hhaallff wwaayy tthhrroouugghh hheerr tteerrmm.. IInn aann eexxcclluu-ssiivvee iinntteerrvviieeww wwiitthh EEddiittoorr MMaatthheeww EEllaavvaannaalltthhoodduukkaa aanndd SSttaaffff WWrriitteerr JJ.. WWeesslleeyy WWaasshhiinnggttoonn,,AAffrriiccaa’’ss ffiirrsstt eevveerr eelleecctteedd ffeemmaallee PPrreessiiddeenntt ddiissccuusssseess hheerr aacchhiieevveemmeennttss,, tthhee iimmppaacctt ooff tthheegglloobbaall eeccoonnoommiicc ccrriissiiss,, tthhee rroollee ppllaayyeedd bbyy tthhee UUnniitteedd NNaattiioonnss iinn LLiibbeerriiaa aanndd tthhee cchhaalllleennggeessttoo rreeccoonncciilliiaattiioonn aanndd ddeemmooccrraaccyy iinn tthhee ccoouunnttrryy..


Commission was meant to be a healingprocess. That also has run into some prob-lems because of the lack of honesty, accu-sations, even divide within theCommission itself. All of that have takenaway from the reconciliation goals, so weneed to work at it.

How do you describe the support theUnited Nations has given you in achiev-ing these goals?

The support of the UN has been criti-cal. In the first instance, the safety of thenation, the security of the nation has rest-ed primarily on the UN forces and theyhave done a very good job. They’ve beendeployed all over the country. They’ve

also been very centrally involved in thetraining of our police force.

The UN has also gone beyond peace-keeping. The engineering contingents ofthe peacekeeping forces have made theirskills and their equipment available to thegovernment. They’ve done well in manyof our rural areas doing secondary roadsthat have enabled our farmers to be able toget our goods to market. Our own PublicWorks has been able to work more effi-ciently in rest of the infrastructure workthrough their help. So they’ve been atremendous partner to the government.

UNMIL is now downsizing. Are youworried that the peacekeepers will begone too soon? How long do you like tosee the UN peacekeepers stay inLiberia?

I’m not worried about it because I con-tinue to engage our partners to make surethat there is an appreciable peacekeepingforce here through our next elections in2011. If, as I believe, our next elections gosmoothly and we have a transition andbetween now and then we have more ofreconciliation and development, then Iwould say the country is now safely oncourse. Then one can talk about a rapiddrawdown of the UN forces. By that timeI also hope our own security forces wouldhave completed their training and be ableto take on the responsibility for security.

There was this coup in Guinea recently.Do you think it will have any significantimpact on Liberia?

As it stands now, I would say no.Because we are holding the new militaryleaders to the promise they’ve made to theEconomic Community of West AfricanStates (ECOWAS) that they are going tomove towards elections and on to multi-party democracy by the end of this year.

If the coup were to go wrong andwe’ve seen so many examples of thataround the continent, in which the militaryleaders don’t choose the path of democra-cy but were to begin to reinforce all theelements of military rule – suppression – ifthat happens then we’ll have problems.

Are you worried about the ongoingglobal economic crisis? Is it impactingthe lives of Liberians and the develop-ment goals of the government?

Yes, Liberia is beginning to feel theeffect of the global financial situation. Forone thing, the prices of some of our majorcommodities like rubber have droppedconsiderably and that’s affecting all thesmall farmers who were beginning theirreplanting programme. It’s going to affectour revenue because our major conces-sions are going to have less profit as aresult.

Another major source of our foreignexchange is remittances -- the money thatcomes in from Liberians abroad. Alreadywe’ve seen a 50 per cent reduction in the

level of those remittances and those remit-tances come to poor families here, so itmeans that those families will be out ofthose resources.

Investments -- so far we’re keepingour potential investors engaged in discus-sion. Already there is a slowdown even inthose who have started their operations.They have indicated that because of theglobal crisis they’re going to stretch outtheir period. So the whole world is in for atough ride and Liberia will not escape it.

Would you say that democracy hastaken root in Liberia? Do you think thatthere are major challenges facingdemocracy?

Democracy has taken root in terms ofthe freedoms that people now enjoy --freedom of speech, freedom of associa-tion, freedom of worship, some of thethings that were not available to the publicbefore. But we have not built the institu-tions. For example, our political system isvery much still centralized around person-alities rather than political institutions. Sowe need to do more.

Democracy also carries with it certainresponsibilities. I say your freedom endswhere my freedom begins. So that respon-sibility has not been built into our systembut we’re on the road. We’re goingthrough a transformation in that regard. Ibelieve there is no escaping the fact thatwe are going to face these kinds of obsta-cles until we have strong institutions thatfunction in society and provide the kindsof checks and balances that are required ina democracy.

One last question. During the electioncampaign you said you will serve asPresident if elected just for one term.Any second thoughts now?

I’m still thinking about that subject.Like I said, my main concern now is con-tinuity in the development effort -- toensure that the agenda that we have nowembarked upon is carried out.

If there are any second thoughts, it’sthat how do I ensure that continuity isthere so that we progressively go towardsthe goals that we have set and we don’thave any reversals.

Thank you, Madam President.

keeping…



To counter the increasing num-ber of sexual and gender-based violence in Liberia, thegovernment has established anew court within the First

Judicial Circuit of Montserrado Countyknown as the Criminal Court “E” or the“Sexual Offences Court”.

Established under Chapter 25 of theJudiciary Law of 1972, this court hasexclusive original jurisdiction over thecrimes of rape, gang rape, aggravatedinvoluntary sodomy, involuntary sodomy,voluntary sodomy, corruption of minors,sexual abuse of wards and sexual assault.Sexual offence cases pending before othercriminal courts that had not commencedtrial when Criminal Court “E” was estab-lished will now be transferred there.

The court rehabilitation project forwhich Denmark provided nearlyUS$212,000, was executed by the UnitedNations Population Fund in collaborationwith the Association of Female Lawyers ofLiberia.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, in

welcoming the establishment of the Courtduring the dedicatory ceremony at theTemple of Justice, observed that gover-nance and the rule of law continue to posechallenges to the government’s overallefforts to meet its development priorities.

“We cannot attract the investors orkeep them here if they do not have confi-dence that when they go to the courts,there will be justice and the judgment theywill receive will be fair and in accordancewith our laws. So if there’s anything that’sholding Liberia back today, if there’s any-thing that prevents us from getting themaximum from the great partnerships thatwe have all over the world, it is becausewe Liberians are not doing what we oughtto do to build the confidence of others inour processes and our procedures of gov-ernance and the rule of law,” PresidentSirleaf said. She noted that unless concreteactions are instituted to embed the rule oflaw, delays are inevitable in the country’sdevelopment.

Liberia’s justice system faces enor-mous challenges. They include the lack ofadequate funding, shortage of qualifiedjudicial officials, the lack of infrastructure

including courts and prisons, archaic rulesof procedure, poor case management andlow salaries.

Chief Justice Johnnie Lewis expressedhis appreciation to the Danish governmentfor its support in rehabilitating the facili-ties. He noted that Denmark’s continuoussupport, which focuses on protecting andsafeguarding the rights of women, hasbeen crucial in the government’s efforts tostrengthen Liberia’s justice system.

Danish Ambassador accredited toLiberia, Stig Barlyng, said the project isabout justice for women and in a nationalperspective an important contribution tonational priorities set out in the PovertyReduction Strategy and the National Planof Action against Gender-based Violence.He noted that the rehabilitation of thecourt is intended to send a strong messageto perpetrators of rape and other gender-based violence that this scourge has noplace in the Liberian society. “Rapists willbe prosecuted and judged. Time forimpunity is over,” he emphasized.

Equipped with closed-circuit televi-sions, Liberia’s new Criminal Court “E” isa novelty in Africa. Victims of rape and

“Sexual Offences Court” D


other sexual related offences are shieldedfrom the public during trials and allowedto testify in camera. Although witness pro-tection is known in other African coun-tries, its use in rape cases will be intro-duced in Liberia for the first time.

Another significant feature of this newSexual Offences Court is its “fast track”nature. Cases will be handled and judg-ment rendered expeditiously. The cham-bers of the judge and offices of the staffassigned to the court were also rehabilitat-ed and furnished.

2008 statistics show that of the crimesunder the jurisdiction of this court, statuto-ry rape, rape, corruption of minors, indescending order, are quite prevalent. TheLNP also notes with grave concern the riseof other crimes outside this court’s juris-diction that affect women and children.

Assistant Commissioner BennettaHolder Warner, head of the Women &Children Protection Section of the LiberiaNational Police, expressed her joy at theestablishment of Criminal Court “E” andthe introduction of its fast track process. “Ithink this court will help to ensure justiceto the aggrieved and this will be donespeedily,” she said.

Cllr. Ceaineh Clinton-Johnson,appointed and commissioned as one of thejudges of this Court, has cautionedLiberians that Criminal Court “E” will notbe a court of sentiments. A former DeputyJustice Minister who developed a passionfor pursuing issues of sexual offenseswhile in that capacity, Clinton-Johnsonsaid she is going to this new Court to dis-

charge her duties to the dictates of her con-science with transparent justice being thehallmark.

A major challenge, according to thenewly appointed judge, is identifying andemploying trained personnel to work withthis court. “This is a learning experiencefor the Liberian people and you need qual-ified and trained people to work in such asystem to make it effective,” Clinton-Johnson said adding that though thesechallenges are not insurmountable.

In an effort to improve the response tothe high incidence of sexual offenses andreduce the incidence of sexual violence,the Ministry of Justice’s internal prosecu-torial structure has been reformed throughthe creation of the Sexual Gender BaseViolence Crimes Unit (SGBV CrimesUnit). Launching the Unit, President EllenJohnson Sirleaf said now is the time toensure that proper mechanisms are put intoplace to protect vulnerable women andgirls. She noted that Liberia has aConstitution that is of good quality,statutes and laws that can pass the test oftime in the protection of people, and soundpolicies that can match others elsewhere.However, “our challenge is to move fromthose instruments to action; to implementand enforce those laws and statutes thatwe’ve created and hold dear,” she said.

Speaking during the dedicatory cere-mony of the newly acquired and refur-bished premises on Capitol Hill recently,Liberia’s Justice Minister, Cllr. Philip A.Z.Banks said that this is pilot project beingimplemented in collaboration with inter-national partners including the UN PeaceBuilding Fund for Liberia, UN RefugeeAgency (UNHCR), UN DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP), The Carter Center,UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and PacificArchitects & Engineers (PAE).

The project, according to the JusticeMinister, will be implemented in threephases beginning with the establishmentof the SGBV Crimes Unit in Monrovia. Itis expected to later expand to other coun-ties. In Monrovia, the Unit will immedi-ately begin to work beginning with prose-cuting all new cases in the newly estab-lished Criminal Court “E”. Cllr. FeliciaColeman, a seasoned female lawyer, hasbeen appointed Chief Prosecutor of theSGBV Crimes Unit.

DedicatedPresident Sirleaf at the opening of the court



The UN Mission in Liberia, incollaboration with theLiberian government and itspartners, recently completedan eight-week senior manage-

ment training for 19 correctional superin-tendents and senior officers aimed atstrengthening the correctional system ofLiberia. The training was intended toequip senior officers with the necessaryskills and knowledge in handling correc-tions activities as well as enable themexhibit best practices in prison manage-ment.

Addressing the training participants,the Deputy Special Representative of theSecretary-General for Rule of Law,Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, urged theLiberian government to continue support-ing its corrections system. She appealed tocorrections superintendents and seniorofficers to keep the government, throughtheir chain of command, well informedabout the situation in their facilitiesincluding problems for which assistance isrequired.

The Deputy UN Envoy advised thesenior officers to maintain what has beenachieved in the system so far and urgedthem to share the knowledge and skillsacquired from the training with their col-leagues. She further cautioned the seniorcorrections officers about prisoners’ rightswhich remain a great challenge to all.“Prisoners are in prison as punishment andnot for punishment,” she reiterated.

Mensa-Bonsu called on officers to

treat prisoners in a way that will enhancetheir rehabilitation and facilitate their rein-tegration into their communities whenthey complete their terms. “Abuse or tor-ture of prisoners is unacceptable. Prisonersare entitled to air and exercise and it isyour duty to ensure that they enjoy theserights,” she reiterated.

Liberia’s Justice Minister, Cllr. PhilipA.Z. Banks, III, serving as keynote speak-er, lamented the problem of overcrowdedprisons around the country. As a way ofresolving the situation and to provide a“fast track” process for prison inmates,Minister Banks disclosed that a strategy isbeing worked out in collaboration with theJudiciary to carry the court to the prisonbeginning this year. “Where we cannottake our prisoners to court, we will try ourbest to see that the courts are taken to ourprisoners so that they can be tried expedi-tiously,” Banks said, noting that theJudiciary is supportive in ensuring thatprison inmates have access to justicespeedily.

A court room is being prepared at theMonrovia Central Prison so cases will nowbe handled right at the prison compoundby judges. On certain days magistrateswill come from the various magisterialcourts under whose authority the inmateswere detained to try them. Minister Bankssaid this will help the government disposeof a good number of cases at the prison.He also pledged the government’s contin-ued support to ensure that correctionsremain an important component of itsoperations.

Banks used the occasion to strongly

warn prisoners against jail breaks. “I wantto make it clear that the fact that we havesome folks that have escaped prison does-n’t mean that we’re going to tolerate thosekinds of events. If anyone escapes from aprison, we have laws to prosecute him orher. We will ensure that there are noattempts to escape from prisons. If youwant to be out of prison, do not commitcrimes.”

Lengthy pre-trial detentions have ledto the over-crowding in Liberia’s prisons.This eventually led to a jail-break at theMonrovia Central Prison last Decemberwhere over 200 prison inmates escaped.Most of them have been recaptured.Concerns have been raised within thehuman rights community about the right ofaccused to be tried without unwarranteddelay.

In addition to general managementtraining, the 19 correctional superintend-ents and senior officers (including fourfemales) intensively covered issues onhuman rights, code of conduct, gendermainstreaming and the treatment of juve-niles and other vulnerable offenders.Facilitators were drawn from UNMIL, theLiberian Government and theInternational Committee of the Red Cross.

The participants were selected fromeight of Liberia’s 15 counties includingBomi, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, GrandCape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Lofa, Margibi,and Maryland. The next training sessionwill cover senior officers of the remainingcounties.

UNMIL Trains Senior Corrections OfficersMensa-Bonsu addresses the Corrections Officers



At the tender age of 18 years,Zoe became pregnant andwas expecting to become ayoung mother when hernightmare with fistula start-

ed after she went into labour. For four longdays she was in pain and nearly died in thevillage which had no health facility. Left atthe mercy of untrained and unqualifiedhealth workers, the teenager developedfistula. Also, her child was still born.

Without any vocational skills and stig-matized by fistula, Zoe, 27, had every rea-son to be pessimistic. But not any more.Today, Zoe has hopes of a promisingfuture. Her new hope stems from a verysuccessful fistula operation last year at theJohn F. Kennedy (JFK) Fistula Center andher acquiring sewing skills at the FistulaRehabilitation and Reintegration Centre.

“For one year I was unable to walkproperly. My mother used to do everythingfor me even to feed me,” she says. Afternine years of searching for solution, Zoe isready to start life anew and is thankful toUnited Nations Fund for PopulationActivities (UNFPA) for restoring her dig-nity and giving her a reason to smile. “Ithank God for everything,” she says,demonstrating her new skills with thesewing machine.

Zoe was narrating her ordeal during

programmes marking the formal openingand first graduation exercises of theFistula Rehabilitation and ReintegrationCenter in Jacob Town, Paynesville, inFebruary. She was among 17 fistula sur-vivors that walked out of the walls of theCenter with skills in tie & dye, soap mak-ing, cosmetology, pastry and tailoring inaddition to being provided psychosocialcounseling that started their healingprocess after surgery six months back.These services are provided free of charge.

UNFPA Representative Rose Gakubasaid she was elated to be a part of the cel-ebrations marking a milestone in the livesof the 17 women who through theircourage and determination had transcend-ed the stigma and discrimination surround-ing fistula and had decided courageouslyto seek help and participate in the skillstraining programme. “This is also amoment of history in Liberia where todaywe can say with pride that Liberian doc-

tors, anesthetics and midwives are trainedand actually involved in the treatment offistula at the JFK Maternity Hospital andoutreach sites around the country.” Before2007, expatriate doctors came to Liberiaoccasionally and did treatment.

The graduates were reminded of thechallenges ahead of them as they reinte-grate in their various communities andurged to practice what they had learnedand eventually become successful entre-preneurs. They were also advised to beadvocates and ambassadors for those fistu-la patients who have not had courage andopportunity to seek help and reminded thatfistula is treatable and preventable. Theelated graduates received certificates,gifts, starter kits and transportationallowances.

Since the Liberia Fistula Project waslaunched on 6 April 2007, 332 fistulapatients have so far undergone surgery.Implemented by Liberia Prevention ofMaternal Mortality (LPMM) in collabora-tion with the JFK Medical Center andMinistry of Health & Social Welfare, theproject’s major sponsor is the UNFPA.

The Programme Manager, Dr. John K.Mulbah, noted that significant progresshas been made so far since the projectkicked off including the training of over200 nurses and midwives and 20 doctorsin managing common obstetric emergen-cies such as caesarian section and fistula,among others. Fistula prevention andmanagement has also been included in thecurriculum of medical training institu-tions. The primary cause of fistula inLiberia is the poor socio-economic statusof women and girls, especially in ruralareas.

Ashamed No More

Fistula survivors have acquired new skills


By Carly Learson

As reports of swarms ofvoracious caterpillars lay-ing waste to food cropsstarted coming in from theremote regions of Bong

county in January, panic spread quicklyacross Liberia. Army worms are pests thathave devastated huge swathes of cultiva-tion elsewhere on the African continent,devouring rice and other crops and leavingfarmers with nothing. A similar outbreakcould devastate the rice and cassava fieldsof Liberia and threaten the entire WestAfrican region.

As a result a widespread pesticidespraying operation took place andPresident Ellen Johnson Sirleaf declared astate of emergency. The United Nations,through UNMIL, the FAO, UNICEF andothers stepped in to help wherever possi-ble, facilitating a pesticide spraying opera-tion across the affected counties.

Experts from Ghana and Sierra Leone

were brought in by FAO to seek advice onhow to manage the pests. However, whenthey visited the affected areas the expertswere surprised by what they saw -- a closeexamination revealed that the caterpillarswere in fact not army worms but a differ-ent species, known only by the scientificname Achaea catocaloides rena.

Allan Schroeder, a consultant broughtto Liberia by USAID, said there was littlereason to fear the caterpillars. “They areonly going to hit dry season crops,” hesaid. “If you don’t have food crops in thedry season you will be ok. But what is atrisk are cash crops like cocoa.” Schroedersaid the caterpillars had been regularlyspotted in Benin and Gabon, and weremost likely linked to the harmattan windsthat have recently blown across Liberia.

Local resident Henry Kolleh of Peleleiin Zota District said the first sign of thepests was when the chickens got sick.“That told us something was wrong,” hesaid. It was soon after that a frightenedneighbour fled his house on the edge of the

village as hundreds of caterpillars startedcoming through his front door. Kolleh saidhe and his neighbours lit fires on the edgeof the jungle which drove the caterpillarsback inside. “Now they are gone faraway,” he said.

The evidence is still visible in a pondwhere villagers say they used to collectdrinking water from. The surroundingground is covered in droppings, and thewater is murky black. But the villagers saythe food crops were generally untouched,with the caterpillars staying mainly on theDahoma tree.

Several hours from Pelelei, along abarely passable road, villagers atShankpalla don’t look overtly worriedabout the caterpillar onslaught. HoweverJohn Gborlawaoe says some people arescared to go into the forest to search forbush meat. “When there were many cater-pillars the people didn’t want to get themon their skin,” he said. “They said theyleave a mark.” Now most of the caterpil-lars have disappeared because of spraying

Worms Scare


around the village. But there are still somewho have been left behind. ShankpallaChief Junior Mekamu has worked out away to get to them – they hate loud noises.When he makes a high-pitched squeal thetrees suddenly begin to shake as the cater-pillars are woken from their sleep andthrow their heads from side to side.

The invading creatures have barelytouched the banana trees that surround thevillage. There are some bite marks on alone cocoa tree, but Mekamu says the treehas not been harvested for many years.While farmers in Liberia and neighbouringcountries are breathing a sigh of relief thatthe feared army worm invasion was some-thing of a false alarm, the fact that relative-ly little is known about the caterpillars andmoths that have been spotted is still acause for concern. The scare has alsoexposed Liberia’s vulnerability and thelack of preparedness should a major pestattack occur. That’s why a concerted effortis taking place to ensure the country is pre-pared if the infestation gets worse.

To assist the Government in handlingwhat was potentially a national disasterFAO provided 1,250 knapsacks to spraythe affected areas, as well as eightmotorised sprayers to reach higher treesand 15 protective suits. UNICEF hasplayed a major role with the Ministry ofHealth in coordinating efforts to ensurewater and sanitation facilities are main-

tained. The agency provided 1,000 jerrycans which were distributed to villageswhere the water supply could be contami-nated by caterpillar faeces to help peoplefetch water from sources further away.UNICEF has also supplied 15 hand pumpsto assist villages without a secure watersupply.

Sam Treglown of UNICEF says thatwhile there has been no evidence of anincrease in diarrhoeal disease in areasaffected by the infestation, people whosewater sources have been contaminatedwere being advised to use alternativewater sources as a precautionary measure.“The approach being taken by partners isto improve access to unaffected watersources by repairing handpumps, upgrad-ing protected wells, and providing jerrycans to help people collect and store

water,” he said. UNMIL has also been assisting the

Ministry of Agriculture with vehicles totake the teams of sprayers from Gbarngato the villages in Zota district, while theWorld Health Organisation is providingsupport to the Ministry of Health andWelfare.

With the potential to destroy not justLiberia’s food crops but also those ofneighbouring countries, an army worminvasion could seriously threaten foodsecurity in the region. In the wake of theworm scare, agriculture ministers from theMano River Union -- Liberia, SierraLeone, Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire -- met inMonrovia and appointed a technical com-mittee to design plans of action to beimplemented immediately to stave off thethreat.

Water contaminated by caterpillar droppings


By Carly Learson

The global financial crisis hasreached Liberia. And it is bit-ing hard, especially all thoseinvolved in the diamondindustry.

Liberia’s projected diamond exports

for 2008 were US$12 million. Things wentwell until October, when sales droppeddramatically to $250,000 for the month.By November sales plummeted to$50,000. It is a devastating blow to theindustry, and some mining companieshave temporarily ceased their operations.The drop in demand for diamonds has

impacted on rural employment in diamondregions, and many miners have had to lookelsewhere for work, including in gold min-ing. The work is tough and dangerous, butmany miners have few choices.

Just outside Lofa Bridge, in GrandCape Mount County, is a small miningtown called Weajue, where the shadow of

No More Sparkling?


Bea Mountain covers enormous pits thathave been dug out and chipped away overthe decades in search of gold. The mine isnow teeming with men who once searchedfor diamonds. The workers divide theirlabour with one person dedicated to eachtask on each pit – cutting through the rockwith a back hoe, shovelling the rocks up tothe surface, pumping water or sortingthrough the gravel.

From each ton of gravel the miners canextract anything from 1 to 4 grams of golddust. But to find each gram takes a lot ofwork when everything is done by hand.Ascending Bea Mountain the evidence oflarge scale mining can be seen with cater-pillars and rusty machinery scattered alongthe path and the remnants of explorationholes dug with high-tech equipment byAmerican companies in the 1980s, nowabandoned.

Brothers Patrick and Jones Shermanmoved to Weajue from Monrovia to findwork. With a gold tooth glinting in the sunand a Liberian flag wrapped around hishead Patrick emerges from the bushesready to start work. “I look young, but I’mgetting old quickly,” he says. The 29-year-old says he is just waiting for the opportu-nity to leave mining but so far has not hadany luck finding work elsewhere. Jones iscommitted to staying at the mine longenough to make money to go to school andstudy engineering.

At the top of the mountain the minershave dug almost 100 metres into the rockyground. The shouts of the miners echoaround the bright red cavernous pits. Eachday the men are risking their lives climb-ing down the slippery edges of the holes.One man recently died when a loose pileof gravel was washed onto him during therainy season.

Not everyone has given up on dia-monds. Today the Liberian Governmentgives out licences to small mining compa-nies, called class c licences. These aremainly Liberians, Guineans and otherWest African Nationals. The tracts are 25acres, and operations are not mechanised.Deputy Minister for Planning andDevelopment at the Ministry of Lands,Mines and Energy, Hon A. Kpandel Fayia,says there is still a lot of interest in dia-mond mining amongst Liberians. “Formany people diamond mining is a tradi-

tion,” he says. Further outside Lofa Bridge several

small companies are exploring the riverfor diamonds. Prince ‘Sosoboy’ Swaray isemployed by a Liberian company tosearch for diamonds. Using a crudebreathing apparatus which involves sim-ply holding a tube in his mouth which isattached to an old industrial machine thatpumps air through the tube, he dives intothe 25 foot deep river. Sosoboy says he canstay under the water for up to 6 hours dig-ging through the sand under the water.

Dealers in Monrovia are also being hithard. Last year there were 26 dealers, butsince then nine of those have closed downtheir operations. One dealer said there areplenty of brokers and miners still trying tosell diamonds, but he is unwilling to buythem at the price they are asking. “We’renot buying,” he said. “And if we buy it isat a much lower cost.” If the decline ininternational demand continues he says hemight be forced close his operation. Hehas no doubt that some diamonds are noteven making it to the dealers at all sug-gesting illegal sales.

Deputy Minister Fayia is also con-cerned that the downturn in the marketmay lead miners and brokers to offer theirdiamonds to buyers not operating entirelywithin the law. The effect on the market isworrying, he says. “Once people have dia-monds they need to sell them,” he said.“And there will always be someone to buythem.”

The Kimberly Process was designed torestore confidence in diamonds through acertification process that would ensureonly clean diamonds made it onto theinternational market. Yet in a global slow-down the temptation to sell diamonds ille-gally is heightened as legal dealers lowertheir prices. Liberia is truly part of theworld market when it comes to diamonds,and with the support of the UN the govern-ment of Liberia will be working to ensurethe hard won credibility of resources fromthis country is maintained.

UNMIL has assisted the governmentthrough its Quick Impact Projects to con-struct diamond offices. This has allowedthe government to monitor the diamondtrade and ensure that the precious stonesare no longer the tainted “blood dia-monds.” Diamond dealers are only buying at a reduced price

prompting fears miners are selling diamonds illegally

Weajue Mine in Grand Cape Mount County


By Sulaiman Momodu

Unexploded Ordnances(UXOs) are explosivessuch as bombs andgrenades that did notexplode when they were

employed and still pose a risk of detona-tion years after they were used or discard-ed. Such devices litter many communitiesacross Liberia. They are the remnants ofthe country’s ghastly civil war.

Although there have been no reporteddeaths from these UXOs, the potential

risks remain high. The success in prevent-ing any fatalities so far owes a great dealto the UNDP Small Arms ControlProgramme, which works in close collab-oration with the United Nations Mission inLiberia (UNMIL), the Liberian securityforces and local communities. To datemore than 1,500 explosive devices havebeen cleared by the Programme withNimba county accounting for the majorityof them followed by Bong and GrandGedeh counties.

UNDP’s Small Arms Control ChiefTechnical Advisor Napoleon Abdulai

names Lofa, parts of Nimba and Bongcounties - fierce battle grounds during thecivil war - as areas where UXOs are par-ticularly concentrated. “Every week ourteam in Lofa collects UXOs. We believethat this is just the tip of the icebergbecause even in Lofa County, we have justcovered only Vahun, Foya and Voinjamadistricts,” says the UNDP officer, pointingout that the Programme is yet to cover sev-eral counties.

UXOs have been found in dwellinghouses, markets, schools, hospitals, bush-es, roadsides, in trees, streams and rivers,

LLiivviinngg AAmmiiddsstt EExxpplloo


among others. Sensitization activities byUN peacekeepers and UNDP personnelare ongoing to educate people on how toidentify the dangerous objects. They areencouraged to put a red tape or red piece

of cloth around the area where the devicesare found so that UNMIL UXO experts,mainly from Pakistan and Bangladesh,could easily identify the location for dis-posal. Within two days following sensiti-zation, local residents in Foya near theGuinea border turned in rocket-propelledgrenades, a Bangalore torpedo, fiveKalashnikovs, three magazines, and sever-al rounds of ammunition, among others.Also, the following day after a debate inall four schools in Foya about the bestways the youth can help to rid their com-munities of weapons, two elementary

school children took Small Arms staff andUNMIL security personnel to an area inthe woods where grenades were found hid-den.

With small arms and light weapons

still in circulation in the country despitethe successful completion of theDisarmament, Demobilization,Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DDRR)programme in 2004, the Arms forDevelopment Programme was officiallylaunched in January 2006. The collectionand disposal of UXOs is part of this pro-gramme. Recently fishermen detected ahuge cache of more than 26,000 ammuni-tion for different weapons dumped in theMorfe River in Grand Cape MountCounty. UNDP worked closely withUNMIL to get the ammunition out usingdivers.

The Pakistani Explosive OrdnanceDisposal team leader, Maj. Amjad AliIkram, says in 2008 more than 400 UXOswere disposed of. In Nimba County, the

contingent commander of Bangladeshengineers, Lt.-Col. Shaheedul Islam, sayssince deployment in March last year thepeacekeepers have disposed of 22 UXOsmostly discovered in and around Ganta,the county’s capital. It was in Nimba thatthe civil war first erupted on ChristmasEve in 1989.

While UN peacekeepers have disposedof hundreds of UXOs, in Voinjama, aUXO stuck in a tree generated lots of fearamong residents as it was very tricky tohandle and had the potential to destroyproperty. “In this particular case, thePakistani engineers took a lot of timedoing a lot of calculation for weeks and wewere all very anxious. Finally they gavescience the benefit and prayed that nothinghappened. So they felled the tree and noth-ing happened. There was no collateraldamage,” narrates Abdulai.

In exchange for surrendering weapons,the UNDP offers development projectsunder its Arms for Development pro-gramme.

Construction or renovation of adminis-trative buildings, hospitals, clinics, townhalls and the implementation of micro-credit form part of the projects beingundertaken. The projects are mostly fund-ed by Japan while UNDP also puts in corefunds. So far, nine projects have beencompleted and handed over to communi-ties while others are in progress. LastDecember, UNDP turned over a newlyconstructed Council Hall in Foya, LofaCounty. The hall, named in honour of for-mer Paramount Chief Tamba LamieTaylor, is valued at US$ 57,000.

This year small arms collection willexpand to places like Monrovia, GrandCape Mount and Gbarnga.

As the UN mission gradually drawsdown, peacekeepers are assisting to trainlocal police personnel on safety measuresduring disposal of UXOs. However, manychallenges remain such as lack of funds,expertise and gadgetry for the safe dispos-al of UXOs. As Liberians rebuild theirlives in communities littered with danger-ous devices, there is a need for more sup-port to prevent people from coming incontact with these deadly remnants of war.“We need more funds to sweep the countryof UXOs and other remnants of wars,”appeals Abdulai.

A UXO being cleared oossiivveess


By Sulaiman Momodu

Until recently, the WestAfrican states of Liberia,Guinea, Sierra Leone andCôte d’Ivoire all had onething in common: conflict.

Last December, however, enthusiastic cul-tural groups and performers from theneighbouring states converged at the FishMarket Sports Football Field in theLiberian capital, Monrovia, for a three-dayNational Peace and Cultural Festival withthe theme: Rebuilding Peace throughCulture.

The conflicts that ravaged the sub-region significantly contributed to the ero-sion of cultural values and institutions thatonce fostered inter-ethnic co-existence.With West Africa now enjoying relativepeace, artists determined to revive theregion’s cultural values thrilled their audi-ence at their Monrovia meet with theirmusic, dramas, storytelling and acrobatics.

Over the years, the neighbouringnations had experienced devastating con-flicts which left thousands of people killedor maimed, destroyed infrastructure andforced hundreds of thousands to flee theirhomes and countries. The journey fromwar to peace has been long and painstak-ing. The sister countries are now recover-ing with the assistance of current UnitedNations peacekeeping missions in Liberiaand Côte d’Ivoire while the UN mission inSierra Leone ended in 2006 following asuccessful peacekeeping operation.Although Guinea also experienced anarmed insurrection, it was quickly crushedbut some regard the country as a potentialhotspot.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, whowitnessed the closing ceremony, noted thatthe aim of the event was to bring together

not only cultural groups from the 15 coun-ties of Liberia but also countries of theMano River Union which have culturalsimilarities with Liberia to ensure thatpeace is sustained in the sub-region. ThePeace and Cultural Festival was jointlyorganized by the Government of Liberia incollaboration with International Alert andpartners, including the United NationsMission in Liberia (UNMIL), UnitedNations High Commission for Refugee(UNHCR), Open Society Initiative forWest Africa (OSIWA) and Comium-Liberia, among others.

“We cannot underestimate the rele-vance a system of this nature brings to ourpeace building and our conflict resolutionand our peace maintenance,” said InternalAffairs Minister Ambulai Johnson, recall-ing Liberia’s journey away from the 14-year civil war.

Essentially, the festival was a celebra-tion of peace after war and an invitationfor reconciliation in the wider sub-region.It also offered a space to explore construc-tive means of reconciliation. TheMonrovia event followed three colourfulfestivals in Grand Kru, Bong and Nimbacounties, during which it came out clearlythat building a strong and lasting peace inLiberia will mean celebrating and usingthe country’s cultural diversity to developa strong spirit of oneness. The festivalsalso led to consensus on the need to recog-nize and remove barriers that have pre-vented Liberians from celebrating culturaldiversity and national unity in the past.Although Liberia’s cultural heritage isquite diverse, Liberians agree that thereare commonalities across ethnic commu-nities that offer opportunities for the pro-motion of peace and unity.

At the close of the three-day event,participants agreed that land ownership,

PPeeaaccee,, nnoott jjuussttffoorr LLiibbeerriiaa

customary and statutory laws, disrespectfor elders by youths, the lack of women’sparticipation in traditional councils, mar-ginalization of people from the leewardcounties, corruption, tribalism and weakjustice system are the major challenges topeace.

Programme Director of InternationalAlert Phil Vernon expressed confidencethat the meeting would discover tradition-al norms and values and how they could beconnected to already identifiable struc-tures at the local level."Our objective is tomake sure that peace and democracy thatwere broken down due to war arerestored," he said.

Earlier, cultural artists from Liberia’s15 counties paraded through the principalstreets of Monrovia before proceeding tothe festival venue. The Justice and PeaceCommission, Press Union of Liberia,Center for Justice and Peace Studies andFlomo Theatre were involved with the fes-tival.

Reminding the gathering that peacecould only be possible when everyLiberian, Sierra Leonean, Ivorian andGuinean decides to be peaceful,Information, Culture and TourismMinister Laurence Bropleh, said: “Webelieve that in order for Liberia to bepeaceful, Sierra Leone must be peaceful.In order for Guinea to have peace, Ivoriansmust have peace…we are tied together inthe garment of mutuality in West Africa.Today, we stand to say that we welcomepeace not just for Liberia, but for all ofWest Africa.”


Artists perform at the festival


By Sulaiman Momodu

Once considered the bread-basket of Liberia,Voinjama, the capital ofLofa County, was in a fes-tive mood in December as

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf arrived atthe National Agricultural Fair accompa-nied by the Food and AgricultureOrganization Director General, JacquesDiouf, senior Liberian government offi-cials, ministers and delegations fromneighbouring countries. Banners from var-ious counties and organizations depictedmessages highlighting the importance ofagriculture.

Liberians who excel in various agricul-tural categories are pub-licly recognized andgiven awards during theannual fair as part of theefforts by the govern-ment to encourage farm-ers to return to the soiland boost agriculturalproduction. This time itwas not just the farmerswho were being recog-nized but the LiberianPresident as well. FAODirector General conferred PresidentSirleaf the Ceres Award, an honour recog-nizing women who have made an out-standing contribution to food security andagricultural development. The award isnamed after the Roman goddess of agri-culture. Former winners of the CeresAward include the late Indian PrimeMinister Indira Gandhi, Mother Teresa andthe former President of Iceland, VigdisFinnbogadóttir.

“The award is in recognition of thetireless efforts President Sirleaf has madein building peace and economic develop-ment of a country torn by a long and sadperiod of civil conflicts,” said Diouf. Hesaid the Liberian President has beeninstrumental in highlighting the role of theagriculture sector as a prerequisite fornational development.

Receiving the Award, President Sirleaf

described the FAO honour as an achieve-ment of all Liberian farmers, particularlywomen who continue to work all yearround to produce food to feed their fami-lies and the nation. The Liberian leaderencouraged all to go back to the soil andstressed the importance of agriculture tonation building.

UN Special Representative EllenMargrethe Løj congratulated PresidentSirleaf for FAO’s recognition for her lead-ership in moving the post-war nation for-ward in the direction of sustainable peace,security and economic growth. “Peace canonly be sustained if the population is fedand enjoys a certain quality of life,” saidLøj, pointing out that global increase inthe prices of cereals, particularly rice, can

potentially undermine, if not reverse, theprogress that has been made in restoringpeace and setting Liberia on the road toeconomic growth.

“This is the third year in a row in thisadministration that we have celebrated thecontribution of our farmers,” Minister ofAgriculture Dr. Christopher Toe, said, not-ing that the event was organized 2006 inGanta and 2007 in Tubmanburg.

Harvested crops including rice, tubers,fruits, and animals including cows, chick-en, goats and sheep as well as some agri-cultural machines were among the exhibitson display at the fair. Also present at thefair were the National AIDS ControlProgramme team which sensitized thegathering on HIV/AIDS, and personnelfrom the National Malaria ControlProgramme who screened farmers formalaria parasites and administered free

Dear Editor,

In the article “Rice, More Rice?”(UNMIL FOCUS, September-November2008), you stated that the Government ofWilliam Richard Tolbert back in late ’70s"applied huge import tariffs, effectivelydoubling the price of imported rice".

This is factually inaccurate. In 1978/79 Minister of Agriculture

Florence Chenoweth in line with PresidentTolbert's philosophy that Liberians whowere then importing about 50 to 60 percent of their rice needs should become selfsufficient in rice growing proposed thatthe Government increase the price ofimported rice by around 10 per cent fromthe subsidized price of around $24 to $26.

This was what triggered the rice-riotsof 14 April, 1979 which some say was theproximate cause of the coup of 12 April,1980 and the subsequent collapse of oursociety, the deaths of hundreds of thou-sands and the presence of over 10,000 UNpeacekeeping troops at a cost to the inter-national community of over $700 million ayear.

And today we are back to talkingabout getting to self-sufficiency in riceproduction again.

Dr. Richard V. TolbertChairmanNational Investment Commission (NIC)Monrovia, Liberia

Liberian President Receives FAO’s Highest Award

Rice, More Rice?

drugs. Several Liberian farmers receivedtheir prizes in various categories fromPresident Sirleaf. The 2009 NationalAgriculture Fair is planned to take place inRiver Gee County.

During his two-day visit to Liberia, theFAO Director General toured projectsaimed at improving agriculture and visitedan FAO-donated veterinary laboratory inFendell, near capital Monrovia. He alsomet with representatives of other UNagencies and with agriculture ministersfrom Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia andCôte d’Ivoire.

President Sirleaf receives the award from Jacques Diouf



The landlocked Kingdom ofNepal, over 10,000 kilome-tres away from Liberia, wasone of the first countries toprovide peacekeepers to the

United Nations’ effort at ensuring peace inthis war-ravaged West African nation. Inlate November 2003, the UN Mission inLiberia (UNMIL) received the advancedteam of the first Nepalese Military PoliceUnit, which later consolidated into its fullstrength by 30 December 2003.

Five years on, the Nepalese has itstenth contingent inUNMIL constituting twoFormed Police Units(FPUs) -- (Nepal-1 basedat the Freeport ofMonrovia and Nepal-2based in Buchanan, GrandBassa County) -- and aMilitary Police Unit inMonrovia. Since theirdeployment, the “robust”Nepalese military policeand FPUs have helpedmaintain peace and securi-ty, especially at flashpointsin Monrovia and otherparts of the country.Currently, there are twoNepalese FPUs totalling240 officers and 15 mili-tary police officers in Liberia. In additionto these, Nepal has contributed two mili-tary observers, four staff officers and 40soldiers to UNMIL.

As its specific mandate, the Nepalesemilitary and FPUs provide support to theLiberian National Police (LNP) in manag-ing public disorder, serve as back-up dur-ing joint UN Police and LNP patrol,including anti-robbery patrols, but moreimportantly, provide maximum securityfor the Monrovia Central Prison. Nepalesepeacekeepers also provide security for theZwedru Corrections Palace in GrandGedeh County where a number of hard-ened criminals have been relocated since itopened a short while ago. In collaboration

with the LNP, the Nepalese military andFPUs also embark on a number of specialoperations including raids and cordon andsearch, and provide protection for VeryImportant Persons (VIPs) as well as under-take other operations that may be required.

The Commander of Nepal FPU-1,Superintendent Suraj Kumar Shrestha,observed that the security situation inLiberia is gradually improving as com-pared to when he first arrived in the coun-try. “This is the 10th contingent of theNepalese military police and FPUs. Wearrived here on 10 August 2008. Since thattime, I find that the security situation in

Liberia is improving greatly,” he noted.The Nepalese Units have been quite

vigilant in executing their tasks duringtheir tour of duty in UNMIL that theSpecial Representative of the UNSecretary-General and Coordinator ofUnited Nations Operations in Liberia,Ellen Margrethe Løj, at a medal ceremonylast December, praised the peacekeepersfor representing their country well. “I amvery happy to be with you here today aswe acknowledge the contribution of theNepalese Contingent to the consolidationof peace in Liberia. Nepal has a long his-tory of assisting UN peacekeeping opera-tions. You have represented your countrywell by serving with courage and respect,

honesty and distinction, as well as uphold-ing the core values of the UN Police andmilitary,” she told them.

Despite their demanding and hecticschedule, the contingents even becamehumanitarian workers -- conducting med-ical outreach programmes and buildingbridges and roads -- to assist the Liberianpeople reclaim their lives.

At the Monrovia Central Prison, theNepalese FPU found time to share theiragricultural skills with inmates aimed atmaking them become productive citizenswhen their prison terms are over.Coordinating with Correction Officers at

the compound, the Nepal-1FPU began a skills trainingproject in vegetable farm-ing with the inmates,imparting agriculturalskills to make them pro-ductive citizens to avoidreverting to old habits thatwill see them back inprison.

Since becoming amember of the UN on 14December 1955, Nepal hascommitted herself to theprinciples and purposesenshrined in the UNCharter. The Asian nationattaches great importanceto the centrality of the UNin the maintenance of

international peace and security and inpromoting international cooperation foreconomic and social development.

Since 1958, Nepal has continuouslyparticipated in UN peacekeeping opera-tions. Its first was the deployment of fivemilitary observers in Lebanon(UNOGIL/UN Observer Group inLebanon). Over the last five decades,Nepal has contributed 60,000 peacekeep-ers in some 40 peacekeeping missions,ranking among the top five troop con-tributing nations. Today Nepalese peace-keepers are deployed in a number of UNMissions including Congo, Burundi, Haiti,and Sudan.

Nepal Contributes to Peace in Liberia


You have been in Liberia as the UNDeputy Special Representative forRecovery and Governance,Humanitarian Coordinator, as well asUN Resident Coordinator for threeyears now. What would you say aresome of the major achievements by theUnited Nations since the time of yourarrival?

Looking back, I think the UnitedNations here has made a number of keycontributions. It all starts with peace.Every day, around Liberia, UNMIL peace-keepers are hard at work providing a“security” blanket. You might say the UNis providing the government the “time andspace” to get the nation back on track.

The UN family has also helped easethe humanitarian emergency. Liberia hasbeen a pilot country in the humanitarianreform efforts, and our partnership withthe government, donors and NGOs, hasmade a difference. We helped return over122,000 refugees and approximately350,000 internally displaced persons andrefugees home. The UN has helped withschool feeding and nation-wide efforts toeradicate disease. We raised some $10 mil-

lion in special emergency funding forquick responses.

We also have considerable achieve-ments in our efforts to support nationaldevelopment goals. We have succeeded inestablishing greater coherence in the UNsupport to the government’s effort to for-mulate the development agenda. From the150 day plan, to the iPRS, to the PRS(Poverty Reduction Strategy), the UN hasprovided considerable support to thenational-led efforts. We applaud the inno-vative consultative processes, and we areglad to have been able to help ministersand other government officials to travel tothe countryside - into villages, districtsand counties - to listen to the Liberian peo-ple speak of their aspirations and their pri-orities.

A hallmark of the last three years is totry to do development differently. We aresupporting efforts in each of the 15 coun-ties with real work on the ground – wherereal change happens. This includes thepartnership with the World Bank that fund-ed the innovative road works that madeuse of UNMIL Force engineering capacity.It created work for hundreds of Liberians.

The UN also helped to advance the SeniorExecutive Service, a needed adjunct tobuild national capacity. Our innovativeCounty Support Teams worked with coun-ty superintendents and local officials. Theresult is a better equipped local authoritythat can engage with the local populationin advancing country development agen-das. We have supported national efforts topromote equality, stop rape and gender-based violence, empower youth, andaddress food security and nutrition. Thelist goes on…

You have been a driving force behindthe ‘One UN’ or ‘At Work Together’concept. Could you elaborate on what itmeans, and why it is important that weshift our focus to reflect this change?

We are concerned not with activitiesbut action, birds flying, not wings flap-ping. The entire UN family, consisting of

““LLiibbeerriiaa iiss aahheeaadd bbuutt nneeeeddssmmoorree ssuuppppoorrtt…… ””

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UNMIL as well as the UN Country Teamand its 16 agencies and the World Bank, iscommitted to advance the twin goals ofcoherence and effectiveness. We believethat that we can do much more if we, theentire UN family, analyze problemstogether, come up with practical respons-es, and roll up our sleeves and get to work,drawing on our respective strengths. Welike to call it a UN that is “At WorkTogether”. What we have done is to putnational priorities as the starting point –food security, gender equality or sexualand gender based violence, justice, rule oflaw. Our team approach has been singledout as a “best practice”. We are proud thatthe UN Mission and the UN Country Teamsee the importance of working together tohelp the people of Liberia realize theirdreams.

What priority areas do you see as beingimportant for Liberia to focus on dur-ing the next three years?

Liberia has come a long way over thelast three years. But it is very important tocontinue the emphasis on security and therule of law. The security forces requireequipping and training, the security forceshave to work and to work well. As the gov-ernment recognizes, much more needs tobe done to improve infrastructure. Thenation needs more electricity, adequatewater and sanitation, and, of course, moreroads.

But the nation also needs over the nextthree years to address governance chal-lenges. Corruption needs to be rooted out.Accountability for public action needs tobe championed. Also we in the UN hopethat efforts at peacebuilding will becomecentral to the nation’s transformation.Essential in moving forward is a nationaleffort to make sure that factors that causedthe conflict are addressed “root andbranch”.

Underscoring all the priorities is thefact that Liberia’s development requirescompetent management and administra-tion. Resources are scarce and efficiency isat a premium. If asked what the nation’spriorities are, many would respond“everything is a priority”. Perhaps what isneeded is indeed more focus on manage-ment, administration and the efficient useof Liberia’s scarce resources. The manage-

ment gap was evident right from the startand this government and Liberia as awhole is playing catch up. That is one rea-son why the 10-year national CapacityBuilding Strategic Plan is being developedto build capacity of ministries and agen-cies.

What are the UN and other actors cur-rently doing to assist the LiberianGovernment in the area of good gover-nance so that peace and stability inLiberia can be sustained long after theUN mission phases out?

The UN has been a strong supporter ofthe original effort of good governance thatcame out of the Governance andEconomic Management AssistanceProgramme (GEMAP). GEMAP focusedon Liberia’s financial and revenue generat-ing institutions. In my view it has played aconstructive role to put the issue of finan-cial probity and fiscal responsibility frontand center.

Corruption is another governance issuethat needs attention. The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, established inSeptember 2008, is being supported by theUN to become operational. Some arguethat corruption is endemic and must be tol-erated. Unless addressed, corruption willdestroy the prospects of a fair, equitablesociety. And there are many other issueson the governance agenda: land reform,reconciliation, decentralization linkedwith constitutional reform. Certainly theUnited Nations will be involved in these aswe see governance as central to ensuringthat every Liberian has a stake in thenation’s future. A 10-year nationalCapacity Building Strategic Plan is beingdeveloped to build capacity of ministriesand agencies.

You take over at the helm of UNDP’sBureau for Crisis Prevention andRecovery (BCPR) in New York. Couldyou elaborate a bit about your newassignment?

BCPR works around the world throughsome 100 country offices to restore thequality of life for men, women and chil-dren who have been devastated by naturaldisaster or violent conflict. The Bureauprovides a bridge between the humanitari-an agencies that handle immediate needs

and the long-term development phase fol-lowing recovery. So I will be faced withquestions about how to get a country backon its feet, moving forward in a way thatcreates jobs, builds stability and gives peo-ple hope for the future.

Does this make your future work rele-vant to Liberia?

Very much so. I had the chance tospeak with the President who knows thework of BCPR. She urged me to be surethat BCPR continues to support the workof UNDP in Liberia. Of course I look for-ward to returning to Liberia and see firsthand further progress in the effort toreconstruct Liberia. I want to see a Liberiathat is at peace and a future where the chil-dren of Liberia will never experience thescourge of war which their parents hadendured.

Now that you are leaving Liberia, whatmessage do you have for the people ofLiberia?

The peace of the last five years hasprovided a unique opportunity for allLiberians. My message is that now is thetime for each Liberian to seize this chance– to seize this chance for peace, thischance for national development. Yourland is uniquely rich. But its promise willonly be realized through hard work, self-reliance and the rejection of violence.Now is the time to embrace unity of pur-pose and engage to make this nation whatit truly can be.

Any message for the UN colleagues youare leaving behind?

Well, I know that some around theworld like to disparage the work of theUN. I only wish those who do could cometo visit Liberia. They would witness someof the most dedicated, hardworking indi-viduals. Many have left families behind towork here often in some very remote areasof Liberia. So to my colleagues in the UN,whether military, police or civilian, I leavewith a sense of gratitude. I salute your hardwork and devotion to duty. It has been atrue pleasure to work with each one ofyou. I leave with great pride to have beena member of the UN Liberia team.

Thank you.

Liberians

Togar S. GalyboeParamount Chief, Kokoya, Bong

County

Mark D. DoweeChairman – Youth for Development,

Bong County

Rev. Robert G. MeslehPastor, Liberia Assemblies of GodChurch, Ganta, Nimba County

Madame Nohn TensonnonMayor, Ganta City, Nimba County

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I’m overjoyed that the UN is in Liberia.We are pleased with their performance.However, we would like to appeal to theUN authorities to allow the UN peace-

keepers to remain here for the next fouryears, especially until after the next pres-idential and legislative elections sched-

uled for 2011.

Emmett D. HarmonStudent, UL – Resident in Kakata,

Margibi CountyFor me, I would prefer the UN peace-keepers to remain here for the rest of

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s tenure.Currently, the situation in the country isstill fragile. There is a proliferation ofarmed robbery and other crimes. So ifUNMIL were to leave here today, some

of us would not be please to do the kindof business we’re now doing. Our liveswould be at risk. Some of our friends

are not willing to contribute to thereconstruction of Liberia. As such, I’m

appealing to the UN Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon to please extend UNMIL’s

mandate here.

Well, if I should be asked how long Iwould want the UN peacekeepers to

stay in Liberia, I would say I would wantthem to stay until the peace we areyearning for is gotten in its totality. I

would want them to remain for at leasttwo more years because by then we

would have consolidated peace; if notby 100 percent, it would be by 90 per-

cent.

I would appeal that the UN peacekeep-ers remain for the next ten years. Myreason is that our neighbors, Guinea

and Côte d’Ivoire, peace is still fragile.Anything that ruptures in any of the twocountries will definitely spill over to us.Remember, once there’s no peace in

Guinea, it means no peace in Liberia;likewise Cote d’Ivoire. So until there isregional peace and the problem our

neighbors are facing is solved, I wouldprefer that the peacekeepers remain to

ensure our peace and stability.I would say this is not the time for our

UN peacekeepers to leave. I would pre-fer that they remain in Liberia for up toten years because the security sector isstill undergoing reform. Currently, oursecurity personnel are not armed to

combat the high wave of crimes aroundthe country. In the interim, the UN

peacekeepers are providing that for us.So until the army and other security

apparatus is properly restructured andfully competent to take up the mantle, I

would prefer that the peacekeepersremain to fill that void.

For us who have been through this warand have seen the transformation of this

country since the UN peacekeeperscame, it’s important that they remain toconsolidate the peace though we knowthat they should not be here indefinitely.

Peace for now is still fragile. I wouldappreciate if they remain until we are

sure that peace is lasting and irre-versible.


Madame Emma Yei KonnahCommissioner, Bain-ggarr District,

Nimba County

How long would you like UN pe

s Speak

Joseph TimmueUNMIL Security

Rev. Alexander FreemanPrincipal, Harriet E. ParkingsonMemorial Academy, Ganta City

Mrs. Monah W. YoungHuman Resources Manager, Ministryof Health & Social Welfare, Kakata

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From my observation, I feel that peace-keepers should remain until rumours ofwar and threat of insecurity are all doneaway with. Right now the peace seems

to still be fragile where there are still dif-ferences and disputes in various areas

of the country. I feel that as long asthese disputes are still around, there willnot be peace until they are settled. So

the peace only seems to be around onlybecause the UN peacekeepers are

around, but with the absence of UNMIL,there are those that are brave enough totake up arms because of these disputes

and tribal differences. As such, I feel thatthe peacekeepers should be around for

about 10 years.

I would prefer that the UN peacekeepersremain as long as they see fit taking intoconsideration our security sector reform

is still in its infancy and the ArmedForces of Liberia is still undergoing

restructuring and training. Liberia stillhas people with a hidden agenda so

they would have to be careful how theydisengage from Liberia.

Though that decision would be taken bythe UN Security Council, personally, Iwould prefer that they remain here for

five years to consolidate the peaceprocess not only for Liberians but the

entire sub-region. Their being here thatlong will also help Liberians improve

their skills in their various fields ofexpertise and make them marketable aswell as improve the living standard of

Liberians.

I would want the UN peacekeepers toremain in Liberia until the next electionsconsidering that most former combat-ants are not 100 percent demobilized.

They still have the concept of war. So wewould appreciate if the UN could

remain here until the next electionswhere people will have to understand

the significance of life. By significance of life, I mean some

Liberians have decided to engage in thenegatives – hijacking, armed robbery,

and other negative things. So that’s whyI would prefer that UN peacekeepers

remain until we can try to remodel theirminds to positive undertakings.

It is about time that Liberians becomeserious and responsible and start doing

those things that we can do for our-selves. The peacekeepers came at a cru-cial time, performed very well and con-tinue to perform very well; but, I wouldwant them to remain another five years,so as to consolidate the peace. By thattime Liberians would have realized thatthis peace is perpetual because there

are those who are waiting for thePresident Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to com-

plete her term to foment trouble.However, for those who would want torupture the peace in our society, they

must now join us to make Liberia a bet-ter place for all of us.

Elvis T. Dweh, Sr.Businessman, Margibi County


I would want them to stay for anotherfive years while our security sector is

being restructured. If they prematurelydepart, I’m of the opinion that detractors

to our peace process would want todestabilize the country. So they shouldremain until our army and security sec-tor are restructured and are performing

to the optimum, they should remain.

Ranney B. JacksonSuperintendent, Bong County

Cece TogbahMoney Exchanger, Margibi County

eacekeepers to stay in Liberia?

A publication of the United Nations Mission in Liberia Public Information Officewww.unmil.org

UNMIL FOCUS, Vol. 5, No. 02

Documents

UNMIL FOCUS · Teams, has been able to assist the Government to listen to and learn from the people in ways unimaginable a few short years ago. The County Development Farewell to