• UNMIL supports LIS self-assessment retreat, Sources: UNMIL and United Nations Peacekeeping
• Last batch of Nigerian peacekeepers leave Liberia, Sources: New DEMOCRAT and Premium Times
• President Weah To Launch Measles Campaign, Source: New DEMOCRAT
• President Weah Tours Liberia Maritime Training Institute’s Facility, Source: FrontPage Africa
• ‘I Will Clean-up the Police’ –Deputy Police Inspector-General for Operations-designate promises, Source: Daily OBSERVER
• Last batch of Ukrainian peacekeepers withdrawn from Liberia, Source: CGTN Africa
• Delco man from Liberia accused of wartime atrocities, Sources: Daily Times News and GNN Liberia
• Oxfam aid worker who was allowed to resign after claims of Haiti prostitute orgy had already been forced out of ANOTHER charity over alleged sex party in Liberia, Sources: Daily Mail, The Sun, and The Times

UNMIL supports LIS self-assessment retreat, Sources: UNMIL and United Nations Peacekeeping

Through the Justice Ministry, the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS) is holding a four-day self-assessment retreat from 13 to 16 February. Funded by the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), this fourth annual internal evaluation process aims to determine institutional strengths, weaknesses, and key priority areas for institutional development. The opening ceremony was attended by LIS leadership including the director of migration, a representative of the Inspector-General of Police, and by the doyen of the Diplomatic Corps, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the United States of America’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

During the retreat, LIS managers countrywide will discuss and assess the current status of the LIS looking at themed areas including organizational structure, financial viability, performance and integrity and the final self-assessment report will inform organizational challenges and priorities going forward. The outcome of the retreat will serve as a roadmap for LIS activities throughout the year.

UNPOL head of transition support and institutional development, Jane Rhodes commended the LIS for their hard work and recalled that UNMIL will leave Liberia at the end of March this year. Read more

Last batch of Nigerian peacekeepers leave Liberia, Sources: New DEMOCRAT and Premium Times

The last batch of 200 Nigerian peacekeepers deployed to Liberia under the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has withdrawn after five years following the conclusion of their mission in the country. The last military protection force in UNMIL left Liberia on Thursday as part of the termination of the mission’s mandate, scheduled on March 30, the mission said. Read more

President Weah To Launch Measles Campaign, Source: New DEMOCRAT

President George Weah is expected to launch the first phase of a nationwide measles campaign on Thursday, 15 February at the Monrovia City Hall. About 727,549 children across the country are being targeted for the campaign. According to the Health Ministry communications director, Sorbor George, Montserrado County is the venue of the first phase of the campaign, which runs from 15-25 February targeting children from six-month to 59-month.

President Weah Tours Liberia Maritime Training Institute’s Facility, Source: FrontPage Africa

President George Weah accompanied by the ministers of foreign affairs, state, defense, and other dignitaries visited the Liberia Maritime Institute (LMTI) and tour its facilities. During the visit, they met with representatives of the Liberia Maritime Authority (LiMA) and Liberian International Shipping and Corporate Registry (LISCR) that is clothed with the responsibility of managing the Liberia maritime and corporate programs.

Mr. Avi Zaidenberg, LISCR general manager and LMTI board chairman welcomed President Weah and delegation and stated that the institute is presently undergoing a complete rehabilitation and it is already a state-of-the-art institution with modern equipment, facilities, and 24 students and/or cadets are presently enrolled

In his remarks, President Weah spoke about the Liberian Maritime Program, international shipping in general, its uniqueness and how it touches every aspect of mankind, but is not easily realized. Read more

‘I Will Clean-up the Police’ –Deputy Police Inspector-General for Operations-designate promises, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The deputy Inspector-General of Police (IGP) for Operations-designate Friday promised to clean-up the police if confirmed. Robert Budy also vowed to conduct an in-house clean-up of the operational department of the police to identify officers’ weaknesses and ensure that those obstacles are immediately resolved to give the police the desired morale. Budy said he will take corrective measures to ensure professionalism among the officers, which would make them more effective and efficient while discharging their duty to protect lives and property. “I am going to work with police authorities to take the necessary steps that would help reduce some of the reported unprofessional conduct on the part of officers as well as fight to contain suspected criminal activities,” the deputy IGP for operations-designate promised. Read more

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ON LIBERIA

Last batch of Ukrainian peacekeepers withdrawn from Liberia, Source: CGTN Africa

The last batch of Ukrainian troops deployed to Liberia for the United Nations peacekeeping mission there on Tuesday returned home. Ukraine has contributed to the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) since 2004, initially deploying 260 troops before later increasing that number to 301. UNMIL confirmed the withdrawal of the troops in a tweet sent on Tuesday.

In accordance with the resolution of the UN Security Council, all military and police units will be withdrawn from the West African country, as the UNMIL’s mandate comes to an end in April of 2018. “Almost 14 years our aviators escorted land convoys, provided cargo and passenger carrying operations, and conducted aerial border patrols, as well as casevac, search and rescue operations,” an unnamed General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. Read more

Delco man from Liberia accused of wartime atrocities, Sources: Daily Times News and GNN Liberia

A 64-year-old man who fled his native war-torn Liberia nearly 20 years ago and now resides in Darby Township is being sued by an international human rights organization on behalf of four individuals who accuse him of hideous atrocities, according to documents filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Moses Thomas is being sued civilly for committing atrocities tied to the civil war in the West African country, which the plaintiffs survived by hiding amongst hundreds of slaughtered bodies in and around a church compound housing hundreds of refugees back in July 1990. Thomas, according to published reports, vehemently denies the heinous allegations described in the 37-page civil suit, which suggests he arrived in the United States by pretending he was trying to escape the “very war crimes” that he directed.

“This lawsuit is nonsense. It’s stupidity,” Thomas told WHYY Radio. “It’s all lies. The stuff they’re talking about is nonsense. You can call anyone in the Republic of Liberia and given them my name and they will tell you that this is nonsense,” Thomas was quoted in a story published in the Philadelphia Inquirer and on philly.com. It was not immediately known if Thomas had retained an attorney. Read more

Oxfam aid worker who was allowed to resign after claims of Haiti prostitute orgy had already been forced out of ANOTHER charity over alleged sex party in Liberia, Sources: Daily Mail, The Sun, and The Times

The Oxfam aid chief at the centre of the Haiti sex scandal was forced out of another UK charity for allegedly using prostitutes in Liberia. Roland van Hauwermeiren left his job at the medical charity Merlin in 2004 after a colleague claimed he hosted sex parties. Despite this, he was recruited by Oxfam to lead a team in Chad, where he was accused of cavorting with prostitutes in 2006. Bosses again turned a blind eye and Mr. van Hauwermeiren took charge of Oxfam's response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010.

According to an investigation the following year, he admitted inviting prostitutes to his £1,500-a-month hilltop villa – the Eagle's Nest – rented for him by Oxfam.  Sources told the Daily Mail yesterday that prostitutes were delivered by pimps. His favorite was said to be a teenager known as Mika, whom he requested regularly. Neighbors said he 'loved young girls' and that they saw a parade of beautiful teenagers going into his home, in one of the wealthiest areas of Haitian capital Port-au-Prince. Read more