Bettie Johnson-Mbayo official blog

A blog that publish my articles on Liberia and personal view on the Liberian society.

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Covid-19 pandemic threatens years of efforts to recover from war in Liberia

Grand Gedeh – Victoria, is a Liberian 55 years-old farmer and mother of Seven Children who was finally able to depend on farming to feed her family after years of hardship during the civil war. But that was before the Covid-19 outbreak. Now, everything has changed for the worst. “This sickness is causing us a hard time, because we were doing farming, but we can’t get support from anyone.”   

                                               On the road to recovery

Until before the pandemic, Victoria could count on support from Oxfam to get through the difficulties caused by years of civil war in Liberia. She has benefitted from agricultural training intervention under the German Development Bank (KFW) -funded Reintegration and Recovery Program (RRP) in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh county. The program contributed to the consolidation of Liberia’s peace process by improving the living conditions of people in the Southeast through agricultural training and development.

Victoria is grateful for this support because it helped her put money in her pocket and contributed to her children’s education. Her husband is ageing, and she is the only parent engaged in farming and trading to maintain the family.

“Right now, the only thing I need is support, says Victoria. Oxfam have empowered me before. Oxfam made me believe in myself. I am hoping that they can do more because we need to go back to the soil to grow more food and feed our country,” Victoria says.

Back to hunger

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Victoria struggles again to make ends meet: “the rice is on the swamp but no way to harvest, [and] the food crops are dying. We were stopped from making farm [and] the people say we should sit home and [protect] our children and ourselves from the virus so the food we planted last year is what we are surviving on.”

Victoria and her family are also involved in petty and wholesale trading, a major source of funding for the family. Unsurprisingly, the State of Emergency has also hurt this business.

The restrictions on travel between counties, the closure of the borders and the terrible road condition – now made worse by the rains – have prevented Victoria from receiving the goods she ordered from Monrovia and even from the Ivory Coast. This has left her with no alternative but to credit goods and cash from local businesses.

A whole region affected by food insecurity

Zwannah Kimber is the Education Programme Manager for Oxfam in Liberia and Head of the Zwedru Field Office. He says that since the State of Emergency, Oxfam’s activities under the RRP (now in its fifth phase) have been suspended. This has contributed to increased hunger and food insecurity in the region, especially amongst program beneficiaries and other community dwellers’ in Grand Gedeh County where the interventions are being carried out.

Liberia is extremely dependent on imported food – particularly rice. Not only does this make Liberia a food-deficit country, it also makes it highly vulnerable to commodity price shocks and inflation.

Zwannah Kimber says some farmers have reported a lack of access to farm inputs because of travel restrictions between counties. But like Victoria, he also laments the deplorable road condition of the Ganta-Zwedru “highway”. Now in the rainy season, it is not unusual to spend days if not weeks stuck in the deep mud along the 140 km stretch of unpaved road. Before Covid-19, importing farm inputs such as hybrid seeds, birds, animal feeds and farming tools from the Ivory Coast provided an alternative. Because of the pandemic, that option is now closed.

Kimber added that Covid-19 has also negatively impacted other aspects of the Oxfam’s Reintegration and Recovery Program, including the rehabilitation of farm-to-market roads and a market structure that was being renovated by Welthungerhilfe, the lead consortium partner.

Furthermore, while some farmers have cut back on their farming activities because of government regulations, Kimber says others stay home to protect and care for their children who have been at home since schools closed. With sexual and gender-based violence on the rise, some parents are more cautious about leaving their under-age children and young relatives home alone.

“When the restrictions are lifted, more than 390 farmers from four communities in and around Zwedru will benefit from Oxfam’s agricultural program. Women constitute more than 60% of beneficiaries with at least 50% youth,” added Kimber.

Written by: Bettie Kemah Johnson-Mbayo.

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A family struck by hunger due to coronavirus

Written by Bettie Kemah Johnson-Mbayo,

 Before the Coronavirus pandemic outbreak, Bone Kortie, 43 years, was a petty business trader in Paynesville city, one of the cities surrounding Liberia’s densely populated capital city of Monrovia.

Bone is famously called by regular clients as ‘cold milk’ – a name she earned from the tasty cold milk she sold prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in Liberia.

Bone is a mother of eight children between the ages of three and 16 years. Like so many other women across Liberia, she takes care of the extended family too. Bone is the biological parent of five children, while the others are those of her late sister who died tragically in a car crash in 2017.

Bone takes care of these children all by herself since the father of last child disappeared three years ago: “My son’s father asked for the money we were saving for the family to go do business, but since he left I have no idea if he is alive or dead.”

People are afraid to buy milk

Since the start of Covid-19, Bone’s business has faltered, and she has exhausted all her earnings from the sale of cold milk, which is the only source of income she has to feed her entire family.

“Since the start of the sickness, the people are afraid to buy the milk, nobody wants to buy, and I was losing, so I resolved to not sell it anymore,” she said.

Life for Bone and her children is unbearable according to her. She is now doing casual labour, collecting and piling dirt for a house foundation. Three of the children are selling plastic bags in the streets while the oldest son is doing yard work to help the family survive.

“I am currently helping someone to fill their house foundation. I get paid L$150.00 [about 75 cents] a day and at least 10 loads must be taken to the site in a day. The money we raise from the sales of plastic and the filling of the foundation, is what keeps us alive right now.

“Sometimes when I think about my suffering I just want to commit suicide, my life now is not easy, the condition I find myself in, I can’t explain,” she said.

The “no food days” of the week

Prior to Covid-19, Bone and her children ate two meals a day, but now, it is either one meal a day or none.

With tears running down her cheeks, she said, “This Saturday we didn’t eat but we ate Sunday, thanks to the help of a neighbor. I kept little of the food for Monday. I told the children if they eat early Monday morning there will be no food in the evening. So, you see, I can starve the children because I don’t have food and sometimes they don’t understand. Even on Monday, they ate at 4 pm but the food wasn’t enough, I made them drink enough water. I don’t know if they were okay, but they slept until Tuesday.”

On Tuesday and Wednesday Bone went to work and returned home with five cups of rice, which she steamed, and the children ate without any soup nor oil.

Thursday was a “no food day” for Bone and her children because of the heavy rain that resulted in no work for her and her sons selling the plastics. Now that Liberia has entered the rainy season, there will likely be more no food days to come.

“Today [Thursday] until now no food, the plan I have is, when it is late evening I will go to the lady that I can wash for to give me the clothes to wash, I know she will pay but going for the clothes is an assurance that we will eat Friday because tonight, I am hoping that someone can help me for the children not to sleep hungry again.”

Despite the struggle for food, Bone is also faced with an increase in the rent of her one-bedroom apartment where she and the eight children live. “The landlord said the rent has increased, where am I going to take the money from?” she asks.

Cash transfer: a dream come true

Luckily, Bone is now one of the 300 project participants for the social protection project funded by Oxfam and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (Danida). The project is locally led by two partners: Community Healthcare Initiative (CHI) and West Point Women for Health and Development Organization, both largely focused on women rights.

The project aims to minimize the socio-economic impact of Covid-19 on women and girls in six urban poor or slum communities, and it was pre-designed to address their basic food and non-food needs by providing a digital cash transfer via mobile phone.

However, not everyone has a mobile phone, explains Mohammed Massalay, the Oxfam Covid-19 focal point for the project: “after the selection process we noticed that 50% (150 households) of the project participants did not have mobile phones and no mobile money account due to age and some level of vulnerability. We procured phones and SIM cards for these 50% participants and registered a mobile money account of their own.”

Each project participant received $109.50 to their mobile money accounts.

Currently, Bone with a smile beaming across her face, displays the text showing receipt of payment on her phone via mobile money.

“I am going to buy food for the house and start selling charcoal, I do not know when this sickness will go, and I can’t use all the money to buy food,” she said.

The transfer is a dream come through, my children and I can’t say much but to say thank you for coming to our rescue, now we can eat daily.” She said.

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The Hague – Fatou Bensouda, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), says she is not deterred by the revocation of the United States visa.

Report By Bettie K. Johnson-Mbayo, [email protected]

The United States revoked her visa due to her request for an investigation of the U.S. Military operations and alleged human rights abuses and war crimes in Afghanistan. She said the chambers has not authorized the investigation, yet it has already triggered reaction by the U.S. which announced that there will be visa restriction on ICC personnel. “Even though my visa has been revoked already but I believe that with respect to my UN obligations, I believe I will be able to get a visa to the US but this is not deterring us. We said it publicly – you cannot deter us from doing our work,” she said. She spoke to a group of West African Journalists who were in Netherlands last week to undergo training in justice peace and security reporting. Ms. Bensouda said their work will always meet resistance because it touches some powerful in investigating and prosecution. “This is the responsibility [we have], as prosecutors where the requirement is meant to open investigation. We cannot pick and choose because of many reasons.” She disclosed that her office and the UN is engaged to see what can be done to have a visa.   “The court will, therefore, have its supporters and also has its detractors, the court will face resistance and deliberate attempts to undermine its credibility.” She continued: “It will face well-funded and coordinated campaigns to spread fallacy and falsehood and these are inevitable in these kinds of work.” The ICC chief prosecutor said they remain committed to their independence and impartial mandate under the Rome Statue. “We must be prepared for the certain reality that comes with the territory. That preparation by definition also requires seeking and being able to rely on the media,” she said. According to her, the Rome treaty bears its name that never again will perpetrators regardless of rank and status escape justice for the war and most destabilizing crime. Ms. Bensouda urged journalists to disseminate truthful and factual information and make information accessible to affected communities, stakeholders and the public at large. “It is not unlikely that the court will face more open hostilities, too often, such hostilities go hand-in-hand with public reporting and misinformation. Sometimes, deliberately disseminated,” she added. The Chief Prosecutor acknowledged that the media is a powerful educational tool, noting that a responsible and well-researched journalism can have a positive impact by dispreading myths and bringing accurate information to the population. She expressed delight over the journalists’ presence at the court. Ms. Bensouda emphasized that many individuals, especially victims of war crimes have put their hope in the Court’s mission to ensure accountability for crimes committed and regrettably continue to play on many continents and cause sufferings. “It is our joint responsibility to make efforts to bringing justices visible, most importantly to those directly affected by the war crimes. Justice must be done and seems to be done,” she said.

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Liberia: Tough-Talking Atty. Kofi Woods Blocked from Speaking on Int’l Labor Day

MONROVIA – The Liberia Labour Congress was constrained to rescind its decision to make Atty. Samuel Kofi Woods keynote speaker of this year’s May Day (Labour Day) celebration after a confrontation from the Ministry of Labour, FrontPage Africa has gathered.

Report by Bettie K. Johnson-Mbayo, [email protected]

Atty. Woods, a human rights lawyer and activist, is renowned for being vocal in speaking against ills in society and bad governance.

On March 29, 2019, the Liberia Labour Congress extended an invitation to Atty. Woods requesting him to serve as keynote speaker of the May Day Celebration in recognition of immense sacrifices made by workers in both the public and private sectors.

“In consideration of your interest and contributions to the workers of Liberia, we wish to inform you of our selection of to serve as keynote speaker for the occasion. The day will be observed under the theme: “Unity, Strength and Solidarity for Economic Empowerment for Improved Standard of Living for Workers in Liberia.”

However, a summersaulting move, the Labour Congress on April 30, again wrote Atty. Woods: “We are constrained to inform you that the Liberia Labour Congress has decided to withdraw the invitation extended to you to serve as Keynote Speaker on the 2019 International Labour Day Program due to some circumstances.”

The letter which was signed the Chairman of the Labour Congress, Hannah M. Karbo, did not give reasons for the reconsideration of their decision.

The ‘Real Reason’

FrontPageAfrica has obtained a chain of leaked emails exchange revealing the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) decision not to fund the Labour Congress’ preparation for the May Day Celebration, instead referring them to the Ministry of Labour which would coordinate the day’s programs.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Labour, headed by former Lofa County Representative Moses Kollie, is exerting lots of influence as to who becomes the keynote speaker of the day.

FrontPageAfrica reliably gathered from sources within the Ministry and from lines within the email exchange that the Ministry cannot tolerate having Atty. Woods serving as keynote speaker as it would not mean well for the image of the government.

The Liberia Labour Congress was reportedly coerced by Ministry of Labour to recall its invitation extended to the Atty. Woods as a bargain for getting financial aid for the celebration of Labour Day.

“The fear is that Kofi Woods being who he is is most likely to say some things would not mean good for the image of the government. So, the Minister is not comfortable with him being given such a platform,” a Labour Ministry source said.

However, James Kwabo, head of communication at the Ministry of Labour said the allegation is far from the truth. He added that the ministry did not communicate on such issue.

“We don’t tell you what do, we only work with them as a party and we do not censor, we don’t do that, anyone who says that will be saying that out of their minds,” he said.

According to Kwabo the LLC can invite anyone to serve as a guest speaker.

“It is not true, they can invite anyone, the minister is a liberal minister and the ministry will not dictate to them who to bring,” he emphasized.

Last Year’s Celebration Went Unannounced

The Weah-led administration failed to make a proclamation on last year’s May Day.

The Ministry of Labour rejected several invitations to attend program commemorating the day.

But Davide D. Sackoh, secretary general of LLC, said at the time that the action of the government to stay away from this 2018 year’s celebration came at the time when the country was facing grave issues with concession companies regarding the rights of workers.

He called on workers to condemn the action of the Liberian government, saying the failure of the Minister of Labour to inform the Foreign Ministry about International Labour Day was a move to undermine the interest of Liberian workers.

Sackoh said the George Weah-led government’s pro-poor agenda should be in the interest of the workers union, stressing that any attempt by the government to down play the interest of the workers will be strongly resisted by the Labour Congress.

“We want to use this event to condemn, in the strongest possible term the decision of the Labour Minister to boycott the Labour Day celebration in Liberia,” he said.  

“For his (Minister Kollie) own blunder and failure to inform the foreign ministry and the office of the President of the Republic of Liberia on the significance of the International Labour Day in order for the proclamation to be declared today as a working holiday.”

He termed the government’s action as a contradiction to its pro-poor agenda, adding that “any attempt to tamper with workers right under this administration it will be resisted strongly by the Liberia Labour Congress.”  

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Liberia: More Than Me’s Sexual Abuse Report To be Released Soon While Gov’t Remains Mum on Second Probe

Monrovia – FrontPageAfrica has gathered that the report of an independent investigation into the sexual abuse of girls at the More Than Me (MTM) run school is due to be released soon.

Report by Bettie K. Johnson-Mbayo, [email protected]

Although the date is unknown, FPA can confirm that the report was completed and submitted by Cllr. Negbalee Warner to the Liberian Board Advisory of MTM.

MTM is an American charity founded in 2009 by Katie Meyler to help get girls from the streets into school. Most of the charity work focused on teenagers of West Point – a very impoverished slum community in Monrovia.

News about the imminent release of the independent report comes days after the resignation of Ms Meyler, CEO and founder of MTM.

Meyer resignation comes six months after the damning report by ProPubica revealing how her charity missed opportunities to prevent the serial rape of girls in its care.

Following the report, the local board of MTM issued a statement on October 14, 2018, suggesting the reviewing of allegations by a panel. the board demanded that the panel will have no one who was associated with the incidents involved.

Some of the panel members included National Civil Society Organization, Women NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL), Independent Human Rights Commission, REACH, Servant of All Prayer (SOAP) and Disaster Victims Association of Liberia.

According to the board, they uncovered several statements that were either inconsistent with the information provided to them by MTM leadership or that there was new information.

Court documents had revealed that the girls were raped from the onset of the NGO. The perpetrator was originally described as the charity’s co-founder, an ex-combatant Macintosh Johnson, with whom it is said that Katie had a sexual relationship.

Soon after the founding, according to witnesses, and court documents, Johnson began raping the girls who were as young as 10 years.

Katie herself admitted that the number of girls, who were raped at the MTM Academy, could have been a quarter of the school; adding: “Everyone over the age of 11.”

Meyler was asked to step aside while the panel was conducting its investigation.

No Report from Government

While the released of the Cllr Warner report nears, the report of another investigation by the government is still far fetched. FPA has made several attempts speaking to the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection about the avilaiblity of their report, but the Ministry has remained mum.

On October 16, 2018, the Government of Liberia through Williametta Saydee Tarr, Minister of Gender Children Social Protection, announced that the case will be re-opened in order to determine new evidence.

According to that release, the Ministry of Education was to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation and ensured that the regulation and compliance surrounding all schools are intensified; while Ministry of Health was to work to address all health issues relating to the matter.

The release added that the Ministry of Labor will investigate to determine whether there was strict adherence to the National HIV/AIDS workplace policy at More Than Me Academy and whether any labor laws were violated.

For the Ministry of Youth and Sports, they will lead the anti-stigmatization efforts to ensure the protection of the survivals and other unrelated persons, who may have otherwise been affected, it added.

Later, Ms. Tarr said at a press briefing that MTM had no child protection policy prior and after the reported rape saga. She said MTM exposed the students to sexual abuse.

Since November 2018, the Government remains mute on the findings surrounding the reopening of the case.

Feminist Group Mounts Pressure

Four months have passed yet none of the reports have been released based on investigations supposedly undertaken by the government and the MTM board respectively.

The delay has prompted concerns from several civil society groups including the Liberia Feminist Forum, who has been advocating and demanding actions to fix the system.

LFF has since launched two campaigns including #WeAreUnprotected# in 2018 to expose violations of women and girls rights in Liberia.

The campaign was launched following the ProPublica report about the abuse of girls in the care of the American charity. “We must have genuine, transparent action from the State as a demonstration of its commitment to protecting citizens’ rights. Women and girls make up 50% of our national population; contribute to the development of Liberia; and are human beings. We cannot just be Blue or express outrage, now we must act to end this crisis,” LFF said in a statement.

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Alarming Rate of Divorce Cases in Liberia

Monrovia – Mr. Joel Bimba, a sociologist, says divorce leads to more single-parent families which make child rearing difficult depending on the ages of the children.

Report By Bettie Johnson-Mbayo, [email protected]

He said mothers ultimately bear the burden for care when divorce occurs specifically in Liberia where the justice system is ‘poor’, and many fathers renege on caring for their kids after divorce.

According to him, if one partner was relying on the income of the other person, it is difficult for him or sustains herself after the divorce.

His statement comes in the wake of the huge number of divorce cases within the judiciary.

In 2018 alone FPA established that 581 divorce cases were filed of which only 39 were decided.

The number of divorce cases may be higher as there are other means of getting a divorce in Liberia. The 2003 “Equal Rights of Customary Marriage” Act (the one we call the Inheritance Law) says that customary or traditional marriages have the same legal rules as statutory or church marriages.  This means that the husband and wife in a customary marriage have the right to go to the court and sue for divorce.

However, in practice many customary marriages end according to customary rules and traditions – the husband may however not “give his woman back” without this being sanctioned by relevant State institutions.

For example, traditional marriage may be terminated under Liberian law if done before a traditional leader such as a paramount chief or even before the Ministry of Internal Affairs.  

However, it is important to remember that, even if the marriage is ended in this traditional way, the husband cannot ask for the dowry to be returned, because dowry is a gift, not a payment for the woman.

Divorce can also occur through the religious system. There are no statistics on how many got divorce through the customary or religious system, but experts say it could bring the number of the divorce case in 2018 to about a thousand.

“I think that number is low because they did not take into account of those who get marry through the traditional, church and the mosque, I think the FPA number to about a thousand. Sarah Brown,” Marriage Counsellor.

Although the law requires one spouse to sue the other for divorce, in practice the husband and wife who no longer wish to be married can often reach a settlement of divorce in a friendlier way, some of these under this arrangement did not make it court record.

Mr. Bimba says if there is no psychosocial support, some single parents can suffer from mental issues that can last a lifetime.

According to him, some partners may not be able to recover from trauma.

However, he noted that divorce can be positive if the relationship was characterized by physical, verbal, or emotional abuse.

“So, if a person made a mistake in the previous marriage, the divorce creates the opportunity to address such a mistake in another marriage.”

He said it is not all negative when people divorce. There are times when divorce can have a positive impact on the divorcee’s life.

For example, a partner receiving just compensation or share from the property for all the years invested in the relationship.

He said there is a need for courts to ensure that children receive child support.

Mr. Bimba said Liberia with the poor justice system and high unemployment, the effects on the children or partner who is of spousal abuse can be huge.

He said some major factors behind divorce in Liberia are unemployment, gender-based violence, extended family interference with marital disputes, the decline in marital values, lack of understanding of what marriage entails and partners lack of conflict resolution skills.

But Bimba is not the only person concerned about Liberia’s increasing divorce cases. Kalilu Jalloh’s job as an assistant Imam at Benson Street mosque brings him face to face with relationship problems on a daily basis.  

It is Friday, a mandatory prayer day for Muslims, before going for service he has to intervene between a couple. This coupe is unique in Liberia. The man is a Muslim and the wife a Christian. In most cases here the man demands his wife convert to Islam. But, Musu [not her real name] is lucky. But that luck is short lived.

Iman Jalloh is hearing their case. He suspends preparations for his sermon to hear arguments from both sides. The husband claims his Christian wife family is controlling her.  While Musu accused her husband of forcing her to convert to Islam.

Iman Jalloh said most of the mistake in his religion is the blending of religious and cultural practices. He stressed that the credit of bride price [dowry] is one of those practices that is creating problems within Islamic marriages in Liberia.

“The dowry doesn’t belong to mother or father, also no one should get married to someone because of cultural practices”, says Iman Jalloh.

“We try to eject cultural into the religion which results in violating the rights of women, man must respect their wives, they are partners according to the Qur’an.”

He said society must improve how people approach marriage, which will minimize the increase of divorce.

According to Imam Jalloh, divorce comes with a lot of mistakes and it is an emotional time for both partners.

He recommends that religious leaders should continuously check on couples after commissioning marriage.

Imam Jalloh, who has been married for 18 years, said it is time for Islamic leaders to engage in preaching on marital issues.

He also expressed dismay about how more couples from his religion has refused to take confusion cases back to the mosque but rather immediately institute divorce.

“Marriage is not an individual attraction, it is something you have to properly plan, understand what you going into”, he noted.

In Islam, according to him, prior to marriage both parties bring in witnesses to safeguard their marriage if confusion occurs.

He blamed parents for some problems in marriages “Parents must protect their children, most of the parents come in the marriage and spoil it.”

He said the mosque does not allow divorce at the mosque but urged the parties to go to the legal system.

“We don’t have any space for divorce, divorce is discouraged in Islam, we find a solution and not divorce, no one wants their child to get married three or four times, it is a stigma, we do all we can to resolve it, that is the job for the Imams.

“If they refuse to yield to our resolution, they go to the court to talk it there, said Imam Jalloh.

Rev. Gardea Johnson of the Restoration Baptist Church said accepting partner feelings is the key to prevent conflict in marriages.

“Remember, both of you are from different families, different upbringing and with different personalities.”

He said it is important to validate your partner’s feelings, and not condemn your partner about his/her feelings.

He said couples must shut down their reactive brain, retreat, get to work on oneself, re-establish contacts, make new ground rules and observe what happens in their marriage to avoid or prevent separation.

Atty Khadijatu Tall Nasser, a lawyer at Heritage Partners & Associates says incompatibility of temper, adultery, and abandonment are issues leading to many of the divorce cases in Liberia.

In an exclusive interview with FPA, she says incompatibility of temperament is the most common justification for the divorce cases brought to the firm.

“When it’s at a point that both parties can’t live together peacefully, then we can initiate the process.”

According to her, many more young couples are filing for divorce than older couples.

Prior to the action of Divorce, she explained, a mediation conference can be set up between the two parties to ably handle the crisis.

“We invite them for a conference. Whoever complaint can be given a chance to explain and if they want a contested or uncontested divorce, we can handle the case.”

She says an impaneled jury can decide a contested divorce while a judge can decide a divorce that is not contested.

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Liberia: Visually Impaired Girl, 13, Raped, Impregnated at Christian Association of the Blind

Monrovia – Princess, 13, (not her real name) was born visually impaired. Her grandparents’ last option to give her formal education was enrolling her at the Christian Association of the Blind, Inc, (CAB), a popular school for visually impaired people in Monrovia.

Report by Bettie K. Johnson-Mbayo, [email protected]

But when Princess recently returned for a vacation after five months at the school, she was noticed with a protruding stomach – pregnancy.

It all started when Princess was raped by her instructor. The incident became an open secret but her grandparents were never informed by the school administration.

She was again raped, but this time by another person, who is a teenager. She was raped again and again and he became pregnant.

Now, she has given birth to a male child.

Her grandparents, in an interview with FrontPageAfrica, broke down in tears while narrating Princess’ ordeal.

“We feel really bad about the situation. I actually don’t like to talk about the issues because I feel bad and hurt,” the grandmother explains.

Her grandparents recalled how the 13-year-old was taken to CAB, which is owned and operated by Beyan Kota, a prominent visually impaired man and a decorated advocate for people of his community. Mr. Kota runs the school with the help of his wife, Fatu Kota.

When Princess enrolled at the school, her grandparents hired a nurse for three years to cater to her while on campus, an opportunity not many other visually impaired students have at CAB.

Princess was being taught how to learn braille reading and writing. They said though they didn’t pay school fees, they paid for other basic requirements.

When Princess was found pregnant, her grandparents quickly called the campus to ask, “how come?”

“I told her that my granddaughter was pregnant and we were going there to know what happened. We immediately went with the girl.”

At the school, Princess was asked if she could recognize the suspected perpetrator in the presence of Ms. Kota and she mentioned Jonny Karley.

The name of the perpetrator was not strange to Mrs. Kota including other students as she (Mrs. Kota) said the suspect was a resident of the community where the school is located.

Other students also attested that they knew the perpetrator and was residing around the campus and normally go on the campus to fetch water prior to the incident.

Mrs. Kota advised Princess’s grandmother to call the police and the alleged perpetrator was traced and arrested the same night Princess’ grandparents met the school administrators.

Statements were taken by police from Princess’ family, the perpetrator, Kota and some witnesses.

Raped By a Teacher

Prior to the pregnancy, Princess was allegedly raped in the school’s kitchen by one of the instructors identified as Kwame Wreh.

Princess, in her statement to the health counselor, said Mrs. Kota knew about the incident but she asked the minor not to disclose it to anyone. This was to avert the school image from ruining.

According to the grandmother, she was informed by Princess’ dad.

“Fatu is saying you are aware of the teacher raping Princess because she told you, that’s how I told my son to come to get me because I wasn’t with them at the clinic when my grandchild went for examination,” the grandmother said.

When the incident occurred, Princess said the teacher was asked to leave the school.

Her grandmother then questioned the decision by the school to ask the teacher instead of informing the police.

When Princess’ grandparents left the police station, where investigations were conducted, Mrs. Kota texted her: “I was detained and disgraced because of your daughter, remember what you did.”

The grandmother claims Mrs. Kota, who is the caretaker of the kids, has not communicated with her family to know the status of the child. But has been determined to conceal the information from the public.

“We told him we can’t decide and that the matter is already with the court and we cannot compromise rape case so we will wait until the government can do their investigation and come out with something,” she said.

“Maybe before we can sit as a family but right now, we can’t do anything. He said he didn’t want the institution name to spoil.”

Take the Responsibility

Princess’ parents said it was shocking that CAB administrators were concerned about their institution’s reputation instead of her granddaughter’s future.

“Is like they were only concerned about the institution name, from that day when we left, they have not called, only the students sometimes called the girl to check on her.

“I told him that he should understand that whatever that is happening they have a responsibility in it because according to your wife, the first one happened but she didn’t tell us.

“I am a midwife, if you were going to tell us about the first one, we could know what to do but maybe, if you were going to be the first to know that she was pregnant, maybe you were going to abort it.”

Princess’ grandmother accused Mrs. Kota of instructing the students to deny knowing the alleged perpetrator but one of the students willingly took them to his place.

On February 28, Princess gave birth safely to a boy child although she had a tough time, according to her grandmother.

Released Without Victim’s Family Consent

The perpetrator is currently roaming the streets because the Juvenile Court at Temple of Justice released him from Central Prison unknown to the victim’s family.

It was Princess’ dad and officers that escorted the perpetrator to the prison, but she went to the court to inquire in November 2018, and was told that the boy was freed.

Johnny should have spent five months in prison according to Liberia’s juvenile law but he was released prior to that time.

“The court staff told me to wait until he reaches 18 years,” she said.

Students insecurity

Princess’ grandmother is holding the school responsible for what happened to her grandchild.

When Princess was taken to the school, the Kotas promised to secure her knowing that she is visually impaired, she said.

“They told us that they had security but the girl was taken out of the campus not one time without anyone protecting her.

“He came on the campus more than once, where were they? The children are vulnerable. What they did didn’t go down well with me. Fatu did not behave like a mother even Beyan Kota.”

No option for Princess’ Schooling

As 13-year-old Princess focuses on breastfeeding her 2-month-old baby, fear looms about her educational sojourn coming to an end.

With tears rolling down her cheeks, her grandmother says she is frustrated about Princess’ future.

Princess had two years to complete CAB before enrolling in a regular academic school.

“Where will we send her? We don’t have money to send her out of the country and she has a child. She is breastfeeding,” her grandmother laments with teary eyes, calling for the prosecution or shutdown until a sexual policy is put in place at the school.

“The students are not protected. Mr. and Mrs. Kota need to protect the children because with their disability they are vulnerable. Looking at her condition, we wanted her to learn. Not to be begging in the streets like we can see others around here doing, so I am feeling really bad,” the grandfather added.

Mr. Kota in response to FPA inquiry, requested that he be given “some time to talk with Princess’ grandparents because I don’t have the full detail on the issue”.

However, Mr. Kota said the school has benefitted many blind children and that a report about sexual offense could damage its reputation.

“You have to understand that blind people are diverse; this is not one breed of people, you also have to understand that the humanity of blind people is diverse,” Kota said.

He asked our reporter to look at the level in which people living with blindness have changed at the institution instead of reporting the sexual offense story.

“Go ahead and report, you won’t be doing it to me but the many blind children. You know the number of blind children that are happy, the report will be taking away the happiness of the blind people,” he said. “Let’s be careful how we report, I am not saying don’t report if you think that is your obligation and that is the right way to serve and to serve your conscious and country, fine, report, when we get the details we will respond.”

[bettiejohnsonmbayo]

Liberia: FAHNGON SUSPENDED – Weah Suspends Minister Over Congau-Country Rhetoric

Monrovia – President George Manneh Weah has indefinitely suspended Mr. Eugene Fahngon, Deputy Minister of Information for Press and Public Affairs just moments after the United States Embassy in Monrovia raised concerns about disturbing tribal tones of the government official, former warlord Prince Y. Johnson and Representative Yekeh Kolubah.

Bettie Johnson-Mbayo, [email protected]

President Weah in an executive mansion statement said his Government remains committed to a “one country, one people” policy with zero tolerance on divisive politicking or tribalism. “The Liberian Leader has sent out warning to government officials and all citizens to stop dividing Liberians along ethnic lines.”

The embassy in a statement said: “Those who promote through their words or deeds a Congo-Country divide do not have Liberia’s best interests or that of their constituents at heart, but rather appear motivated by personal ambitions or fears. It is unacceptable for Senator Prince Y. Johnson, Representative Yekeh Kolubah, “ex-generals” or other former actors in Liberia’s civil wars to incite unlawful acts through ill-considered rhetoric that could jeopardize Liberia’s hard-won peace and security. It is equally irresponsible for people within leadership positions in government or the ruling party to promote such division as Deputy Minister Eugene Fahngon has done on social media. To take such a public stance and suggest it is a private opinion or a personal right reflects a misunderstanding of the nature of public service in a democracy. As Liberians look to National Unification Day next week, we encourage all Liberians to reflect on their role in constructively contributing to development and sustaining peace.”

Mr. Fahngon, in a stinging Facebook post last weekend, wrote:

“Nov.12,1985 the patriotic forces. Dec.24,1989 National Patriotic Forces; June 15,1990, Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL); June 7, 2019 Council of Patriots…. I will exercise my constitutional right to freedom of association as provided for in article 78 …… I will march from the ATS (Antoinette Tubman Stadium) to the SKD (Samuel Kanyon Doe) Sports Complex on Saturday, June 8, 2019 alongside the assembly of country people (a c p) to show appreciation to president Weah for the great job done in a year and half.

My regalia will be emblematic of our fallen heroes to the canons of Matilda Newport and the patriotic forces as seen above who made us kill each other in a senseless and brutal war. With the deaths of over 250 thousand Liberian citizens still fresh on our minds, most of whom indigenous Liberians, the council of patriots have invigorated and necessitated the assembly of country people. The likes of Benoni Urey who was listed for the illegal purchase of arms that killed Liberians during the Taylor regime; the likes of Charles Brumskine who authored the infamous status of forces agreement that saw the reduction in ECOMOG troops leading to the deaths of thousands of Liberians….

The likes of Sen. Oscar cooper alias captain marvel whose alliance with the NPFL produced nothing but massacres in Lofa, Harbel, Duport Road…etc. The likes of Sando Johnson; Chief Custodian of the NPFL and of course Gen. Yekeh Kolubah. After allowing members of the patriots consortium to enjoy peace and democratic leadership for 12 years, the people of this country cannot afford to surrender their country to militant aristocrats. Therefore, they’ve decided too , to organize under the banner “the assembly of country people….. suggest that holding a rally to appreciate a leader for restoring hope and confidence to a lost generation in addition to massive development, under the banner of “assembly of country people” is divisive……is to suggest that the council of patriots assembly is genocidal.

I Eugene Lami Gbayangbatumah Fahngon, will on Saturday, June 8, 2019 ….in the exercise of my constitutional right and in conformity with the law; march alongside the “assembly of country people ” from the a t s to the SKD Sports Complex. I believe that the assembly of country people means…….people from the country of Liberia.”

While Minister Fahngon says the views expressed are his personal, and not the government’s, many have taken the government’s silence over the minister’s rants as well as the rants of others, to mean that the negative comments have the government’s blessings.

[bettiejohnsonmbayo]

Liberian Police Arrest Man, 27 With Fake LD$500s & Police Clearance

Monrovia – Musa Fakolee, a graphics designer has been arrested by the Liberia National Police for allegedly duplicating more than LD$15,000 and a police clearance.

Bettie Johnson-Mbayo, [email protected]

He was arrested early Tuesday morning after a tip-off.

According to him his friend identified as Moses, currently at large, has a money software on his USB drive and brought it to him to print.

The suspect said the money was around 15,000, only L$500 notes were printed. Moses took some of the printed notes and left L$8,500 with Musa.

At today’s buying rate, one United States dollars is equivalent to LD174, 546 while sellers are requesting 175,583 to the dollar, according to the official Central Bank rate sheet. However in some areas the rate is shooting up to 185, bringing the equivalent of currency found on the suspect to US80 at the buying rate today at ECOBANK, one of the leading banks in Liberia.

Musa is currently in the custody of the police undergoing investigation. Only one police clearance was issued to a man who is yet to be identified.

[bettiejohnsonmbayo]

Liberia: US Auditing Firm Says MTM founder Has No Judgment to Run School

Bettie Johnson-Mbayo, [email protected]

Monrovia- Katie Meyler, founder of the US-American charity More than Me Academy (MTMA) who recently resigned from the school has been asked by US-based law firm McLane Middleton to not serve as an employee, consultant, or volunteer to the Meyler was recommended to the international and local board to avoid contact with the school based on her previous judgment on safeguarding the students at MTM.

The audit was not an investigation into the rape allegations involving Macintosh Johnson (“Johnson”) or how MTM responded. Rather, the Audit evaluated where MTM stands now on safeguarding prevention and response.

The audit report by the firm states that Meyler’ good intentions do not excuse the devastating impact of her inadequate actions on the vulnerable girls in her care.

She acknowledged to the firm during the interviewed, that she is “rough around the edges,” and did not detail oriented with respect to running the day to day of the organization; rather, her strengths are in fundraising. The firm said Meyler’s continuing assertions that her actions were “adequate” and constituted “due diligence,” despite all of the education, training, and policy development about child safeguarding that has occurred at MTM since 2011, demonstrate that she does not currently have the judgment or experience to lead MTM.

“Despite denying that she knew or had reason to suspect that Johnson was abusing the girls, she goes on to acknowledge having a suspicion of misconduct in 2011. “To the extent that I ever had suspicion of misconduct, I reiterate that I took immediate actions to investigate.”

On January 18, 2019, the firm provided the board a preliminary report of the safeguarding audit so that it could begin implementation of recommended actions.

In its March 6, 2019 interim report to the board, a recommendation of Meyler to not have a continue role with MTM as an employee, consultant, or volunteer.

On March 13, 2019, Meyler submitted a letter to the board regarding the limits of her knowledge of Mcintosh Johnson’s misconduct and the actions she took based on what she knew.

Her submission reinforced the firm concerns about her current ability to provide the leadership needed to assure effective child safeguarding.

“Despite denying that she knew or had reason to suspect that Johnson was abusing the girls, she goes on to acknowledge having a suspicion of misconduct in 2011. “To the extent that I ever had suspicion of misconduct, I reiterate that I took immediate actions to investigate.”

In her submission, she says that when Johnson’s ex-wife made a statement to her about Johnson that made her uncomfortable, “I immediately took appropriate measures to investigate and conduct due diligence to ascertain whether Johnson had committed any misconduct and to ascertain whether there was truth to or evidence of my concern.”

But the firm said it is deeply concerning that Meyler continues, to this day, to assert that her actions based on her suspicions or concerns were “adequate” and that her actions constituted “due diligence”.

The safeguarding report states that for a leader of an organization entrusted with the care of children must understand the fundamental steps to be taken when abuse of a child is suspected.

“Meyler had a duty to protect the children to whom MTM provided services. Given MTM’s mission to serve the most vulnerable girls, the duty of care was heightened. This heightened duty became urgent once Meyler had a suspicion that the girls were being molested. As soon as Meyler had a “concern” about child sexual abuse, she could have and should have asked the board for assistance. “

The report furthers that in 2011, the standard of care for child safeguarding in this situation would have been for Meyler to immediately notify the board to inform them of her serious concerns about child wellbeing and to seek guidance on how to investigate and how to notify the authorities. “Instead of doing so, she undertook to “investigate” on her own, despite having no qualifications to do so.”

The McLane Middleton safeguarding audit report states that Meyler’s recent assertion, in her submission to the board, that her investigation was sufficient to protect the young girls is troubling. “[W]hen I did have a concern, I immediately went to the girls to investigate.

“If they had given any indication that Johnson had abused them, I would have immediately escalated the information to appropriate authorities and reporting channels, but after the girls repeatedly told me that he had not, I genuinely did not believe there was any abuse to report,” Meyler asserted.

Meanwhile, MTM has written the Minister of Education apologizing for—past failures and informing him about what they are doing to ensure that MTM students are safeguarded.

At the same time the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Gender and the Local Advisory Board is yet to released their report that MTM Academy consented of receiving.

“We also wish to inform you that we have received a report from the special Investigative Panel, which we are currently using as an internal document, although we have not yet concluded when and how it can be released. All of our decisions are being made as fiduciaries for, and in careful consideration of, the best interests of MTM’s students and the organisation.”

[bettiejohnsonmbayo]

Liberia: Slain Ex-Minister’s Son Calls for Prince Johnson’s Prosecution as He Avenges His Father’s Death

Monrovia – Joseph S. Kannah Jr. was just five years old when his father was allegedly gunned down by Prince Johnson’s forces. More than 28 years on, Kannah, whose father Joseph S. Kannah Sr. was the Assistant Minister of State for Logistics, is yet to locate his father’s remains for burial.

“My father’s death is a tragedy and a nightmare for me and my family. We are still hurt because there is no justice and perpetrators are paid for the evil they unleashed on humanity,” said Kannah Jr.

Kannah Jr. is clear about who is to blame for his father’s death: Prince Johnson. Now Senator for Nimba County, in 1990 Johnson was the head of his own militia known as the Independent National Front for Liberia (INPFL). Johnson had broken from Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front for Liberia after a dispute. Both groups were fighting to overthrow Doe’s government.

While Kannah Jr. and the rest of his family had fled to neighboring Ivory Coast as Liberia’s civil war worsened, his father remained in Monrovia and continued to serve in Doe’s government.

Kannah is speaking up now as the push for a war crimes court in Liberia gains momentum. The international community and local activists are putting immense pressure on the legislature and the president to approve a court finally for Liberia, 16 years after the guns fell silent. Kannah is one of thousands of Liberians who have come forward to demand justice for the death of family members. Prince Johnson heads the Truth and Reconciliation Committee Report’s “Most Notorious Perpetrators List”, and is by far the combatant most named by victims interviewed by New Narratives reporters.

Kannah’s father was a member of Doe’s entourage killed

Joseph S. Kannah Sr. was at the Freeport of Monrovia along with the late president Samuel Doe in September 1990, according to Kannah Jr.’s late uncle Robert Kannah and his mother Lucy Kannah. His family believes Kannah Sr. was there to join an ECOMOG boat that would carry them out of the country and to safety as anti-Doe forces closed in. (ECOMOG was the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group sent by the regional body to help restore peace during the Liberian civil war).

“Doe was captured at the temporary headquarters of the ECOMOG at the Free Port of Monrovia and killed along with some 70 members of his guard battalion on September 9, 1990 by Prince Johnson. A gun battle lasted for 90 minutes and Doe was seen tortured-to death- in a video documentary recorded by his assailant, Prince Y Johnson,” according to the Truth and Reconciliation’s final report In fact, a widely shared video shows Johnson’s men torturing Doe under Johnson’s order but does not show Doe’s death.

Other accounts, cited in Stephen Ellis’ book on the first Liberian civil war, The Mask of Anarchy, assert that ministers and government personnel and staff were also present in a 20-car motorcade that followed Doe across the Gabriel Tucker Bridge to ECOMOG’s headquarters at the Liberia Industrial Free Zone Authority, Doe’s entourage was made to disarm by the ECOMOG forces and ambushed by Johnson’s men.  

Robert Kannah, Kanneh Jr.’s late uncle, witnessed and survived the attack, and claimed Kannah Sr. was killed under Johnson’s orders.

Johnson’s appearance before the TRC

Prior to Johnson’s appearance before the TRC in 2009, the former rebel leader accused the commission of “witch-hunting” and warned that it was “treading a dangerous path that will lead to chaos.” He claimed there would be “massive resistance across the country.”

Johnson’s testimony was the most anticipated. Crowds gathered on the balcony at the Centennial Pavilion to hear him testify. During the hearings he admitted to killing Doe and claimed to have buried him and justified his acts as “legitimate acts of war.”

Calls for a war crimes prosecutions mount

Kannah Jr. joined other advocates and victims demonstrating outside the Legislature last November, and said he would join demonstrations scheduled for next month. He carried a poster with writing asking Senator Johnson where their father’s body was buried.

“My siblings and I support the bringing of war crimes court because killers are celebrating their evil without fear,” said Kannah during an interview at the protest.

“Youths are emulating the acts of evil people like Charles Taylor, Prince Johnson, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and others, and there is no court that has jurisdiction to adjudicate war crimes and crimes against humanity,” said Kannah.

Johnson was recommended for prosecution by the TRC in two categories: first as head of a warring faction and then as one of more than a 100 “most notorious perpetrators” of the war.

In March of this year, the Liberia National Bar Association and the Transitional Justice Working Group, which is made up of a coalition of 20 civil society organizations, endorsed the establishment of war and economic crimes court in the country.

Kanneh Jr. in September last year petitioned the Legislature to query Senator Johnson for his father’s remains

Johnson claims actions were legitimate acts of war

The senator has repeatedly claimed his actions were legitimate acts of war and has threatened to take up arms should a war crimes court attempt to prosecute him. He has also said the citizens of Nimba County would take up arms to defend him.

When contacted Senator Prince Johnson said his mother was also killed during the war and he is keeping silent because he wants Liberia to be peaceful.

Senator Johnson said Kanneh Jr. should have appealed before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to testify what he Johnson did to his father.

Senator Prince Johnson said he cannot speak more on the issues because people are being paid to tell lies about him now that there is a call for war crime court to be established.  a Born Again Christian pastor who now runs a school and church called Chapel of Faith Ministries in Paynesville, spoke at a recent Sunday’s service at his church. He said he entered into politics “to kill corruption, nepotism, and favoritism and deal with vices based on my principles”.

Channeling sorrow into charity

In between his activism for a war crimes court, Kannah Jr. runs a non-profit organization he established in 2014 in honor of his late mother, Lucy Kannah, who he said suffered from “inhumane treatment” during the war and in exile. She was 30 years old, when her husband was allegedly killed.

Kannah Jr. said the organization serves war-affected women who face humiliation, sexual gender based-violence and helps young women with schooling and vocational education.

He said his mother struggled to raise them in exile in the absence of her husband and he and his siblings found it difficult to complete secondary school.

Kannah Jr.’s mother grieved for her husband until she died, Kannah said. She also refused to support Kannah Jr. when he ran for the legislature in 2017 in District eight, Montserrado County, reminding him of how his father died.

“She was worried and it was mental tension that probably killed her,” Kannah Jr. said.

“She saw Prince Johnson as a nightmare, and if I sit and don’t avenge for my dad, she will get mad,” he added.

Yet other families, who were alleged victims of Johnson’s forces, remain fearful about speaking out and taking action. Former government minister, Senator Fred J. Blay was reportedly executed by the INPFL on August 1990. His family did not testify at the TRC.

Blay was executed by INPFL forces along with Congressman William T. Jabbah due to their Krahn ethnicity, according to the TRC’s final report.

The family both in Liberia and the United States said they were traumatized by the incident and refused FPA’s request for an interview due to safety concerns.

“I have given your request a serious thought and decided that it is unsafe for my family to give an interview, at this time,” one of the family members responded and asked not to be named.

But war crimes court advocates are showing no sign of relenting, with demonstrations scheduled for next month.

Fubbi Henries the head of Citizens United for war and Economic Crimes Courts in Liberia claimed that prosecutions are the only war forward.

“Retributive justice is what we need to end the culture of impunity. If we don’t set precedence, we will see a deadly war in future than we had in the past,” he said.

This story was a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the West Africa Justice Reporting Project. Funding was provided by Australian Aid. The funder had no say in the story’s content.

[bettiejohnsonmbayo]

Liberia: Woman, 25, Forcefully Taken to Sande Bush for Genital Mutilation

Bong County – Sarah (not her real name), 25, has the rest of her life to live with a scar on her genitals. Her maternal relatives compelled her to join the Sande bush, an incident she recalls vividly.

Report by Bettie K. Johnson-Mbayo, [email protected]

“On Decoration Day, I was attacked by a group of women. They jumped on me and carried me to their society bush. I was crying for help but is like no one was there to help me,” she said.

Sarah and family had gone to Bong to memorialize fallen relatives when the incident occurred.

She entered the Sande bush for the Female Genital Mutilation on March 13 and left April 1, 2019. FGM is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all external a female genitalia, a practice observed throughout Liberia.

Sarah cannot recall how the work was done by the traditional leaders but noticed the mark after she has awakened.

“I was not normal when I was taken there and they did everything they wanted to do without my consent because I was not to myself, all I know I saw myself with a cut clitoris,” she said.

Now she is out and blames her family for allowing her to feel abnormal like a part is missing.

“I am not feeling fine about it because I feel that I am not normal. It’s like a part of me is missing. I blame my mother family,” she narrates.

All she recalled five years ago is that she heard her family discussing that every woman in their family must go to the Sande Bush because it is a tradition to be successful in their career and be a good wife to their partner.

“They said it is their tradition, according to them, if you don’t join it will be difficult for you to get job, husband.”

Sarah had no knowledge of society but heard about the actvities in the bush. Now, she has returned and is willing to tell the world how the bush operates.

“They have leaves that they can be used after cutting, at times they will have tablets if the pain is severe but most often it’s the leaf.”

According to her, there is no different training as her family said.

“They only say we should respect older people but no other special training,” she said. “When I became normal what I saw them doing was for them to call us out in the morning and evening to sing and clap.”

Then came graduation day, Sarah and several others were attired and colored with white chalks and wrapped with white cloth tied around their body.

“The last day, they plaited our hair and took us to the water side to bath us and later brought us back to dress us. That was the graduation day; I was just there but I wasn’t happy but I had to follow their instructions,” she said.

Since Sarah returned from the Bush, washing her private part looks so different and comfortable.

While in the Bush, Sarah and other girls slept on a rag in the hut. The Bush is three hours far from the road in Suacoco

During her stay, she said there was only a lady responsible to cut the girls and the others will sing as the cutting is done.

There were five girls and a minor assuming 5 years who graduated along with.

Till now she has not disclosed what occurred in Bong to her partner but he is only aware that she was still with family members for the decoration.

“Right now, I have not told my boyfriend about it. Maybe I will inform him when I overcome the trauma.”

She said she has no plans to take legal actions against her family after they have inflicted scars on her but only needs relocation.

“I don’t want to take any action against them. I just decided to leave their home. I am looking for a place to go, maybe in time to come if they say sorry, fine, but if not, I will just let them be,” she said.

Sarah narrated that the creek was the only source of drinking, something she said was unhealthy for the girls.

“We used to drink from the creek, at times people used to go for water but sometimes we used to go ourselves.”

Her family paid L$3000 an equivalent of (17.5 US) per person during graduation.

She said, “FGM is not good because some of the materials they used although I didn’t see it because my face was covered but I am not sure they can change some of the things.”

Sarah narrated that all the circumcision can be done within a day when you are not normal.

“They can do everything the same day but no one can be there. They can lay you down.”

She has no idea what will happen in the next years as it relates to medical implication.

Currently, she has a pain that is not continuous but wants medication in spite of pains, “the pain is off and on, right now it has subsided but I want to better treatment to be active as I used to be.

“I am not happy because I feel that a part of me is missing.”

When she first entered, Sarah was among two that brought the number of girls to three, but the day they graduated a new batch of eight entered.

Sarah wants the government to put a halt to FGM on grounds that it is against human rights.

“And they are forcing people against their will. If you consent, that’s fine because the person chooses what they want.”

She has no idea if the community is aware but said since she returns, women have had small groupings but can split-up when she shows up.

“I am always by myself because people might bring it up and they (Zoes) can tell you that if you say what happened, you will die.”

Sarah urged parents to allow their children to decide if they want to be a part of it or not rather force them.

Currently, she is been supported by Naomi Tulay Solanke, Executive Director of Community Health initiative said it is frustrating that since the Government through the Ministry of Gender Children Social protection and Independent Human Rights Commission contacted Sarah but they have failed to support her.

According to her, Sarah told her that she does not feel safe in Liberia because everything turns around in the twine of an eye.

Ms. Solanke has helped Sarah with psychological counseling, “She has seen the harsh reality face to face and the only help we can give is counseling.”

Dr. John Mulbah, one of Liberia’s leading Gynecologist, alarmed in late 2018 that there was an increased in medical complications for women who are mutilated or go through cutting in the Sande bush.

He said Fistula is one of the many complications because those carrying out FGM are not familiar with the parts of a woman’s body.

“They do not necessarily know the part to cut because they don’t know the anatomy of the woman so sometimes while cutting, they end up cutting affecting the blood vessels,” he said.

He spoke at the Liberia Feminist Forum working session on the theme “Legal analysis of proposed Domestic Violence and Anti FGM bill” on Wednesday in Monrovia.

According to him, a “community chain” is the only way to end FGM because many traditional leaders depend on the act to survive.

Cllr. Abla Williams of the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL) and Liberia Feminist Forum (LFF) said it is preferable for people to consent before the act is committed instead of parents compelling children.

Cllr Williams said Liberia is a signatory to many laws that abolished FGM but it is still been practice.

She added that the forum is aimed at reviewing some terminology in the proposed bill which is not stated clearly.

“We are in a fight with the political norms and political will, so we have to do thorough research and get people who have actually have the experience to look at the bill before presenting to the Legislature,” said Cllr. Williams.

Tonieh Tarlery-Wiles of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights disclosed that there are several FGM cases and the commission is working with the complainant and accused.

“We are saying that parents should not compel their kids to be mutilated and be tortured. We have to uphold the international protocols, we should not hide behind cultural harmful practices,” she said.

Equality Now, an international organization, recently called on President George M. Weah, Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor and the 54th Legislature to enact and enforce a permanent and comprehensive law against the practice of FGM in Liberia.

The call was made on this year’s International Women’s Day, and came after the one-year ban on FGM that was put in place by former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf through Executive Order 92. This ban came to an end on January 19th, 2019.

While expressing concern over the lack of a strong anti-FGM law, Equality Now Programme Officer – End Harmful Practices, Felister Gitonga pointed out that Liberia was bound by the regional and international human rights instruments that it had ratified.

She added that it was important for the West African nation to legislate its own law prohibiting the practice in the shortest time possible.

“Presently, more than half of Liberian women are living with the consequences of the cut and many more are at risk. As it is, Liberia remains one of the three West African countries that do not have a law criminalizing FGM,” she said.

The Traditional Council of Chiefs and Elders also agreed to work with advocates and put an end to FGM but they want more time for consultations with traditional communities.

Making the concession recently at programs marking the observance of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, Chief Momo Kiazolu lauded anti-FGM groups for reaching out and including them in the process.

Chief Kiazolu, who spoke on behalf of his boss Chief Zanzan Karwor – the head of the Traditional Council of Chiefs and Elders – said traditional leaders’ exclusion from the awareness against FGM created the delay in ending the menace.

Now that they have been recognized, he assured that the “harmful” traditional practice will be curb based on rigorous consultation across the country.

“When they started this process of FGM, they did not start with the traditional people but went ahead and were doing their own thing, but they were wasting their time,” he said.

“We are part of the global community; we cannot say no to them if they say yes because we will not stand. So, we are already in the process.

“My Chief said I should tell you to just give us small break. This thing belongs to people and we have to go and consult with them first from village to village and town to town.”

[bettiejohnsonmbayo]

Liberia: Education Ministry Failed to Exercise Supervisory Role Before Giving More Than Me Greenlight to Operate

Monrovia – The report of the Special Investigative Panel appointed to probe sexual abuse of girls at More Than Me (MTM) shows that the Ministry of Education did not adequately exercise its supervisory function in allowing the charity to open a school in Liberia.

Report by Bettie K. Johnson-Mbayo, [email protected]

The panel report, released June 1 in Monrovia, alleges that the Ministry allowed MTM to operate as an all-girl school without “seeing, reviewing and been satisfied with the background and experience of adequate female administrative staff”.

Cllr. Negbalee Warner, who chaired the panel, says it was surprising that on September 12, 2010, a little more than two (2) years following its registration in the United States, MTM filed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Liberia an “Application for Authority to Do Business in the Republic of Liberia”.

In the application filed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MTM elaborated on its general purpose of giving “opportunity to the dreams of the most desperate children by stating the activities it planned to undertake in Liberia”.

The activities included bi-weekly mentorship of children – making sure they have the encouragement they need to continue their education; providing twice a week two hours game period on any designated soccer field as a means of teaching character building.

Following receipt of the requisite authorization to operate, the charity was then granted clearance by the Ministry of Finance on January 20, 2011, to apply for accreditation as an International NGO.

It states: “The Ministry of Education has reviewed, scrutinized the requested documents and conducted a thorough capacity assessment of the More Than Me Foundation, Inc. and further verified the facility’s location. Based on the report from the team sent in the field, we are convinced that it will meaningfully contribute toward the revitalization of the education sector.”

The report alleges that MTM had registered and was clear to operate in the country although it had no known office space.

MTM’s own timeline indicates that it launched and operated what it termed as “Grassroots Scholarship program”.   It was in 2012 that MTM acquired the land on which the academy was built.

According to the report MTM duly used Letter of Clearance obtained from the MOE to enjoy tax exemption under Liberian law.

MTM later obtained its accreditation as an International NGO on August 29, 2012, and was issued re-accreditation on January 27, 2016, and April 17, 2017, subsequently.

However, the report claims it did not find any evidence of re-accreditation for the years between 2012-2016.

The Warner report further that the application for re-accreditation in 2016 was filed by Mr. Cyrus Cooper in his capacity as Operations Manager of MTM.

The 2016 application listed Katie Borghese of Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Saul Garlick of Baking Ridge, New Jersey USA; and Manish Patel of Baking Ridge, New Jersey, USA as board members.

Significantly, the panel report said Mr. Cooper did not provide all the information including the NGO’s Annual Report Form he filed. He also did not provide several key documents including the source of funding and list of full-time staff with the position.

Furthermore, an application for re-accreditation submitted by MTM under the signature of Alexandra Fallon, dated April 24, 2018 and addressed to Samuel D. Tweah, Minister of Finance & Development Planning, did not refer to or attach any information about the foundation investment or operating capital, work plan, staff, and/or sources of funding.

In the 2018 application submitted a week after the 2017 accreditation had expired, MTM stated that the “Foundation is an international NGO operating in Monrovia, Liberia” outlining several of its activities including the running of a tuition-free school from the township of West Point

MTM started operations in Liberia in 2009 with a pilot scholarship program. It involves the payment of tuition of some of the most vulnerable girls in West Point and Sinkor.

The scholarship program was started as a very basic operation informally designed and managed without any adequate forethought, established policies/procedures or sustainability plan nor a formal office.

The report states that the lack of plans, procedures, and structures in starting the scholarship program and other activities was not and should not be surprising.

Katie expressly confessed to the Panel that she “is good basically at storytelling and fundraising”, but knew little more than that.

She told the Committee: “I’m not an operational person. I have never had plans. I am not good at details. These are all things I’m not good at too. I figure I can make friends with the people who are good at the things I’m not good at and ask them for help or get them involved somehow.”

Hence, the report said Katie sought the aid of at least two Liberian men: Mr. Macintosh Johnson and Cooper to help get the scholarship started and recruitment of the scholarship beneficiaries.

The children selected by Katie through Johnson and Cooper were placed on scholarship in schools such as the St. Peter’s Lutheran School and the Mary Sharp Memorial School.

Katie told the Investigative Panel that all they wanted was “vulnerable” children -whether boys or girls – but they really never defined what criteria would be used to determine one’s vulnerability or the extent thereof.

MacIntosh First Contact with Girls

The report states that the role of Macintosh and Cooper was critical to the establishment and running of the scholarship program, which culminated in the opening of the MTM Academy.

Katie, according to the report, told the panel that she needed one or a few Liberians, especially people of West Point to work with her.

“I have always had somebody that works next to me because I am not strong at creating that infrastructure that the organization needs; the attention to detail and all that. So, I came back, and we had a list of what to find in a vulnerable child.

“And I reached out to Alfie, and I wanted to work in West Point. He re-introduced me to Macintosh,” she said.

Katie said she first met Macintosh with Alfie in 2007 when the former had given them a tour of West Point.

“Macintosh was someone who was seen in the community as a community leader. He worked for the police as a watchman, as a volunteer watchman. And he was running a sports program in West Point with kids.

“So, I went to visit the sports program, and it looked like what they’re doing was really nice, trying to give kids confidence, and they would do speeches to the kids, and let them enjoy it and play with toys. It was funded by a guy named Eduardo who worked for Jesuit Refugee Commission.”

Katie had him in almost exclusive charge of the selection of the vulnerable children in West Point who would benefit from the MTM scholarship program, the report says.

A number of parents of the beneficiaries interviewed by the Panel revealed how Macintosh was the sole person who made the decision of who got on the scholarship.

Some alleged that Macintosh denied children the scholarship simply because their parents had a disagreement with him or questioned how he was treating the beneficiaries, especially requiring them to cook for him at his home and stay at his place until sometimes around 8 o’clock p.m.

The current head of the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) of MTM Academy, whose identity is not disclosed in the report, is quoted as saying that he and his wife had a strained relationship with Macintosh because they had questioned his “close relationship” with the beneficiaries.

There is also corroborating evidence including trial testimonies that the scholarship program was implemented mainly from Macintosh’s house, the report says.

The report states that not only did MTM allow Macintosh to be essentially the sole decider of who got on its scholarship program, the organization also allowed Macintosh to carry on the recruitment of beneficiaries without an established definition of vulnerability or set of eligibility criteria for selection.

There was also no established formal process or procedure of reviewing his decisions to accept or reject a child’s plea to be on the scholarship.

However, the MTM founder admitted but she argued that other persons including a women’s group in West Point later joined MacIntosh in selecting beneficiaries.

The report states that other people assisted Macintosh Johnson in the recruitment process at one point or the other, but the Panel found that their role was merely to help identify a pool of candidates from among those whom Macintosh had already tipped.

According to the report, one of the survivors described Macintosh’s unsupervised activities in these words: “I can just say that Nyumah (MacIntosh) was everything Katie wanted to do. When she is not here, Nyumah can do everything.

“Like if Katie supposed to take pictures of girls today when she is not here, Nyumah would go and bring the girls from their home, carry them and do pictures and carry them back home.

“So, he was just looking like the right hand to Katie. So, everything he said, people would believe him. Even the parents would believe anything he said.”

[bettiejohnsonmbayo]

Liberia: Fahngon Insists Bearing a Child Doesn’t Disqualify Participation in a Beauty Pageant

MONROVIA – Giving birth to a child does not disqualify a lady from contesting a beauty pageant, argues Deputy Minister for Public Affairs of the Ministry of Information Culture and Tourism Eugene Fahngon.

Report by Bettie Johnson-Mbayo, [email protected] & Alline Dunbar, [email protected]

“First and foremost, bearing a child is not a crime and bearing a child should not stop you from achieving your goals or pursuing opportunities,” Fahngon said Thursday at a press conference in Monrovia.

When questioned by reporters about the Ministery’s decison to select a participant who has a child, Fahngon refused to comment further on the issue.

“I will not comment further simply because it is an allegation, I will comment on the facts next week in my press conference,” he said.

The Deputy Minister’s comment comes on the back of a recent decision to recall the Liberian contestant who was selected to participate in the ongoing 2019 edition of the Miss Africa continent pageant in South Africa.

Farsina Farmah, who was recalled, was selected by current Miss Liberia Wokie Dolo to represent the country but was shockingly ordered by MICAT to return home because she was “unrealistically sent to represent Liberia by La Queen entertainment owned by Ms. Dolo.”

On Wednesday the Ministry issued a release stating it had selected Tina Finda Nyunkar, first runner-up for Miss Liberia 2017 pageant to replace Ms Farmah.

“To our utmost surprise took her runner up from Miss Earth to Miss Africa and when the Ministry got to know took the appropriate steps that were necessary to keep the tradition and custom of having the winner of Miss Liberia go to Miss World and the runner up to Miss Africa,” Minister Fahngon said.

The decision sparked mixed views in the community of pageantry after it was later discovered that Ms Nyunkar is a mother.

Are There International Rules?

Most beauty competitions have set standards that bar ladies who have had a child or children from contesting.

While there is confusion over the selection of Ms Nyunkar to represent Liberia and the standards that are set across many countries, many say MICAT has breached these internationally accepted rules.

For example, the African Union annual beauty competition requires that applicants should not be pregnant, married or have a child or children.

For Miss South Africa, a prestigious beauty contest on the continent, one of its requirement to participate is that entrants should “never have been pregnant, never have given birth, and not currently pregnant”.

In Ukraine, the winner of the 2018 Miss Ukraine was dramatically stripped off her crown after organizers discovered that she had a child and was previously married – which made her ineligible for the beauty pageant

Miss Great Britain previously had similar rules banning mothers and married women from contesting but abolished the rule in 2013 as part of a move to make the pageant more relevant.

MICAT Comes Under Fire

As the debate echoes, a former Miss Liberia, who asked for anonymity, told FronatPageAfrica that universal competitions across the world don’t allow a contestant to have a baby and participant.

Meanwhile, Ms. Dolo, who is accused of selecting a contestant, says she’s surprised that the government will request her to seek permission before sending a contestant.

“Does the ministry grant Districts pageant organizers permit; I am surprised that they will want to say I should have asked for a permit before sending Farsina,” she wrote on social media Thursday evening.

“Madam Assistant Minister Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs & Tourism (MICAT) where is the 50 thousand USD budget that Miss Liberia 2017, should’ve used to undertake her projects?”

“Where is the furnished office the Ministry’s promise for the Queen to sit in and work, where is the Queen monthly paycheck for her reign and diplomatic passport since you’re concerned about protocol.”

‘Dethroned’ Miss Liberia?

Earlier during the press conference, Minister Fahngon had referred to Ms. Dolo as former “Miss Liberia”, adding that her reign has ended even though the Ministry has not held a ceremony to dethrone her.

“We like to appeal to former Miss Liberia, Ms. Dolo, we’ve seen a number of disturbing posts from her but we will like to clarify to the public that Ms. Dolo reign came to an end,” he said.

He, however, disclosed that it is customary that the winner of Miss Liberia goes to Miss World while the runner up attends Miss Africa.

Minister Fahngon confirmed that even though Ms. Dolo was given a permit to conduct the Miss Earth pageant but it came as a surprise to the Ministry when a runner-up from the just ended Miss Earth pageant was sent to represent Liberia at an international pageant (Miss Africa).

[bettiejohnsonmbayo]

Liberia: Police Investigate Death at Palm Spring Hotel, Poised to Conduct Autopsy

Monrovia – The Liberia National Police (LNP) is investigating Mr. Bob Enyindah Egeonu, a 30-year-old Nigerian, for his alleged involvement with the death of Ms. Yatta Kamara, 28.

Report by Bettie K. Johnson-Mbayo, [email protected]

She was found dead in one of the rooms of Palm Spring Hotel on June 5, 2019.

Egeonu is a hired IT consultant for GoBet, a segment of the business activities of the Palm Springs Resort and was reportedly hired to set up GoBet IT programme and to train local staff on how to run the programme.

According to the police, Yatta was lying unconscious with foam oozing from her mouth and bleeding from her nose in the hotel room.

Forensic team of the LNP carried out physical examination and later took her (Yatta) to the John F. Kennedy hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

They body is currently at JFK morgue while the suspect is in police custody.

The police said the suspect is in prison awaiting the completion of the investigation.

When queried about the prolonged detention, police said he could not be released on grounds that he may flee from the country.

“Even if you take his passport, they sometimes use the border to escape,” the police said.

The police said an autopsy would soon be conducted on the remains of the deceased but failed to state when it would be conducted.

The hotel has asked for both forensics and autopsy investigation on the body. The hotel management said they remain open to any form of investigation as they have no hand in the lady’s death.   

[bettiejohnsonmbayo]

Liberia: Police ‘Pursues’ Rape Suspect at Christian Association Blind

Monrovia – Police in Monrovia say they are in pursuit of Kwame Wreh, a former study class teacher at the Christain Association of the Blind (CAB), suspected of raping a 13-year-old girl of the school.

Report by Bettie K. Johnson-Mbayo, [email protected]

“Police investigators are doing everything humanly possible to ensure that suspect Wreh is arrested and made to face the full weight of the law,” Police said.

The victim currently has a male child after she was reportedly raped by a 16-year-old, who is out of prison because he is a juvenile.

But prior to her pregnancy, Princess (not her real name) was allegedly raped in the school’s kitchen by Kwame Wreh.

Princess, in her statement to the health counselor during the medical examination, said Mrs. Fatu Kota, administrator of CAB, knew about the incident but she asked the minor not to disclose it to anyone. This was to avert the school image from ruining.

According to the victim’s grandmother, she was informed by Princess’ dad.

“Fatu is saying you are aware of the teacher raping Princess because she told you, that’s how I told my son to come to get me because I wasn’t with them at the clinic when my grandchild went for examination,” the grandmother said.

When the incident occurred, Princess said the teacher was asked to leave the school. Her grandmother then questioned the decision by the school to ask the suspect to leave instead of informing the police.

When Princess’ grandparents left the police station, where investigations were conducted, Mrs. Kota texted her: “I was detained and disgraced because of your daughter, remember what you did.”

The school has consistently denied the allegation that Wreh was at the school as an instructor or a study class teacher but said he was lastly seen 2004.

But the students contradicted the comments by Mr. Beyan Kota, head of the school, saying that Wreh was a braille study class teacher at the institution the same period the incident occurred.

Mr. Kota said in a press release that Wreh has neither been an instructor of the institute nor has he ever served in the employ of the association’s programs.

The CAB authority said they had no previous knowledge regarding Wreh’s involvement in any sexual abuses of students on campus nor did any act of such concerning Kwami claimed the attention of the Association at any time whatsoever.

However, Princess’ grandparents have expressed shock that CAB administrators were concerned about their institution’s reputation instead of her granddaughter’s future.

“Is like they were only concerned about the institution name, from that day when we left, they have not called, only the students sometimes called the girl to check on her.

The grandparent said till date the school has refused to take responsibility for the incident.

It can be recalled family members of Wreh said that account of the alleged rape saga was inaccurate.

According to a press release under the signature of Rev. Prince Wreh, who is believed to be the brother of the suspect, the account provided by this paper is ‘unethical’.

According to Rev. Wreh said though the family commends FrontPage Africa for being critical in the fight against rape, but finds it appalling that the paper ignores Ethical journalism to ascertain the truth and substance of the matter.

The family said they are not aware of any decision or charges to pursue criminal charges against Kwame and further said he’s being attacked by disgraceful slur as a result of the publication because of his disability.

[bettiejohnsonmbayo]

Liberia: Man, Who ‘Raped and Killed’ Vivian Wright In New Georgia, Goes On Trial

Monrovia – Saah Joseph, the man who is accused of murdering 15- year Vivian Wright, has pleaded guilty to the indictment for the charge of murder.

Report by Bettie K. Johnson-Mbayo, [email protected]

Joseph, 21, consented to the crime, and the state asked the court to entered the not guilty plea to enable them to prove all reasonable doubt that he is guilty of the crime.

oseph, 21, consented to the crime, and the state asked the court to entered the not guilty plea to enable them to prove all reasonable doubt that he is guilty of the crime.

Prosecution first witness is expected to make its first appearance to testify on Tuesday, June 24, 2019.

He reportedly “Strangulating Vivian while attempting to have sexual intercourse with her”, the indictment states.

Defendant Joseph, a steel bender working in the compound of Alfred Thonkolie, left the premises and went to a local bar where he met the deceased and contacted her to sleep with him for US$20.00.

Thereafter, he and the deceased left the club on a motorbike and went to Mr. Thonkolie’s yard where he had sex with the deceased and while in the process, confusion ensued between both of them and the defendant began to strangler her until she was unconscious while he continually forcibly had to sex her in the vagina and anus.

When he (the defendant) realized that the deceased was unconscious, he took the body and used a plank and threw the deceased out of the fence along with her clothes.

He later absconded the scene and was later arrested by the Liberia National Police in Dolo’s Town, Margibi County.

A murder occurs when the death of another human being under the circumstance manifesting extreme indifference to the value of life.

The act by defendant Joseph is contrary to 4LCLR, Title 26, section 14.1 (a) and 4LCLR, Title 26, section 50.5 and 4LCLR, Title 26, section 2.2 (a) and (b) and the peace and dignity of Liberia.

The state is expected to produce the mother of the deceased Camere Moore, Superintendent of Police Abu Daramy, Captain of Police Jerry Wymah and documentary evidence during the trial.

The Defendant lawyer has said that the trial will not be decided by the jury rather by the judge.