Tuesday, 27 February 2018

LIBERIA MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

“I Could Go for Second Term, If…” – President Weah, Source: The INQUIRER

With just a month in his presidency, George Weah has said he could go for another six years as president if he satisfies the Liberian people in this first term, this paper reports. Speaking over the weekend, President Weah said during the campaign period many were wondering how he would present Liberia’s case to the outside world, but his recent visit to Senegal, Morocco, and France proved contrary to their belief that he could not adequately represent the country.

UNMIL Funds International Conference on Liberia’s Security Sector Reform, Sources: INSIGHT and UN Mission in Liberia

The University of Liberia (UL) with support from the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has convened a two-day Conference on Security Sector Reform (SSR). The main objective was to promote local ownership of the SSR process by building national expertise to increase the participation of diverse segments of society in the planning and implementation of security-related policies. The conference was attended by about 200 people from the security and academic sectors, civil society organizations and international partners.

In 2016, the UL with the support of UNMIL, the Ministry of Justice, security sector institutions, civil society groups and other institutional partners, launched the SSR Think Tank. This initiative was in recognition of the need for an alternative way of thinking about the role of security services in the political and economic development of Liberia. It was designed to ensure the sustainability of its programmes supported by UNMIL, and to build the capacity of the Kofi Annan Institute for Conflict Transformation (KAICT) to provide ongoing capacity building courses to national security sector actors. Read more

UNMIL Supports Grassroots Inclusive Reconciliation Effort, Sources: INSIGHT, Relief Web, and UN Mission in Liberia

The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) Friday organized a pre-National Reconciliation Conference in collaboration with the Liberian government and implementing partners, Search for Common Ground (SFCG) and Naymote. The objective of the meeting was to discuss the outcome of two UNMIL-funded projects implemented by SFCG and Naymote titled Local Voices for Inclusive Reconciliation and Reconciliation Dialogues in Support of Peace Consolidation and Improving Social Services in Bong and Margibi Counties. Key issues identified in most counties include land disputes, tribal and clan disputes, lack of political participation and illegal land sales among others. Both projects consisted of county reconciliation efforts aimed at facilitating dialogue among local communities in eight counties: Bong, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Lofa, Margibi, Nimba, River Cess, and Sinoe. The culmination of this initiative has been a five-year reconciliation plan for each county which could contribute towards the formulation of a National Reconciliation Policy.

As a fundamental factor towards national reconciliation, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG), Yacoub El Hillo recalled the importance of remembering the victims of atrocities committed during the Liberian civil war through the set-up of memorial sites. “This recognizes human loss and serves as a reminder that this should never happen again and hopefully gives a decent closure to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives during the conflict,” DSRSG Hillo said. “We hear a lot about restorative justice as opposed to retributive justice. These are matters of national debate and I hope discussions will touch on both and how Liberia can do restorative justice. A multi-faceted intervention including policy and legislative reforms and the passage of laws will create the environment for Liberia to confidently forge ahead in a reconciled way” concluded the DSRSG. Read more

VP Taylor Seeks Dialogue in LMA’s Saga, Sources: Daily OBSERVER, FrontPage Africa, The INQUIRER, and The New Dawn

Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor has proposed a dialogue aimed at finding a resolution to an apparent crisis involving members of the Liberia Marketing Association (LMA), a release from the office of the Vice President has said. According to the release, the vice president’s proposal followed her brief interaction with some aggrieved LMA members on Monday. The LMA members are questioning the legitimacy of the association’s current leadership headed by Alice Yeebahn, who was elected a year ago, but has been accused of complicity in a murder case reported in Nimba County in 2002. In an attempt to resolve the conflict, Vice President Taylor has requested a meeting with 10 of the markets at her Capitol Building office today Tuesday. Read more

Salary cut faces hitches, Source: The New Dawn

The New Dawn reports that the proposed reduction of salary by President George Weah continues to draw divergent opinions from across government circles. On Monday, Nimba Representative Samuel Kogar said President Weah should first ensure that salaries of his ministers and managing directors from state agencies are on par and that they should all ride the same grade of vehicles before embarking on his salary cut campaign. “And I think the Executive needs to look into that direction instead of talking about his personal salary. He should get to his cabinet because under the law, Article 56, these are people that work at the will and pleasure of the president,” Representative Kogar said when he appeared on a local radio talk show.

President Weah in his nation address last month announced a 25 percent cut in his salary and benefits and urged lawmakers and other officials of government to follow his lead. But the Nimba lawmaker insists that the salary structures of all the line ministries and agencies here should be looked at first to determine what managing directors, ministers, and deputy ministers earn before coming up with a conclusion that will address just the situation. Read more

Ghost lawmaker at Capitol –No record with chief clerk, Source: The New Dawn

The chief clerk at the House of Representatives, Mildred Siryon says she has no record of a man allegedly posing himself as a lawmaker and occupying a contested office at the 54th Legislature with a name “Gurpue L. Kargon.” The office in question is being reserved for a disputed representative seat from Nimba County that is being claimed by former Representative Garrison Yealue and a rival candidate, Gurpue Kargon. The Supreme Court ordered a recount of votes in the disputed electoral district on 9 February following a complaint filed by Mr. Yealue, but it is not clear how his rival appeared at the disputed office coded #139 and naming it “Gurpue L. Kargon, Nimba County Electoral District Number-4.” Read more

Nigeria’s Presidential Commission on Small Arms on Learning Visit to Liberia, Source: Daily OBSERVER

A 5-man delegation from the office of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, currently serving as the nucleus of the proposed Nigeria National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, arrived in the country over the weekend for a week-long working and experiential learning visit with its counterpart, the Liberia National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons (LiNCSA). LiNCSA chairman James Fromayan told a news confab Monday that the purpose of the delegation’s visit is to do a week-long case study that will enable them to transition from a presidential committee on small arms to a national commission on small arms. Read more

No Aid for Big Salary Nations, Source: New DEMOCRAT

The New Democrat reports that Liberians around the world have launched a campaign to petition the global aid community to halt financial assistance to the Liberian government unless its elected and top appointed officials salaries and benefits are cut by 50 percent. Launched three days ago, the online petition has already obtained close to 500 signatures. “By all means, President Weah must move a step forward and seek urgently needed legislation and further actions to slice salaries of top officials,” former Press Union of Liberia (PUL) president Abdullai Kamara posted on Facebook after signing the petition.

Dean Quits Law Firm As He Takes on Attorney General Role, Source: New DEMOCRAT

Liberia’s justice minister and attorney general Friday, 23 February resigned and announced his indefinite leave of absence from his Dean and Associates law office and private law practice. Cllr. F. Musa Dean also stepped down as Honorary Consul General of the Russian Federation in Liberia.

ZOA, YMCA Launch New USD1.4M Projects, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The international NGO ZOA in collaboration with the YMCA over the weekend launched a USD1.4 million three-year peacebuilding and reconciliation project through community dialogues. The projects funded by Sweden intend to reconcile Liberians by addressing impunity and restoring civil trust among community residents. The exercise is expected to benefit 12,000 people in Grand Cape Mount, Lofa, Margibi, Montserrado, and Nimba counties, and will be held under the theme, “Strengthening Social Cohesion and Civil Trust.”

Peace Ambassador, Rev. William Tolbert III, who launched the project on behalf of internal affairs minister Varney Sirleaf, lauded ZOA, the YMCA, and partners for such an initiative. Tolbert said the success and effectiveness of the projects will be based on the willingness of Liberians to sit and dialogue among themselves about difficulties they encountered during the 14-year civil conflict.

Elisabeth Harleman, head of the Sweden Development Cooperation, congratulated ZOA and YMCA for the projects. She said the embassy started working on said initiatives since 2017 to support community-based therapy as part of the embassy’s work on human security in Liberia. Read more

Violent storm injures many –At least 200 homeless in Bong, Sources: INSIGHT and The New Dawn

A violent storm has destroyed several homes and facilities in Gbarnga and its surroundings in Bong County leaving several others injured. Some of the storm victims told The New Dawn Monday that the disaster is one of the dark days in their lives, noting that over 57 houses were destroyed on Sunday in the Lelekpayea Community and its surrounding. The New Dawn correspondent in the county says some of the destroyed facilities include gas stations, market buildings, the Dolokelen Gboveh High School Auditorium, churches, and dwelling places, among others. Some of the storm victims are currently undergoing serious medical attention at the Phebe Hospital and other health facilities in the county. Read more

Japanese Ambassador pays courtesy call on Foreign Minister Findley, Sources: INSIGHT and The New Dawn

Japanese Ambassador to Liberia Tsutomu Himeno Monday paid a courtesy call on foreign minister Gbehzohngar Findley reaffirming his government’s committed to working with Liberia. Ambassador Himeno said the Japanese government is pleased to share the same fundamental values of democracy that Liberia embodies toward world peace. On aid to Liberia from his country, the Japanese diplomat said his country can't do all, but what it can do is based on Liberia’s priorities, which it would like to build on and strengthen the existing relationship between the two nations. On his part, foreign minister Findley thanked the government and people of Japan for the assistance they are giving to Liberia. He told Ambassador Himeno that President George Weah’s government is focused on reducing poverty, Liberians taking ownership of those foreign projects, and the connection and construction of roads throughout the country. 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.

 

 

 

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