15 December 2017

LIBERIA MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Protesters still on NEC’s chairman back, Source: The INQUIRER

 group calling its self, Movement for the Resignation of the Chairman of the National Elections Commission, Cllr. Jerome Korkoya began its second day of protest Thursday outside the headquarters of the commission in the Monrovia suburb of Sinkor, calling on chairman Korkoya to resign. A spokesperson for the group, Miatta Fahnbulleh promised to continue the protest which it started on Wednesday until Korkoya quits.  The protestors said the 26 December date set for the presidential runoff election was also not suitable even though Cllr. Korkoya has called on Liberians to make the sacrifice for the day just after Christmas.

Media group wants leaked email investigated, Source: The INQUIRER

The Strategic Journalists Committee has called for an investigation into a media report early this week alleging that it has obtained a confidential email sent by former finance minister Amara Konneh informing information minister Eugene Nagbe that payment for additional ballot papers apart from the official ballots has been concluded. The group said the report was troubling and called on ECOWAS to constitute an independent body to investigate the report. 

Education Ministry wants schools remain open until holiday, Sources: INSIGHT, News Public Trust, and The INQUIRER

The Education Ministry has directed that all public and privates schools in the country remain in session until the beginning of the Christmas vacation on 22 December. The ministry said it was sending out the directive as it does not want any further disruption in the school’s calendar having being disrupted during the first round of the presidential and legislative elections.

Insurance Companies Risk Closure for Not Meeting Capital Requirements Says CBL, Sources: INSIGHT and News Public Trust

The Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) has set 31 March 2018 as the deadline for all insurance companies to comply with the bank’s new capital requirements for insurance companies operating in Liberia. A CBL press release said companies failing to meet the deadline would have their licenses revoked. CBL deputy governor for economic policy, Dr. Mounir Siaplay made the statement earlier on Monday at the opening of a two-day Insurance Sector Consolidation Workshop held at the CBL head offices in Monrovia. The new regulation sets the capital requirement for each class of insurance business and requires each insurance company to maintain a minimum capital requirement based on the category of insurance activity being undertaken by a company. Read more

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ON LIBERIA

Liberia's ruling party petitions for election delay, Sources: AFP and Daily Mail Online

Liberia's ruling Unity Party has asked the Supreme Court to further delay the presidential runoff, which its candidate Vice President Joseph Boakai will contest on December 26. The party filed a request late Thursday in which it called for the country's legislature to be given responsibility for determining the election date. The move came just hours after Boakai was dealt a setback when a major opposition party announced it would back his rival, former football star George Weah. "We request that the recent ruling of the Supreme Court be reviewed and should include that the NEC chairman and the executive director be disqualified from participating in or having anything to do with the run-off elections," the legal filing said. Read more

Homeless Liberians protest against UNHCR over resettlement package, Source: Citi FM Online

Displaced and homeless Liberians, who were in the Budumburam refugee camp in the Central Region, have camped themselves at the Cantonments police station as part of a protest against the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), for their resettlement package. This follows a demolition exercise at the camp, which has rendered thousands of them, who had fled from Liberia during that country’s civil war from 1989 to 2003, homeless. They say they were supposed to be resettled by the UNHCR, but that is yet to happen since 2012.

About 100 of the aggrieved Liberians had besieged the UNHCR Ghana headquarters in protest, but on Thursday, a patrol team forcefully removed them from the place and relocated them to the Cantonments Police Station. They have now threatened to stay at the Cantonments police station until their demands to be resettled are met. The leader of Liberian refugees at Budumburam Camp, Moses F. Anderson, conveyed the frustration of his fellow Liberians to Citi News. Read more

River Cess County Service Center Begins Operations, Source: The Bush Chicken

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and its partners have dedicated the River Cess County Service Center in Cestos City, allowing the county’s residents to access government services such as marriage and driver licenses, birth and health certificates, and other key documents. Prior to its establishment, residents of River Cess would have to travel to Grand Bassa or Monrovia to acquire those documents from the respective agencies and ministries. According to Isaac Williams, the county information officer, the project, which was dedicated on December 8, was funded under the umbrella of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) Quick Impact Projects. Read more

Disclaimer
 

This media summary consists of selected local media articles for the information of UN personnel. The public distribution of this media summary is a courtesy service extended by UNMIL on the understanding that the choice of articles included is exclusive, and the contents do not represent anything other than a selection of articles likely to be of interest to a United Nations readership. The inclusion of articles in this summary does not imply endorsement by UNMIL.

 

 

Print Headlines