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Liberia: The emerging repeat of the ugly past in the new Army
Apr 14, 2008
Michael Kpayili
The news of Soldiers expressing dissatisfaction over poor housing facilities at the various Military Barracks around the country and the delay by authorities of the Ministry of National Defense to adequately meet up with their just allowances needs serious attention and consideration.
Military and Para-Military personnel in the past divert their duties and responsibilities to protecting the value and political terrains in hailing and subscribing their loyalties to the power that be. In further illustration, authorities of the Armed Forces of Liberia normally pollute the minds of their subordinate Officers in respecting the existing Government at the disadvantage of the State. At the consequences of such unwholesome practices, many determine men and women recruited to serve the State normally succumbed to these vices in order to seek unwarranted promotion in the Army.
Due to the fifteen years of civil wars in Liberia, the Armed Forces of Liberia collapsed into factions and warring groups thereby bringing criminals and war-lords to control activities of the Army. The task of rebuilding a well disciplined, well equipped and an educated world class and citizens soldiers for Liberia seems to many a Herculean venture and for some a practically impossible task to pursue.
Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf through her affluence and influence has made significant headways aimed at rehabilitating and reconstructing the Barracks through the kind of gesture of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The recruitment and training of the new Armed Forces of Liberia must coincide concomitantly with other benefits and the determination of Government to keep such benefit current and stable. One dissatisfaction infiltrate the Military as an organization, compromises of functions and loyalty to State becomes inevitable.
The involvement of the International Community into the training of the transformed Armed Forces of Liberia is welcoming and the result of such training overwhelming predicated upon the commitment and zealousness exhibited by soldiers but if the necessary supports as it relates to other benefits for soldiers are not made available to their satisfaction, then the efforts of the international community and the Liberia government will certainly be derailed very soon.
After the inauguration of Charles Taylor as President of Liberia in 1997, he (Taylor) disregarded the peace accord provision that provided for an open and transparent restructuring of the security Forces by the West African peacekeeping forces (ECOMOG). Mr. Taylor instead placed former NPFL fighters in the Army and Police without serious efforts to training or to meet pledges to incorporate members from the other armed factions. Former President Taylor also created several elite security units, like the Special Operations Division (SOD), Anti-Terrorists Unit (ATU), which became notorious for committing serious abuses against ordinary civilians.
Following the hurry recruitment of NPFL soldiers into the Army, Taylor drawn line of demarcation and created elite class. Only the notorious elite class was paid on time. This elite class system created division and undermined the capability of the military to handle and clam any outside aggressive.
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf being aware of the collapse of the Army aggressively instituted a training process which is currently ongoing. The ugly past will only be repeated if absolute attention is not paid to the necessary benefits that are required of the soldiers to perform their duties adequately.
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