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Posted August 9, 2006
Arming Liberia's Security:
Baby Begins To Bite While Still In Uterus
Liberian leader’s appeal sometimes ago for UN to remove
arms embargo on Liberia was met with mixed reactions from the Liberian
people. President Sirleaf appealed to the United Nations to remove the arms
embargo so that security forces, particularly the Liberian National Police
and the Special Security Service would be armed.
The president’s appeal came in the wake of growing
crime rate and armed robberies in and around the capital. Her appeal was
also intended to arm her body guards; she’d rather not place her security in
the hands of foreign security services that will leave some day. According
to the president, in a request to the UN to remove the arms embargo,
Liberians are being terrorized by armed bandits who take advantage of the
unarmed security in the country.
According to opinion poll conducted in Monrovia during
the debate, 80 percent of Liberians expressed fear and doubt about putting
arms in the hands of people, who according them were not properly
rehabilitated and trained. Besides, the majority argued that it was too
early to arm the security, citing instances in the immediate past where
armed security officers used the arms purchased by the country resources to
harass, rob, shoot and kill those they took oath to protect.
The minority in favor of arming the security argued
that, no matter what, Liberia needs her own security, armed and ready to
combat crimes in the country. They further argued that it is difficult for
the peace keepers to go after and apprehend perpetrators of armed robberies
and other crimes, blaming it on the peace keepers’ unfamiliarity of
Liberia’s criminal hide-outs.
The debate was settled after UN came under the
influence of President Sirleaf, though Liberian law makers did not intervene
to put the debate into majority rule; therefore the United Nations partially
removed the arms embargo based on Ellen Sirleaf’s power to sway UN’s
decision makers. It was only the Presidential Guard or Special Security
Service (SSS) that benefited from the partial removal of the arms embargo.
The recent shooting to death of an SSS officer at the
home of SSS director has proven the majority of Liberians who resisted the
removal and arming of security entirely accurate, one observer said. Those
involved in the incident were all SSS high-ranking officers, except the
victim.
Speaking in a telephone interview from Monrovia, a
University of Liberia student, Alvin Roberts, who was one of the strong
opponents to arming Liberian security, said the recent incident did not
surprise the Liberian people. “We have been here throughout the 14 years. It
will take time for us to begin trusting any Liberian with arms; be it former
combatant or not.”
A market woman on Randall Street in Central Monrovia,
Bindu Konneh, adding her view, remarked, “We are not saying Liberia should
not have its own security or president should not arm her body guards. But
what we are saying is that while UNMIL is still here, let’s make use of the
time to properly rehabilitate and train our security.”
Debbie Woods, a nurse who lives in Jacob Town in
Monrovia, proverbially said, “Baby is not yet born, but she begins to
bite.”
James Peters, a teacher at St. Philips School in
Gardnersville, said, no matter how much rehabilitation and training the men
and woman in the security apparatus receive, “we will still experience these
incidents.” He said one day Liberia will have a good security, but everyone
must exercise restraint and not be shaken by these incidents and attempt to
keep Liberia without her own security.
Meanwhile, the recent incidents involving the shooting
to death of Emmanuel Williams has rekindled the partial and full removal of
arms embargo to public debate in every street corner in Monrovia. Coffee
shops, palava huts, high school and university campuses, market grounds, in
the communities, and every public gathering are hot spots for forum on the
current state of affairs.
Observers believe the president’s recent pronouncement
on Executive Mansion screening exercise following the mysterious fire may
extend to the Presidential Guards who happened to be issued arms immediately
after the arms embargo was removed partially.
The alleged mastermind of the shooting at the SSS
chief’s residence; Col. Ashford Peal was President Sirleaf’s body guard
before and during the general and presidential elections. Observers believe
if a deputy SSS boss who happens to be an intimate guard of the president,
is capable of causing such havoc within the presidential guard, then the
president must have a serious security problem.
A resident of Jamaica road in Monrovia, who asked for
anonymity, said the recent incident involving SSS high-ranking officers is
unfortunate and disappointing, “especially for the president who had
advocated strongly for the removal of the arms embargo.” He warned the
president and all those in authority who don’t respect the opinions and
advices of the people to take these incidents seriously, saying “The trap
that catches deer may also catch lion.”
Writes,
Thomas Kai Toteh
tnyantk@yahoo.com
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