The Thin Line Between Hopelessness and Rule of Law in West Africa

Friday, June 13, 2008 

             By Emmanuel Abalo

The cruel vestiges of the Liberian civil war and inhumanity of some Liberians have again been manifested in the recent massacre in Margibi County, allegedly carried out by loyalist to a former rebel commander. This callous act of savagery often seen during the country's descent into insanity in the last decade took the lives of 12 farm hands and score of others over a "land dispute."

There have been consistent reports of threats, intimidation and actual violence by former fighters who have no gainful employment, have resorted to illegal and naked force to carve a living off defenseless citizens. Recent examples include agitation at the Guthrie Plantation and the SAPO National Park where the National Police, supported by the muscle of UNMIL had to forcibly evict former fighters who were claiming legal right to stay and exploit the resources of these areas.

In another bold move, demobilized former combatants in a British-sponsored program , Land Mine Action, in late May, 2008 in Bong County, Liberia served notice that they would be vacating the program and returning to the "bush" claiming that "the program failed to live up to the terms of an agreement to pay them benefits during the training period.
Additionally, some former soldiers of the disbanded Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), violently challenged the national government for their so called benefits, and even served a petition to the National Legislature calling for the impeachment of President Sirleaf for "unconstitutionally dissolving the National army." The fact of the matter is that the Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), was the legal framework to which all Liberian factional leaders including the AFL signed on to for the dissolution of the AFL and the survival of the state.

It appears the underlying motive for these sometimes violent agitation is economic survivability, since most Liberians over the course of the conflict have been stripped of their humanity by the same former combatants, who have been reduced to beggars. 

A startling revelation worth mentioning occurred during the Liberian refugee upheaval in Ghana in February -March when the refugees rejected an attempt to integrate them into the Ghanaian society, and instead called for resettlement in Europe or the United States -more viable economic societies. Clearly, their position stems from the hopelessness of over 15 years of living in a strange country, with no hope for improvement in their living conditions. The sad realization that escaped some of these Liberian refugees is that Europe and North America have severely restricted immigration due to local xenophobic sentiments.

In most parts of Africa, including West Africa, there is not even a uniform standard of acceptable living as most people are just used to been too poor. Even ECOWAS, after all these years of existence has failed to institute a minimal poverty reduction guideline to lift its citizens out of the doldrums of being the poorest of the poor. This is unacceptable!

But small steps are being taken especially in two countries in the Mano River Union - Liberia and Sierra Leone. In Sierra Leone, President Ernest Bai Koroma is emphasizing his "Attitudinal and Behavioral Change" (ABC), vision as the vehicle for checking the retrogressive behavior of most of his countrymen who have adopted a poor disposition to less responsive past governments.

The Sirlead-led administration is vigorously pursuing a Poverty Reduction Strategy Program - a consultative process, to ensure local ownership of the strategy which reflects the interrelationships between security, poverty, justice and peace in a tangible way. Bottom line is, the ordinary citizen must be guaranteed a secure environment where he/she can thrive economically in peace with the assurance of justice in order to exploit his full human potential.

The foremost challenge in Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and La Cote d'Ivoire and Africa, as a whole remains the daunting task of poverty reduction and giving hope to the younger generation. Democratic elections and good governance are but a few elements of every political system, which must be managed side by side by visionary leaders who are willing to take risks and initiate bold and responsible policies to defeat the alternative to insurgencies.

The security and subsistence of every society, including that of our people in every part of Africa is is intimately entwined with the security of every individual, his options, loyalties and self -preservation, because the razor-thin line between hopelessness and the rule of law is often crossed without second thought.

Emmanuel Abalo is an exiled Liberian journalist, media and human rights activist and a former Acting President of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL). He now resides in Pennsylvania, USA. He serves as News Director of WRAR-96 Internet Radio on www.runningafrica.com.

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