 |  |  |  |  |  |
| NEWS ARTICLE |
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in 2003 in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, provides for the dissolution and reforming of
Liberia's security forces with the assistance of the international community.
This is exactly what UNMIL has been doing for the LNP and US-hired company, DynCorp, has been doing for the Armed Forces of Liberia
(AFL).
Many had thought that prior to the commencement of these exercises, the government of Liberia had devised a national security strategy
and policy that will make the new security units operational at the end of the training and reforming programs.
But it seems that was not the case, prompting UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to see delays in the process of turning security over to the
government of Liberia in two year's time.
The Analyst Staff Writer has been putting the Secretary General's observations into perspective.
The Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), the Liberian National Police (LNP), and other security units of Liberia are likely to be unable to take over
from UNMIL unless the government completes and submit a national security strategy and policy for the purpose.
This assertion, which was not further elaborated, was contained in the 13th Progress Report presented to the Security Council of the United
Nations by Secretary General Kofi Annan last week.
National security strategy and policy, the report noted, must be accompanied by a comprehensive national security architecture that will allow
Liberian security agencies to sustain the stable security environment currently ensured by the presence of UNMIL.
The comprehensive national security architecture, the report quoted Dr. Annan as saying, is also a crucial element in the planning and
management of the drawdown of UNMIL forces.
In that regard, therefore, he urged Liberia's international partners to urgently provide assistance in addressing the outstanding logistical and
infrastructure needs of the security sector, particularly those of the national police.
Not only has the government not completed the national security strategy and policy, the report noted, but that it is yet to take a final
decision on the country's complete security architecture.
In September this year, the UN set a number of benchmarks against which progress would be measured during the first phase of the
consolidation, drawdown and withdrawal of UNMIL.
The reports said some progress has been made in meeting these broad benchmarks, which include security, governance and the rule of law,
economic revitalization, and infrastructure and basic services, but said much needed to be done in order to keep up with the schedule of
implementation.
While the secretary-general's report did not establish any connection with anything the government of Liberia did or did not do, it said the
recruitment target of 3,500 trained police officers by July 2007 is likely to be met but that it is expected that the new army will not be fully
operational until 2008 at the earliest.
The CPA established that the demobilization, disarmament, rehabilitation, and reintegration of ex-combatants would precede the dissolution
and reforming exercises of the security forces, but even that the report said, is yet to be completed.
"In the case of ex-combatants, some 39,000 out of an initial caseload of 101,495 ex-combatants have yet to access reintegration
programmes," the report said, raising public concern over the security of Liberia after UNMIL.
The report said the government and its partners aim to build a 2,000-strong new AFL, but with 39,000 trained guerrillas yet to be properly
rehabilitation and reintegrated into society, many say the stability of Liberia may not be guaranteed for years to come.
Up to the moment, only 106 of the targeted 2,000 personnel of the new army have received any training. But the security sector benchmark
is not the only obstacle to the full restoration of the sovereignty of Liberia.
"Progress in meeting the governance and rule of law benchmarks has been slow, owing primarily to the funding and capacity constraints,"
the report said.
As the result, the report said corrections facilities have been established in only 7 of the 15 counties in Liberia while the county
superintendents and assistant superintendents for development are also not fully operational in all 15 counties owing to capacity and human
resource constraints.
"There is also a marked absence of critical line ministries, including health, education and public works in many of the counties, for which
external funding is urgently required," the report said.
The report which promises a full review of the UN benchmarks in coming months praised the government for progress made in the provision
of electricity and water to the Monrovia, but noted that much needed to be done in the health sector.
"However, the limited extension of public health services to the counties remains a critical concern. Currently, the country is heavily
dependent on non-governmental organizations, which provide about 90 per cent of the primary health care and hospital services," the report
noted.
Meanwhile, the secretary-general's report has revealed that in order to assess the capability of the new LNP, a review team from the
Department of Peacekeeping Operations will travel to Liberia in early 2007 to assess the impact of the work of the UNMIL Police component
on the capacity development of the Liberian National Police.
While that visit is pending, the Secretary General said, there was need for everything possible to be done to operationalize the new police
and to expedite the deployment of the Liberian National Police to the countryside.
-
| | | | | |
Liberia: 'Complete Security Strategy And Policy' By: The Analyst (Monrovia) December 19, 2006 |