Claims Of Support To Dissidents REJECTED: Ellen, Ouattara Confer

The alleged presence and activities of non-state actors along the dense forest border areas between Liberia and La Cote D'Ivoire have sparked concerns and drawn a sharp reaction from the Liberian government.

A New York based group, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has released a report in which it charges that the Liberian government is “not doing enough” to deal with this menace. The government has since rejected this characterization and points to a number of singular and joint initiatives intended to raid both countries of this threat to their collective security. Our Staff writer looks at the report and examines the reaction of the Liberian government.

Notwithstanding the return to relative peace in previously troubled countries in West Africa, the activities of non-state actors continue to haunt the sub-region. A number of countries in West Africa are struggling with the after effects of devastating conflicts which have not only left their physical infrastructures in ruins but have also left a trail of idle young people, many of whom have reached or may be approaching maturity, relying mostly on their knowledge of warfare for livelihood.

These young West Africans are largely unskilled and have enjoyed a false sense of superiority derived from the rifles they were made to carry, and to live by. The non-state actors are also faced with the challenge of assimilation and reintegration into their societies without the necessary skills for employment and a chance for decent livelihood without a gun.

The difficulty of economic recovery and the pace of political transition, in many of these post-conflict countries, leave these non-state actors without hope. They soon put themselves up for the only form of employment that they have grown to know – fighting anywhere and everywhere for a living; a form of lawless ‘living’ by which mayhem and anarchy are sprung on peaceful peoples and countries. Such is the character of these non-state actors.

As the presence and activities are without respect to traditional borders of countries, reports abound that no single state can tackle the threats posed by these individuals. What is more is that the tell-tale effects of the actions of these individuals undermine all of the countries within the region as they hamper the peace of countries and rain insecurity upon the people. The marauding presence of non-state actors along previous areas of conflicts in the West African sub-region remains the concerns of ECOWAS, the regional body, and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Liberia’s Information Minister, Hon. Lewis G. Brown, II was alluding to this fact when he reacted sharply, on behalf of the Government of Liberia to claims by the HRW that the GOL is not doing enough to contain Cross Border attacks from Liberia into the Ivory Coast, and the recruitment of child soldiers for use in these cross border attacks.

The Liberian and Ivorian Governments have both rejected the claims of the HRW and pointed to a number of singular and joint initiatives undertaken and advanced by both governments to eliminate the threats of insecurity posed by these non-state actors along the vast forest border areas between Liberia and the Ivory Coast.

Conferring on the HRW report, Presidents Alassane Ouattara and Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf dismissed the claims of the New York based group that the Liberian government was not doing enough to arrest the situation along the border of their two countries.

The two West African leaders agreed that the situation was more complicated than the report presented, and expressed confidence that their ongoing concerted and collaborative efforts held the key to resolving the threats of insecurity posed to their two countries by the non-state actors.

Presidents Ouattara and Johnson Sirleaf renewed their assurances of continued support and commitment to the full implementation of all of the agreements that have been reached between their various proxies, and to further strengthen the bonds of friendship, cooperation and good neighborliness subsisting between the governments and peoples of Liberia and Ivory Coast.

Speaking during yesterday’s regular press Conference of the Ministry and later in an interview on a local radio station, the spokesman of the Liberian Government intimated that “Liberia has no incentives either to threaten its neighbors or to encourage an attack against other countries because such actions violate the principle of good neighborliness and ultimately undermine the peace and security of Liberia”.

According to Minister Brown, in all of its interactions with its neighbors or within the context of regional initiatives, the Liberian Government has and will continue to pursue a policy that prohibits even an inch of Liberian territory from being used for reasons of destabilizing another country.

He said this policy is repeatedly emphasized in President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s vision for and dedication toward peaceful coexistence and good neighborliness in Liberia’s capacity as Chairperson of the Mano River Union, and underlies Liberia’s position of leadership and participation in numerous regional, continental and global efforts for peace, democracy and security.

“Our experience, over the years, remind us that the short and long term interests of our region and our country are best preserved by investing in peace and security at home and in our sub-region”, he said, adding that: “this is why Liberia and the Ivory Coast have been deeply engaged, at many high level meetings, growing out of which, a joint security cross border operation involving the relevant authorities of the two countries, as well as the United nations Military Missions of both countries, is to be carried out shortly”, the Minister said.

The Government Spokesman also pointed to the fact that “extradition proceedings are being advanced through the courts to return suspected individuals who were arrested on the Liberian side to the Ivory Coast for possible prosecution”. This follows the recent return to Ivorian authorities of vehicles from the Ivory Coast confiscated by the Liberian authorities.

Rather than pointing fingers and mis-characterizing the actions of the Liberian government by providing these undesirable non-state actors with a false sense of support, Liberia’s Information boss said the Liberian government was hopeful that increased attention and international support will be provided to the two countries so as to enhance their capacities to deal with this threat by non-state actors, in a very difficult terrain.

The difficulty of the terrain in which these unwanted individuals are said to reside goes beyond the density of the forests, and in many cases, the absence of roads and vehicular traffic. In the case of Liberia and Ivory Coast, some studies have confirmed that some of these individuals are said to feed off ethnic relations resident on either side of the border.

He further observed that the two countries, working through their relevant authorities and agencies, will remain committed to the full implementation of the agreements reached, and will spare no effort to protect their respective peoples and territories from being used by these non-state actors.

“If there is a country on the face of the earth which is determined to neither support nor facilitate cross border attacks with its neighbors, that country is Liberia”, the Minister concluded.