The Ministry of Information says government is unaware of
the return of Guinean troops to Liberia.
The ministry said although government appreciates ECOMOG’s presence
in the country, it is pleased with the current level of troops. The out-
going Chief of Staff of ECOMOG told a news conference Wednesday that two
hundred Guinean troops were returning to Liberia. Their return, he said,
was to help in the capacity building process. But the Ministry of
Information in a press statement yesterday, said such issues as the
increase in ECOMOG troops is a decision of the ECOWAS leadership.
* The Budget Bureau has accused the Finance Ministry of spending
twice the amount in this year’s budget appropriated to the ministry. In
its mid-year review of the fiscal year, the bureau claimed Finance
Ministry’s actual expenditure was eighty-eight million Liberian dollars.
But the Assistant Finance Minister for Expenditure has disputed the
report. Mr. Charles Allen told a senate confirmation hearing that the
bureau has been unable to prove the figure. Finance Minister Elie
Saleeby said at a news conference that over forty-seven million
Liberians dollars was appropriated for the ministry. Out of this amount
he says, seventeen and a half million Liberians dollars have been spent.
* A team of representatives from the donor community is due to visit
Liberia soon. The team’s visit is to assess progress made by the
Liberian government in its fiscal management. Finance Minister Elie
Saleeby said the report by the team will determine the level of
assistance that donors will provide Liberia. He said the assessment
mission will be a follow-up to last April’s donors’ conference on
Liberia. The conference was held in Paris, France. A second round of the
conference is due at the end of the year. Addressing a news conference
Wednesday, Minister Saleeby said, the donor community was developing a
frame work to bring debt relief to Liberia. He noted, however, that the
implementation of any such frame work depended on Liberia’s track
record. The donor community has been insisting on marco-economic
reports, fiscal discipline and respect for human rights. They are
demanding that improvement in these areas by the Liberian government be
the basis for more funding to the country. But Minister Saleeby said if
the government’s fiscal policy is to succeed, the capacity of financial
management institutions must be strengthened.
* Liberians in the United States have demonstrated in Washington
D.C. The Liberians demonstrated to focus attention on the immigration
difficulties they are encountering in that country. They are seeking
U.S. government’s permission to allow them to adjust their immigration
status. The U.S. had set this year as the deadline for Liberians to
regularize their status or leave the country. But the Liberians are
asking for an extension of the deadline. About twenty thousand Liberians
could face deportation.
* The Ministry of Education says high schools graduating seniors
before August will not receive national exam results. The ministry said
the decision was a consensus reached with the school principals about a
couple of months ago. The ministry said it has resolved that graduation
be held after the release of this year’s national examinations results.
The West African Examination Council is expected to release the exams
results next month. Education Minister Evelyn Kandakai said she has
instructed WAEC not to release the results of schools graduating before
August. More than five seniors high schools have so far violated the
ministry’s decision. Minister Kandakai said these schools would pay a
twenty-five thousand dollars fine.
* A cross section of students from the Sinkor Assembly of God
Mission School yesterday stormed the Ministry of Education. The
students, all graduating seniors, were protesting the discrepancy in
conditions for graduation. A spokesman explained that the school
administration is accepting only students who scored sixty-eight and
sixty-nine for the enrichment program. Student Matthew Philips, however,
said this was contrary to the provision of the school’s handbook.
According to the handbook, all students who fail only one subject are
eligible to attend the program.
Under the enrichment program, extra classes are conducted for
graduating students who do not score the required grade. The students
say they see no reason why students who scored sixty-seven and below in
one subject do not quality for the program. The students described this
condition as biased and therefore unacceptable. Meanwhile, the Ministry
of Education yesterday convened a meeting to resolve the issue. The
meeting was attended by parents, teachers and Education Ministry
officials. The meeting agreed that all students who failed one subject
should attend the enrichment program.
* Sierra Leonean President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah has told a special
United Nations conference that junta and RUF rebels are still
terrorizing parts of the country. He made reference to the killing,
maiming and raping of civilians. The conference is trying to raise money
for Sierra Leone’s recover after seven years of civil war. The war has
left one million people displaced and half of that country’s
infrastructure destroyed. The U.N. Secretary General appealed to the
rebels to lay down their arms.
In Sierra Leone itself, clashes are reported to be continuing in the
northern town of Kabala between ECOMOG and the rebels. The ECOMOG
Commander in Sierra Leone, General Maxwell Khobe has announced changes
in the amnesty available to rebels who are surrendering. General Khobe
said the amnesty was still in place but rebels will now have to
surrender individually or in twos, but not in large groups. Reports say
the battle for Kabala is the most serious between ECOMOG and the rebels
in several months.
* The out-going ECOMOG Chief of Staff says the fate of RUF Foday
Sankoh rests with the government of Sierra Leone. General Abdul One-
Mohammed, however, pointed out that Nigeria would cooperate if Sankoh is
a factor in ending the war in Sierra Leone. He added that diplomatic
discussions were continuing in Nigeria and Sierra Leone in that
direction. General Mohammed said it would be in the interest of the
rebel leader to cooperate with the authorities in Freetown. He said
ECOMOG has no desire to launch a full scale war on the rebels if they
see reason to end the fighting. Meanwhile, General Mohammed says the RUF
rebels have resumed attack on ECOMOG positions in various parts of the
country. He added the rebels were still unleashing terror in eastern
Sierra Leone. They are also holding hundreds of civilians hostage in
Kailahun, Koindu and other areas bordering Liberia, General Mohammed
said.
* The National Conference continued last evening with delegates
speaking on problems affecting their various areas. Yesterday speakers
came from Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Sinoe and Grand Gedeh counties.
Vice President Enoch Dogolea, who chaired the session, said delegates
from other counties would be allowed to speak. The representative of
various townships and districts spoke of developmental needs in the
areas of commerce, education, and health. Delegates from Sinoe and Grand
Gedeh made particular reference to harassment from armed soldiers in
their areas. Meanwhile, other delegates are still complaining of not
receiving perdiems as well as poor lodging and feeding facilities. They
complained of being abandoned since President Taylor last week issued
instructions regarding their welfare.
* The Solicitor-General of Liberia yesterday paid four thousand
Liberian dollars in settlement of a fine imposed last week on him by the
senate. The senate last month cited the Solicitor-General to the Capitol
on contempt charges. Cllr. Gould allegedly ordered the detention of some
senators. In a communication to the senate, Solicitor-General Gould
apologized to the senate.
* A fourteen year-old girl yesterday drowned in the Atlantic Ocean.
The girl identified only as Kona was swept away by waves in the
afternoon at the Coconut Plantation beach. Eye witnesses told STAR radio
that Kona had gone to swim with her friends when the unfortunate
incident occurred. Kona was a resident of the car-wash community near
the Foreign Ministry in Mamba Point. This is the third person to have
drowned this year in the Atlantic Ocean near the Foreign Ministry.
* The Chief Justice Scott wants twenty-five percent of the national
budget to be allotted to the judiciary. She said the judicial branch was
allotted four percent of the nineteen ninety-eight budget. The
legislative and executive branches received seven and eighty-nine
percent. The Chief Justice said this unfair distribution of the budget
was hindering the judiciary. She said financial autonomy will ensure
judicial independence and integrity. The Chief Justice is also calling
for the establishment of a judicial commission to review nominees for
judicial appointment. She said this would help discourage interference
from the other branches of government. Chief Justice Scott was speaking
Wednesday at the National Conference on Liberia’s future.
* Police authorities in Monrovia have warned members of the force
against intimidating and harassing innocent civilians. Police Director
Joseph Tate told officers that the guns given them were intended to
protect the citizens and not to harass or intimidate them. He said such
acts would bring shame to the police force. Director Tate warned of
drastic disciplinary measures against officers caught in such acts. Mr.
Tate made the remarks yesterday during a tour of various checkpoints in
and around Monrovia. The tour was to familiarize himself with problems
at the checkpoints.
* A community development organization is offering training to
several youths in Palala, Bong County. The Palala Development
Association is training the youths in tie-dyeing and soap making. The
association’s chairman said skills acquired from the program will make
beneficiaries self- reliant. Mr. Mulbah Dolo told journalists the youths
are mostly former combatants. He said his association has appealed to
NARDA for more assistance to organize a microcredit program. NARDA, the
New African Research Development Agency, coordinates the activities of
local NGOs in Liberia.
* The sesquicentennial basketball tournament failed to continue
yesterday at the Sports Commission. The Liberian and Sierra Leonean
national basketball teams are playing in a best out of three basketball
tournament in observance of the anniversary. Liberia Basketball
Federation officials said the Sierra Leoneans could not honour the game
because of feeding problems. They said the team was denied food
yesterday by the Holiday Inn Hotel management. They told STAR radio this
was because of government’s failure to reduce its arrears to the hotel
by yesterday. The Youths and Sports Ministry and the hotel management
reportedly entered an agreement to reduce the arrears by yesterday. The
government is said to be owing Holiday Inn over eighty thousand Liberian
dollars. The LBF Acting President said two days ago the Sierra Leonean
team had planned to boycott the remaining games. Mr. Phillibert Browne
said this was due to Minister Francois Massaquoi ’s lack of hospitality
shown towards the Sierra Leoneans. In football the two countries played
to a one-all draw yesterday. Meanwhile, Sierra Leonean Ambassador
Wilfred Kanu last night saved his country’s national basketball team
from hunger.
* A Liberian diplomat says the country will only win international
sympathy and support if Liberians bury their differences and live in
peace. Ambassador George Kiadii observed that hearsay spread by
Liberians paints a bad picture of their country to the outside world.
Ambassador Kiadii is President Charles Taylor’s special envoy to the
United States on Trade and Commerce. He told STAR radio the
international community will only respond to the extent to which
Liberians sell their country. Ambassador Kiadii said all Liberians must
now forget the pains inflicted by the war and collectively decide where
to go next.
* Grand Kru Senator Thomas Nimely says government’s priority now is
to decentralize national reconstruction. He said government remains
concerned about the people’s welfare despite the many problems facing it
.Senator Nimely made the remarks at a reception he held in honor of
delegates from Grand Kru to the national conference. He pledged equal
distribution of aid intended for national reconstruction. Nimely
currently chairs the Senate’s Concession and Investment Committee.
* An American NGO has rescued over seventeen thousand displaced at
Masingbi from hunger and starvation. The America NGO, CARE, collaborated
with other charities to provide desperately needed food and medical
assistance to the displaced. Thanking CARE for its leading role,
Masingbi Paramount Chief, Kanaka Boro Sanka praised all of the charities
for their intervention. At the moment, local authorities in Masingbi say
the food situation has improved and the death rate is declining. Over
one hundred children and three hundred adults are reported to have died
over the last three months.
NOTE FOR EDITORS: Star Radio is staffed by Liberian journalists and
managed by the Swiss NGO Fondation Hirondelle with financing from the
U.S. Agency for International Development through the International
Foundation for Election Systems. Non commercial redistribution is
allowed, providing that the source is quoted and no editing other than
reformatting is made.