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| Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf |
Source: Liberian Journal
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| Jucontee Thomas Woewiyu |
The Liberian civil war
The Nobel Committee Has Made its Most Controversial Nobel Peace Prize Decision Ever in awarding War Planner and War Financier Ellen Johnson Sirleaf the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize
While more than half a million Liberians have shut down Monrovia today in their show of rejection of President Sirleaf, the Nobel Committee at Oslo has just made its most controversial decision ever: awarding Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, veteran Liberian war planner and war financier, the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. The Committee made the award: "for [her] non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work".
This statement so brutally angers millions of Liberians as to drive them in droves to the polls on October 11 to reject her. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is anything but non-violent in the history of Liberia. She is singularly responsible for planning and financing the Liberian civil war which killed more than 300,000 Liberians, about half of them women and children, and which destroyed the dreams of more than 3 million more. How can this be non-violent? In the early days of the Liberian civil war, Mrs. Sirleaf flew into Liberia as a member of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) to supply arms and discuss war strategy and tactics. How can that be non-violent? In his “Open Letter to Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf,” published on September 15, 2005, Jucontee Thomas Woewiyu, former defense minister of the NPFL, addresses Mrs. Sirleaf: “My first trip to the Ivory Coast to meet with Charles Taylor, Harry Yuan, Moses Duopu and others to assess the level of military plan of action for the purpose of removing Doe was sponsored by you and others in the wake of the failed Quiwonkpa coup in which you played a major role.”
How can her history be non-violent? Mr. Woewiyu’s account has been supported by Mr. Prince Y. Johnson, former leader of the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia, INPFL, who has publicly spoken of Mrs. Sirleaf’s planning and executing the 1984 Nimba raid. How can she ever be non-violent?
We know Mrs. Sirleaf planned both the Nimba raid of 1984 and the abortive coup of 1985. Even Mrs. Tarloh Munah Quiwonkpa, wife of the late Gen Thomas Quiwonkpa, who led the abortive 1985 coup, has publicly attacked Mrs. Sirleaf to explain the death of Gen Quiwonkpa. How could the Nobel Committee ignore all of these facts?
Mrs. Sirleaf in a BBC interview in 1990 told the world she would have to ‘level the Executive Mansion and rebuild it’ – Tom Woewiyu claims Ellen said to ‘level Monrovia’-- if the Mansion stood in her way to political power. But to level the Mansion means countless number of women and children would have to be killed. By admitting she said ‘level the Mansion,’ and not ‘level Monrovia’, as claimed by Mr. Woewiyu, Mrs. Sirleaf is effectively admitting to have historically sanctioned the maiming and killing of women and children. How can the Nobel Committee claim she has ‘struggled for the safety of women’? How can the Committee ignore such callous and inhumane disregard for the lives of Liberians?
After breaking away from the NPFL, Mrs. Sirleaf supported Liberian warring factions such as ULIMO and armed groups such as the Black Beret to challenge the NPFL, in the hope of undermining Charles Taylor who stood in the way of her presidential ambition. In the early 2000’s, she supported rebel factions MODEL and LURD in their attempts to unseat Taylor. How can this political history be non-violent? President Sirleaf has just brought in more than more than 1,000 Nigerian troops to threaten and harass Liberians during the Tuesday 11 October 2011 balloting, in which we are expected to boot her from power. Mrs. Sirleaf, as observed by the Carter Center in its recent press release, is tempering with the 11 October 2011 elections which may have dangerous security implications for all Liberians, especially women and children. As observed by the International Crisis Group in its August 2011 report, Mrs. Sirleaf presides over an empire of corruption, a major factor in the onset of wars and civil conflicts, which can have the most devastating impact on women and children.
By giving Mrs. Sirleaf the Peace Prize, the Committee has shown itself highly susceptible to the influence of lobbyists. Mrs. Sirleaf has reportedly spent upwards of US$25 million to pay high-priced Washington- and London-based Nobel-award lobbyists to get her the nomination and to influence Committee members’ selection. Her selection is a perennial smear on the Nobel Committee, devaluing awards previously given to many notable international personalities.
Controversial awards such that given to Dr. Henry Kissinger for his role in the Vietnam War pale in comparison to the Ellen award. In awarding Mrs. Sirleaf, the Committee has given a Peace prize to a direct militant, war planner and war financier. Mrs. Sirleaf was actually involved in deploying rebels in Gadaffi’s Libya for training during the late 80’s. This award is unprecedented in the history of the Nobel Peace Prize.
We congratulate Leymah Gbowee for bringing pride to Liberia. The CDC will remain supportive of her efforts to use activism to advance the cause of women and peace. While celebrating Leymah Gbowee, the CDC will send Mrs. Sirleaf into retirement both with her Nobel award money and the millions she has looted from the national coffers.
Our victory on October 11 could never be more certain because of this award, since it is a callous affront to the intelligence and history of the Liberian people!!
Editor’s Note: CDC press release.
The Nobel Committee Has Made its Most Controversial Nobel Peace Prize Decision Ever in awarding War Planner and War Financier Ellen Johnson Sirleaf the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize
While more than half a million Liberians have shut down Monrovia today in their show of rejection of President Sirleaf, the Nobel Committee at Oslo has just made its most controversial decision ever: awarding Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, veteran Liberian war planner and war financier, the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. The Committee made the award: "for [her] non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work".
This statement so brutally angers millions of Liberians as to drive them in droves to the polls on October 11 to reject her. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is anything but non-violent in the history of Liberia. She is singularly responsible for planning and financing the Liberian civil war which killed more than 300,000 Liberians, about half of them women and children, and which destroyed the dreams of more than 3 million more. How can this be non-violent? In the early days of the Liberian civil war, Mrs. Sirleaf flew into Liberia as a member of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) to supply arms and discuss war strategy and tactics. How can that be non-violent? In his “Open Letter to Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf,” published on September 15, 2005, Jucontee Thomas Woewiyu, former defense minister of the NPFL, addresses Mrs. Sirleaf: “My first trip to the Ivory Coast to meet with Charles Taylor, Harry Yuan, Moses Duopu and others to assess the level of military plan of action for the purpose of removing Doe was sponsored by you and others in the wake of the failed Quiwonkpa coup in which you played a major role.”
How can her history be non-violent? Mr. Woewiyu’s account has been supported by Mr. Prince Y. Johnson, former leader of the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia, INPFL, who has publicly spoken of Mrs. Sirleaf’s planning and executing the 1984 Nimba raid. How can she ever be non-violent?
We know Mrs. Sirleaf planned both the Nimba raid of 1984 and the abortive coup of 1985. Even Mrs. Tarloh Munah Quiwonkpa, wife of the late Gen Thomas Quiwonkpa, who led the abortive 1985 coup, has publicly attacked Mrs. Sirleaf to explain the death of Gen Quiwonkpa. How could the Nobel Committee ignore all of these facts?
Mrs. Sirleaf in a BBC interview in 1990 told the world she would have to ‘level the Executive Mansion and rebuild it’ – Tom Woewiyu claims Ellen said to ‘level Monrovia’-- if the Mansion stood in her way to political power. But to level the Mansion means countless number of women and children would have to be killed. By admitting she said ‘level the Mansion,’ and not ‘level Monrovia’, as claimed by Mr. Woewiyu, Mrs. Sirleaf is effectively admitting to have historically sanctioned the maiming and killing of women and children. How can the Nobel Committee claim she has ‘struggled for the safety of women’? How can the Committee ignore such callous and inhumane disregard for the lives of Liberians?
After breaking away from the NPFL, Mrs. Sirleaf supported Liberian warring factions such as ULIMO and armed groups such as the Black Beret to challenge the NPFL, in the hope of undermining Charles Taylor who stood in the way of her presidential ambition. In the early 2000’s, she supported rebel factions MODEL and LURD in their attempts to unseat Taylor. How can this political history be non-violent? President Sirleaf has just brought in more than more than 1,000 Nigerian troops to threaten and harass Liberians during the Tuesday 11 October 2011 balloting, in which we are expected to boot her from power. Mrs. Sirleaf, as observed by the Carter Center in its recent press release, is tempering with the 11 October 2011 elections which may have dangerous security implications for all Liberians, especially women and children. As observed by the International Crisis Group in its August 2011 report, Mrs. Sirleaf presides over an empire of corruption, a major factor in the onset of wars and civil conflicts, which can have the most devastating impact on women and children.
By giving Mrs. Sirleaf the Peace Prize, the Committee has shown itself highly susceptible to the influence of lobbyists. Mrs. Sirleaf has reportedly spent upwards of US$25 million to pay high-priced Washington- and London-based Nobel-award lobbyists to get her the nomination and to influence Committee members’ selection. Her selection is a perennial smear on the Nobel Committee, devaluing awards previously given to many notable international personalities.
Controversial awards such that given to Dr. Henry Kissinger for his role in the Vietnam War pale in comparison to the Ellen award. In awarding Mrs. Sirleaf, the Committee has given a Peace prize to a direct militant, war planner and war financier. Mrs. Sirleaf was actually involved in deploying rebels in Gadaffi’s Libya for training during the late 80’s. This award is unprecedented in the history of the Nobel Peace Prize.
We congratulate Leymah Gbowee for bringing pride to Liberia. The CDC will remain supportive of her efforts to use activism to advance the cause of women and peace. While celebrating Leymah Gbowee, the CDC will send Mrs. Sirleaf into retirement both with her Nobel award money and the millions she has looted from the national coffers.
Our victory on October 11 could never be more certain because of this award, since it is a callous affront to the intelligence and history of the Liberian people!!
Editor’s Note: CDC press release.
