VARIOUS: INDEPENDENT THINK TANK WARNS THAT LIBERIAN INSTABILITY RISKS DRAGGING ENTIRE AFRICAN REGION BACK TO WAR
Record ID:
208400
VARIOUS: INDEPENDENT THINK TANK WARNS THAT LIBERIAN INSTABILITY RISKS DRAGGING ENTIRE AFRICAN REGION BACK TO WAR
- Title: VARIOUS: INDEPENDENT THINK TANK WARNS THAT LIBERIAN INSTABILITY RISKS DRAGGING ENTIRE AFRICAN REGION BACK TO WAR
- Date: 20th September 2005
- Summary: (BN02) MONROVIA, LIBERIA (FILE NOVEMBER 4, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. SLV UN SOLDIERS UNLOADING ROCKET FROM PICKUP TRUCK WITH VARIOUS WEAPONS IN FOREGROUND; UN SOLDIERS SEPARATING ROCKET PROPELLED GRENADE FROM SMALLER ARMS ON GROUND (VARIOUS) 0.10 NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 09, 2005) (REUTERS) 2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF THE AFRICA SECTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP, SULEYMAN BALDO, SAYING: "The elections for us are a small step in the right direction but a lot needs to be done to secure long-term stability in Liberia. Other areas of concern are the issues of political and economic governance, that's to say the responsibility of the political elite in the country who take control of government and security." 0.41 MONROVIA, LIBERIA (FILE NOVEMBER 4, 2004) (REUTERS) 3. WIDE FORMER GENERAL FROM THE GOVERNMENT FORCES GIVING BACK HIS WEAPONS TO THE UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN LIBERIA (UNMIL) GENERAL DANIEL OPANDE; WIDE EX-COMBATANTS FROM VARIOUS WARRING SECTIONS APPLAUDING (VARIOUS) 0.59 NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 09, 2005) (REUTERS) 4. SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF THE AFRICA SECTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP, SULEYMAN BALDO, SAYING: "By attacking the root causes of conflict and therefore the issue of accountability of the ruling classes, we hope that this trend could be reversed and I believe that this is the only way it could be reversed actually, and therefore it would require some investment of political will. Here the scale of things is really very manageable because this is a small country and it has rich resources as I said and therefore the international community has to show some resolve, some new vision to address long-term peace building rather than just intervening to end conflict." 1.35 MONROVIA, LIBERIA (FILE NOVEMBER 4, 2004) (REUTERS) 5. MV U.S. AMBASSADOR IN LIBERIA, JOHN BLANEY, UN REPRESENTATIVE JACK POAUL KLEIN AND GENERAL DANIEL OPANDE LOOKING AT WEAPONS 1.39 NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 09, 2005) (REUTERS) 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF THE AFRICA SECTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP, SULEYMAN BALDO, SAYING: "So the war in Liberia for example has effected very much so the situation in all the countries of the Mano river, that's to say Sierra Leone and Guinea in particular. So, its very important for this region that conflict resolution addresses the root causes of conflicts and wars, so that we target regional stability, rather than country by country situations." 2.09 MONROVIA, LIBERIA (FILE NOVEMBER 4, 2004) (REUTERS) 7. WIDE EX-COMBATANTS QUEUING TO HAND IN WEAPONS (VARIOUS) 2.18 NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 09, 2005)(REUTERS) 8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF THE AFRICA SECTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP, SULEYMAN BALDO, SAYING: "Because of deterioration of health services for example, life expectancy is getting very low in terns of child mortality, its one of the highest in the world. all indicators of human development are in the red, liberia, sierra leone - these countries are among the poorest, the most (unintelligible) countries in the world, according to the UN listing of world development report, the annual listing that the UN issues 2.49 MONROVIA, LIBERIA (FILE NOVEMBER 4, 2004) (REUTERS) 11. MV EX-COMBATANT GIVING HIS WEAPON TO A UN SOLDIER 2.57 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 5th October 2005 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES/ MONROVIA, LIBERIA
- City:
- Country: Liberia USA United States
- Reuters ID: LVACN88VKJ4H8DUXPMHIGOAR4YIZ
- Story Text: An independent think tank warns that Liberian instability risks dragging an entire African region back to war.
An independent think-tank has published a report on
Liberia that warns that unless the government and foreign
donors salvage its ruined economy after postwar elections
next month, the country could risk dragging the West
African region to war.
Presidential and parliamentary polls due on October 11
are meant to draw a line under one of modern Africa's most
brutal wars, which ended in 2003 after destroying a
once-thriving economy and spawning a generation of young
gunmen.
While speaking about the highlights of the Liberia
report published by the Brussels-based International Crisis
Group, head of the Africa section of the group, Suleyman
Baldo, said,
"The elections for us are a small step in the right
direction but a lot needs to be done to secure long-term
stability in Liberia. Other areas of concern are the issues
of political and economic governance, that's to say the
responsibility of the political elite in the country who
take control of government and security."
Liberia's post-war plight has been exacerbated by
rampant corruption among members if a transitional
government made up largely of former belligerents still
bent on plundering its rich mineral resources, diplomats,
donors and local residents say.
Through its report, the International Crisis Group
hopes to attract attention to what they perceive as a root
cause of conflict in Liberia - accountability.
Baldo said, "By attacking the root causes of conflict
and therefore the issue of accountability of the ruling
classes, we hope that this trend could be reversed and I
believe that this is the only way it could be reversed
actually, and therefore it would require some investment of
political will."
The group also emphasized that the international
community needs to show more resolve in addressing
long-term peace building in the country, rather than merely
intervening intermittently.
Baldo spoke of how conflict-resolution should be
implemented, keeping a larger region in mind, rather than
just a single country.
He said, "In Liberia, for example, has effected very
much so the situation in all the countries of the Mano
river, that's to say Sierra Leone and Guinea in particular.
So, its very important for this region that conflict
resolution addresses the root causes of conflicts and wars,
so that we target regional stability, rather than country
by country situations."
Development in Liberia stands endangered and Baldo
elaborated on some of the aspects. Child mortality is
supposed to be one of the highest in the world. According
to the United Nations, all indicators of human development
in Liberia are in the red.
The country's national budget has shrunk to just $80
million a year from nearer $500 million before the war, and
a large amount of the current funds are earmarked for
travel by ministers rather than for rebuilding schools,
hospitals or roads.
Donors, who say they have already pumped millions of
dollars of aid into Liberia only to see it squandered are
insisting they be allowed to closely monitor state spending
and have threatened to withhold funding unless they can do
so.
The International Crisis Group said Liberia's peace process risked being sabotaged if the Liberian elite refused to allow s
ome intrusive economic governance
mechanism and if international partners pulled out of the
country too soon after the polls.
The country, whose rich diamonds, iron ore and timber
reserves fuelled the civil war, could regain its position
as one of the more successful economies in West Africa if
governance improved and security could be assured, the
International Crisis Group emphasized.
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