By MARCO CHOWN OVED Associated Press
 |
AP – Rebel soldiers loyal
to Ivory Coast opposition leader
Alassane Ouattara,
the widely recognized winner … |
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast – The man who refuses to step down from the presidency ordered thousands of U.N. peacekeepers to leave Ivory Coast immediately on Saturday, calling the global body that has endorsed his political rival an "agent of destabilization."
The move was the latest act of political defiance by Laurent Gbagbo, who has been in power since 2000 and maintains he is the rightful winner of last month's runoff vote in the West African nation despite growing international pressure on him to concede defeat.
The statement read on state television came just two days after as many as 30 people were killed in street violence in Ivory Coast. Earlier Saturday, masked gunmen opened fire on the U.N. base; no one from the U.N. was harmed in the attack.
Source:
Yahoo News
 |
AP – Rebel soldiers
loyal to
Ivory Coast
opposition leader
Alassane Ouattara,
the widely recognized winner … |
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast – After a day of clashes, some of the bloodiest to hit Ivory Coast in years, this divided corner of Africa where two rivals claim to be president stands at a precarious crossroads between war and peace.
On Friday, it seemed the nation of 21 million could slide either way. There were reports of rebels attacking several towns but retreating.
A day earlier, Alassane Ouattara, whose election victory last month over incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo has international recognition, called on his supporters to seize the state TV headquarters in Abidjan, the capital.
Their advance got nowhere near the station, but a firefight broke out between rebels and security forces loyal to Gbagbo, the first significant clash between the two sides in six years. Rebels also briefly attacked government positions in the central town of Tiebissou on Thursday, marking a serious escalation in the conflict. The day's casualty toll given by various groups ranged from 9 to 30 shot and killed.
The former French colony is the world's leading cocoa producer, and skyscraper-lined Abidjan was once known as the Paris of West Africa. Then came a 2002-2003 civil war that divided it in two. The election was supposed to open a new chapter, except that the loser has defied international pressure to step down.
Source: BBC News
Mr Gbagbo has refused to admit defeat since last month's election Continue reading the main story
International pressure is growing on Ivory Coast incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo to cede power to opposition leader Alassane Ouattara after last month's disputed presidential election.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy says Mr Gbagbo must stand down by "the end of the week" or face EU sanctions.Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga has called for African nations to remove Mr Gbagbo by force if necessary.
Source: BBC
Supporters of Alassane Ouattara had planned to march on the offices of state TV, which has praised Laurent Gbagbo
At least 20 people have died in Ivory Coast in clashes between troops and demonstrators, says a spokeswoman for incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo.
Source:
Associated Press
 |
AP – Security forces face
off against supporters
of longtime opposition
leader Alassane
Ouattara whose election … |
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast – Gunfire and explosions shook Ivory Coast's main city Thursday as supporters and security forces loyal to the two men claiming to be president clashed, killing at least 15 people amid fears the violence could push the country toward another civil war.
 |
Mills wants these
officials to be
checked in the
privacy of
his suite”
|
Ghana's leader has said he is concerned that elements of his government are compromised by drugs traffickers, a US cable released by WikiLeaks says. Source: BBC
 |
UK customs officials
are reportedly frustrated
Ghana's efforts to fight
trafficking at Accra airport |
Another cable says President John Atta Mills requested airport drug-screening equipment for his personal entourage.
West Africa has become a major transit hub for smuggling cocaine from Latin America to Europe.
The latest diplomatic disclosures also reveal US fears about the failure of West African leaders to tackle it.
The correspondence released by the whistle-blowing Wikileaks and published in the UK's Guardian newspaper also show the frustration of British anti-drug smuggling officials with Ghanaian efforts.
Source:
BBC
 |
Ghana's offshore oil fields are estimated
to contain about 3bn barrels |
The West African nation of Ghana has begun to pump its first commercial oil after the discovery of the offshore Jubilee Field three years ago.
President John Atta Mills turned on the valve at an offshore platform.
A consortium led by UK-based Tullow Oil hopes to produce 55,000 barrels per day, increasing to 120,000 barrels in six months.
Ghana, one of Africa's most stable countries, is expected to earn $400m (£254m) in the first year.
Source: DAKAR (Reuters)
African nations should join forces to create a one-million-strong army to protect the continent and confront outsiders like NATO and China, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said on Tuesday.
Gaddafi, well known for his forthright rhetoric, has acquired growing influence in Africa but his ambition to build a united states of Africa is not shared by the continent's biggest powers.
"National militaries alone cannot save countries. Africa should have one army with one million soldiers," Gaddafi said in a speech in the Senegalese capital.
By MARCO CHOWN OVED, Associated Press Marco Chown Oved,
 |
AP – Opposition leader Alassane Ouattara, right,
with United Nations's envoy
to Ivory Coast, Choi Young-jin, … |
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast – The man whom most of the world recognizes as Ivory Coast's president pressed ahead Tuesday with plans to force his opponent to relinquish power, including seizing the state treasury and taking control of government buildings.
Analysis
David Zounmenou and Issaka K. Souaré
Source: All Africa
On 2 December 2010, the head of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of Côte d’Ivoire announced provisional results of the 28 November run-off presidential election. He declared the former Prime Minister, Alassane Dramane Ouattara as the winner with 54.10 per cent of the votes, against 45.90 per cent for the incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo.
Source: Running Africa
The US Embassy near the Liberian capital Monrovia says it is strongly encouraging all US citizens traveling to Liberia to enroll in the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to enable the Embassy contact them in the case of emergency.
Monrovia Liberia—Presidential candidate T. Q. Harris on Monday paid a courtesy call on President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, informing her that while he was an aspirant to the presidency, he considered himself an opponent, not an enemy, and his sole interest was for the betterment of Liberia.
In welcoming Mr. Harris, the President said: “We would like to see people come home. If they can come home for good, we applaud; if they can come home for a little while, see what we are doing, give us their suggestions, join in the effort, we welcome that too.”
The President continued: “This government is open; we’re not perfect, we’ve made some mistakes, no doubt about it but, by and large, our commitment to do the right thing is there. The political will is there; our institutions are weak, our capacity underdeveloped, so sometimes we don’t achieve the targets we set. But our aim is to do for the country the best we can, and to leave it better off than we found it.”
Source:
Executive Mansion
Washington, D.C. - The Regional Director for Africa of the United States Peace Corps, Mr. Dick Day, has disclosed that 20 more Peace Corps volunteers are expected to join the group of 40 already assigned in Liberia in June 2011.
Source:
allafrica.com
The European Union is preparing targetted sanctions against Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo, and plans to give its backing to the rival administration of Alassane Ouattara.
Source: allafrica.com
Abuja — The United States of America (USA) weekend called on President Laurent Gbagbo to act like a statesman and hand over power and authority to Alassane Ouattara, who on November 28 won the second round of Côte d'Ivoire's presidential election.
Source: BBC News
Ivory Coast: Alassane Ouattara's Abidjan HQ surrounded Ivory Coast troops have surrounded a hotel in the capital Abidjan housing Alassane Ouattara, the UN-backed winner of disputed presidential elections.
 |
Laurent Gbagbo (left)
Age: 65
Southerner, Christian
Former history teacher, president since 2000
Declared president by Constitutional Council
Backed by security forces
Alassane Ouattara (right) Age: 68
Northerner, Muslim
Economist and former prime minister
Declared winner by Election Commission
Backed by former rebels, UN, African leaders and the West
|
Source:
BBC News
The man widely recognised as winner of Ivory Coast's disputed presidential poll has said incumbent Laurent Gbagbo must concede power to allow for talks.
A spokesman for Alassane Ouattara said he did not oppose dialogue but no talks could take place until he was recognised as president by everyone.
The African Union has suspended Ivory Coast while Mr Gbagbo stays in office.
The election was intended to reunite the world's largest cocoa producer after a civil war in 2002.
Ivory Coast's electoral commission has declared that Mr Ouattara won the 28 November run-off election by 54.1% to 45.9%.
But the political stalemate shows no sign of ending soon, the BBC's John James reports.
Mr Ouattara has appointed a new prime minister, ex-rebel Guillaume Soro, and has said he will start work in his official office next week. But the building is still under the control of Mr Gbagbo.
- Nat Nyuan Bayjay
Source: Frontpage Africa
Monrovia-
 |
| Mulbah Morlu |
The man who once claimed he had a seven minute conversation with U.S. President Barack Obama during the President’s 2009 meeting in Accra, Ghana, is apparently entangled in another controversy gone terribly wrong.A purported text message suggesting that the ruling Unity Party pledged $25,000 to the controversial Mulbah Morlu to win Morlu’s endorsement of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has apparently backfired with both Morlu and the Minister of Transport trading accusations. What actually transpired between the pair remains a mystery.
- By David B. Kolleh
Source: Frontpage Africa
Monrovia -
The appearance of the signatures of Finance Minister Augustine K. Ngafuan and Central Bank Governor Dr. Mills Jones have caused national uproar among ordinary citizens and political actors arguing that the two top financial officials of Liberia are acting without any color of respect for the rule of law.
Written By: Bernard Gbayee Goah
By Charles W. Corey
Staff Writer
Source: America.gov
Washington — The United States wants the era of bad elections in Africa to end and calls on President Laurent Gbagbo to act like a statesman and hand over power and authority to Alassane Ouattara, who on November 28 won the second round of Côte d’Ivoire’s presidential election.
Source: allAfrica.com
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), is expected today to officially turn over to the National Elections Commissions, voter registration kits and other materials for the impending voter registration exercise slated to run from January 10 to February 6, 2010.
Source:
allAfrica.com
Some 2,000 people, mostly women and children, from Côte d'Ivoire have entered neighbouring Liberia and Guinea amid the political deadlock precipitated by the dispute over the results of the Ivorian presidential elections, the United Nations refugee agency said today.
Source:
allAfrica.com
A women advocacy group under the banner “Women against Human Trafficking (WAHT), has revealed that prostitution is on the increase in Monrovia and its surroundings, and is calling on government and her international partners to urgently address in order to stop the spread of the deadly disease.
By Nat Bayjay, & M. Welemongai Ciapha II
Source: FrontPage Africa
Monrovia -
On a day Liberia and the rest of the world observed International Anti-Corruption Day, an obviously fed-up United States Ambassador to Liberia urged Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to name, shame and jail corrupt officials while veteran journalist Kenneth Y. Best spoke truth to power when he bluntly told the President that she needs to be bold in dismissing corrupt officials other than hiding under the disguise of ‘Administrative Leave’ and re-shuffles in her cabinet.
 |
US Ambassador Linda
Thomas Greenfield |
US Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield, making remarks Wednesday during program marking International Anti-Corruption Day, turned to President Sirleaf and noted: “Let’s name them and shame them …….put them in jail.”
In observance of Anti Corruption Day, the US Ambassador to Libeira's statements pointed to lapses in the government’s ongoing battle against corruption in which the Unity Party (UP)-led government struggles to minimize the fight against a virus that was highlighted in its First Partisan’s inaugural address when she was inaugurated as the country’s 23rd president almost five years ago.
The theft of voter registration kit raises questions about security at Nigeria's main international airport
Source:
BBC
Armed robber?
Two presidents, one crisis
The African Union has suspended Ivory Coast, following a disputed presidential election in the West African nation.
AU official Ramtane Lamamra said Ivory Coast would remain suspended until opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara "takes over" from Laurent Gbagbo.
Source: - FPA STAFF REPORT
Monrovia -
Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is listed among several world leaders to whom U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton placed phone calls to in the aftermath of the release of secret diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks.
Source:
Associated Press
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast – The noose of international pressure tightened further around Laurent Gbagbo as the top U.N. official in Ivory Coast said Gbagbo's challenger had won the presidential election by an "irrefutable margin" and the Security Council warned it would not shy from imposing sanctions.
Gbagbo has shut himself off from the international community, defying French President Nicolas Sarkozy who called to urge him to step down and refusing to take a telephone call over the weekend from U.S. President Barack Obama.
Source:
allafrica.com
Johannesburg — The South African government has urged President Laurent Gbagbo to respect and abide by declarations regional bodies have issued with regard to the second round of elections in Côte d'Ivoire, the international relations department said on Wednesday.
Source:
allafrica.com
President Laurent Gbagbo of Cote d'Ivoire rebuffed an offer by the United States to save face and become a respected elder statesman of Africa, choosing instead a "path to isolation" by clinging to power, according to senior U.S. officials who spoke by telephone to AllAfrica.
Source:
Associated Press
 |
– A supporters of Ivory Coast
opposition leader
Alassane Ouattara
react by throwing
maize on a fire in … |
By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI, Associated Press Rukmini Callimachi, Associated Press – 1 hr 24 mins ago
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast – The top U.N. envoy in Ivory Coast told the Security Council on Tuesday that there was "only one winner" of the recent presidential election — and it's not the incumbent Laurent Gbagbo.
By
Rodney D. Sieh
Source: FrontPage Africa
 |
| THOMAS YAH-YAH NIMLEY |
“I think the President needs to be talking with ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States); talking with AU (African Union) to have a voice about this situation that is happening in La Cote d’Ivoire because at the final day, it is going to affect her as a president. Now, warning me or warning former warlords, how would that help her? It’s been five years after the fight today, it is not even five years, we’re talking about since 2003 that the war has ended.”
THOMAS YAH-YAH NIMLEY, FORMER LEADER, MODEL
‘Stay Out of Ivorian Conflict’: Ellen Warns Ex-Liberian Warlords Amid Contact Claims
Source: FPA STAFF/NEWS SERVICE REPORT
CALL FOR RESTRAINTS: Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, current Chairperson of the Mano River Union is appealing to all Ivorian parties to exercise restraint and give mediation a chance for peaceful resolution of the crisis that will preserve the unity and territorial integrity of the Ivorian Nation.
Monrovia –
The President of the Republic of Liberia, Her Excellency Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has issued a stern warning to Liberians to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of the Ivory Coast. This comes on the heels of reports that certain individuals and former warlords have been contacted “unofficially” to intervene.
Minor protests have continued on the streets of Abidjan Continue reading the main story
The UN is moving non-essential staff out of Ivory Coast, following the state's disputed presidential election.
Some 460 staff would continue to carry out their duties from the Gambia, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said.
BBC
 |
Mr. Bernard Gbayee Goah
|
Crimes sponsored, committed, or masterminded by handful of individuals cannot be visited upon an entire nationality... In this case, Liberians!
The need for post-war justice is a step toward lasting peace, stability and prosperity for Liberia.
Liberia needs a war crimes tribunal or some credible legal forum that is capable of dealing with atrocities perpetrated against defenseless men, women and children during the country's brutal war.
Without justice, peace shall remain elusive and investment in Liberia will not produce the intended results.
By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI,
Associated Press
 |
– Young men hold hands
as they stand in front
of a street fire set
by supporters of
opposition candidate … |
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast – United Nations peacekeepers laid sandbags and rolled out miles of razor wire Monday to protect the aging hotel that has become the de facto presidency of the man who most of the world says won Ivory Coast's presidential election.
A U.N. tank also took position on one side of the lagoon-facing hotel and armored personnel carriers were strategically guarding the parking lot as Alassane Ouattara held his first cabinet meeting inside a hotel room. Across town in the real presidential palace, incumbent Laurent Gbagbo continued to defy calls from the United States, France and the European Union to step down.
Source: The Liberian Journal
 |
William G. Nyanue
|
Not long after Cllr. Gongloe published his reaction to President Johnson-Sirleaf’s decision to send her entire cabinet but one on "Administrative Leave”, a friend of mine asked what I thought about the Cllr.’s reaction. I told my friend that I thought Cllr. Gongloe had performed a true national service. I told him that I thought his statement addressed several issues that are critical for the development and nurturing of our fledgling democracy, but two caught my eye and I thought he addressed those two issues clearly, forcefully and transparently. His handling of those two issues, I thought, was exemplary and is the subject of this article.
Minor protests have continued on the streets of Abidjan
 |
| Minor protests have continued on the streets of Abidjan |
Ivory Coast must resolve its political crisis soon or face being frozen out of aid deals, say international lenders.
Source: TQ Harris For President
TQ HARRIS VISION FOR THE NEW LIBERIA
- S. Tarkpo Gaye, FPA STAFF WRITER; Nat BayjaySource: FrontPage Africa
Lugautou, Nimba County-
Fearing reprisal from looming retaliatory maltreatment from loyalists of disputed Ivorian leader Laurent Gbagbo, over 300 Ivorian refugees have crossed into Liberia owing to ongoing growing post-electoral tension in that neighboring country.
Source:
BBC News
The BBC's John James in Abidjan says the situation remains unstable
Ivory Coast is in a major political crisis, after rival presidential candidates swore themselves in.
The incumbent Laurent Gbagbo took the oath to serve a new term, but within hours Alassane Ouattara also laid claim to the presidency.
The US, UN and France say last Sunday's run-off poll was won by Mr Ouattara.
Monrovia -
- FPA STAFF/NEWS SERVICE REPORTSource: Frontpage Africa
The United Nations have debunked reports unearthed in the controversial Wikileaks suggesting that the Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon inadvertently converted and misused unused frequent flyer miles.
- Stephen Byron Tarr, byrontarr@hotmail.com
Source: FrontPage Africa
An Open Letter To The International Contact Group On Liberia
Recently, local newspapers reported the baseless prediction, allegedly by the chairman of the National Elections Commission (NEC), that 2.9 million of Liberia’s 2008 population of 3.5 million (82%) will vote n the 2011 general and presidential elections. Granted, with the population growing at the unhealthy 2.8% rate annually, the 2011population will far exceed 3.5 million. [A 2.8% annual growth rate is unhealthy because at that growth rate, the population will double in fewer than forty years. Given the unemployment rate at present, Liberians are unlikely to make poverty history under those conditions. But then perhaps I am wrong, since the Government’s statistician told the Cabinet Retreat in Buchanan that only 3% of the population is unemployed.] Be that as it may, since publication of Chairman Fromayan’s prediction that 82% of the 2008 population would be eligible to vote, neither the Commission nor Mr. Fromayan has denied it.
But The US, UN and France say the election was won by Mr Gbagbo's rival - opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara.
BBC News
 |
| Laurent Gbagbo |
Laurent Gbagbo denounced foreign "interference" in Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo has been sworn in for a new term, defying an international outcry over last Sunday's run-off poll.
The US, UN and France say the election was won by Mr Gbagbo's rival - opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara.
He was declared the winner by the nation's electoral body, but this was overturned by the Constitutional Council in favour of Mr Gbagbo.
Source: Associated Press
 |
Supporters of Ivory Coast
opposition leader
Alassane Ouattara
protest in the city of
Abidjan, Ivory Coast, |
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast – President Laurent Gbagbo was sworn in for a new term Saturday even though the United Nations and world leaders maintain his opponent won the disputed election, which was the West African nation's first since a civil war.
In a bold sign Gbagbo would not bow to international pressure to concede defeat, he wrapped himself in the Ivorian flag as he took his oath at the presidential palace.
Source: allAfrica News
- Teresa Wiltz
Monrovia — I’m zipping around Liberia in a turbo-charged tour of the West African country, ricocheting from public hospital to presidential digs to rubber plantation to rape clinic, taking it all in: the shell of a skyscraper where snipers once picked off their prey; the sewage-clogged beach; the exuberant billboards of “Mama Ellen”--that would be the president--reminding folks that everyone is connected, all one, and oh yes, don’t forget to pay your taxes. In many ways, Liberia reminds me of Afghanistan circa 2002: war-weary country trying to right itself; bombed-out infrastructure; squabbling ethnic groups; battered women asserting themselves; warlords insisting that they’ve had a change of heart.
By MARCO CHOWN OVED, Associated Press
 |
AP – Supporters of opposition leader
Alassane Ouattara
burn tires in protest
following the results of the |
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast – Ivory Coast's political crisis deepened Friday as the constitutional council declared incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo the winner of the disputed election, reversing the outcome backed by independent observers and raising fears of violence.
The new results released on national television by a Gbagbo loyalist came as foreign TV and radio were taken off the air, blocking the earlier announcement by the country's election czar. Those results — which were considered credible by the African Union, the United Nations and the White House — gave opposition leader Alassane Ouattara 54.1 percent of the vote, compared to 45.9 percent for Gbagbo.
- Mariama Coker
Source: allAfrica.com
Monrovia — Legal luminaries in the oil and gas sector from three West African countries (Mali, Sierra Leone and Liberia) recently converged in Monrovia, Liberia for a three-day seminar on petroleum exploration in Africa.
GAC Press Release
Source: The Heritage Liberia
 |
| AG Morlu |
Lamentations and volleys of dissent from auditees over audit reports released by the General Auditing Commission should not be understood as a weakness but rather as indicators of great achievement by the General Auditing Commission (GAC). A Zambian topnotch auditor seconded to the GAC by the European Union, Mr. Ron M. Mwambwa, says the misunderstanding between the GAC and its auditees following the release of audit reports is a good sign that the GAC is on course with its anti-corruption crusade.
Mr. Mwambwa made the comments in an interview with GAC Today. “In the past few years that I have been at the GAC, I have seen some misunderstandings between the GAC and the Auditees, especially after an audit,” he said. “This, in my view should be seen as a positive sign and can be attributed to the fact that the GAC has become a strong institution and its work is being recognized by Liberians.”
By MARCO CHOWN OVED, Associated Press
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast – The outcome of Ivory Coast's first presidential election in a decade remained in serious doubt Friday, with the constitutional council saying it would release its own results after the electoral commission declared the opposition leader the winner.
BBC
Alpha Conde confirmed Guinea presidential poll winner Guinea's Supreme Court has confirmed opposition leader Alpha Conde as the winner of last month's presidential run-off election.
BBC
The electoral commission said Mr Ouattara had won 54% of the vote
The Ivorian military has sealed the country's borders and cut international media as tensions rise over the outcome of the presidential election run-off.
It comes after the Constitutional Court rejected a declaration by the electoral commission that opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara had won.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, RL
Source: FPA
RETIREMENT DAY: Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, J. Levi Demmah congratulates Ambassador-at-Large Carlton Carpeh. Demmah expressed gratitude and praised the retirees for their long and distinguished services rendered the Liberian Government and People which will forever be remembered.
Monrovia - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has honorably retired four of its senior employees following long years of distinguished and dutiful public service rendered the Government and People of Liberia.
According to a Foreign Ministry release, the honorees were retired and presented retirement packages by the Liberian Government through the Ministry of Finance and Civil Service Agency (CSA), in line with its regulations. Those retired include Senior Ambassador-At-Large, Ambassador Carlton Karpeh; Ambassadors-At-Large, J. Charles Hansford and Trohoe Kparghai; and Inspector-General, Francis B.S. Johnson.
By MARCO CHOWN OVED, Associated Press
 |
| Mr. Ouattara |
Election commission chief Youssouf Bakayoko said Ouattara had won with 54.1 percent of the vote, compared to 45.9 percent for incumbent Laurent Gbagbo after days of backroom wrangling during which the ruling party had physically prevented other commission members from announcing the outcome of the vote. Bakayoko left the commission's headquarters unannounced and slipped into the fancy Gulf Hotel, where he made the announcement.
Source:
BBC News
 |
Mr. Ouattara
|
The election commission said Alassane Ouattara had won 54% of the vote
Ivory Coast's electoral commission has said
opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara
has won the presidential run-off
but the Constitutional Council has
contested the announcement.
The BBC's John James in the main city Abidjan says there will now be a tug of war between the two bodies with the outcome unclear.
Yahoo News
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast – A senior advisor to Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo has described the announcement of results by the country's electoral commission showing a victory for the opposition as "an attempted coup."
Heritage Liberia
Credible sources within officialdom hinted to the Heritage newspaper in Monrovia yesterday that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s son, Mr. Robert Sirleaf, has been quietly appointed to the National Oil Company Board, removing one Oswald Tweh, whose appointment to the company is said to have been engineered by the now dismissed Morris Saytumah.
Heritage Liberia
Philadelphia police have arrested five Liberian men accused of running a phony moneymaking swindle.
Investigators say undercover cops conned the men after getting a tip from a West Philadelphia business owner who had been approached by the five Liberians with an alleged offer to trade $50,000 for $100,000 in so-called “black currency.”
Police spokesman Ray Evers says the scammers attempt to convince the victim that the US currency has been smuggled into the country by soaking it in black ink.
Source: allAfrica.com
All six panelists at the Liberian media Initiative (LMI) outdoor interactive forum, DUCOR DEBATES, have all spoken of the possibility of holding Liberia's next national elections and referendum in 2011.
Source: allAfrica
THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES of the opposition Liberia Party (LP) and Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) issued two separate resolutions last Sunday committing their parties to further merger/consolidation talks. The resolutions, amongst other things, ordered the leaderships of the two parties to set up, each, a committee to hold talks with the other on the way forward. The resolutions gave the committees specific mandates to negotiate the terms and conditions for consolidating/merging the two parties and to draft a plan of consolidation/merger of the two parties. The committees are expected to report to their principals for formal decision on merger or coalition.
Source:
Allafrica
A blissful Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan could only say a big thank you and commit Liberia to rigorous financial management after US Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield yesterday announced that her country has totally forgiven its remaining debt against Liberia.
"Today, the United States cancels nearly $30 million in remaining debt owed to various U.S. government agencies," Ambassador Greenfield stated during a signing ceremony at the Ministry of Finance in Monrovia.
BBC News
It is not clear who was behind the attack on the RDR office
An office of Ivory Coast opposition leader Alassane Ouattara has been attacked in the main city Abidjan, with at least four people killed.
By MARCO CHOWN OVED,
Associated Press
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast – Gunmen attacked an office of presidential candidate Alassane Ouattara, killing four people, authorities said Thursday as Ivory Coast tensely waited for election results whose release was blocked by the president's followers.
Source: FrontPage Africa
- Nat Nyuan Bayjay
Monrovia -
On the day that her immediate boss US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was being asked by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to resign from the State Department in the aftermath of the US-WikiLeaks’ increased tension, the United States’ Envoy accredited near Monrovia has told FrontPageAfrica that there is nothing ‘thus far’ in the US’ classified report from Liberia.
- John Gboko Stewart, FPA STAFF WRITER
Source: FrontPage Africa
Monrovia -
 |
| Dr. George S. Boley, Sr |
 |
| Dr. George S. Boley, Sr left |
George S. Boley, Jr (son of Dr. George S. Boley, Sr.) has purportedly written U.S. President Barack Obama a letter (which is in the possession of FPA) asking him (Obama) to launch an investigation and inquiry into his dad’s ‘illegal’ immigration arrest.
According to the TRC report, Dr. Boley headed a faction known as the Liberia Peace Council, or LPC, during the civil war, a struggle that stretched from 1989 to 2003 and claimed more than 200,000 lives. He has maintained that his sole intent was peace, and that he did not oversee or engage in violence against civilians.
- Rodney D. Sieh
Source: FrontPage Africa
Saye Zubah has been unable to pay his employees for some three months now. The daily water production at his Mama Liberia Safe Drinking Water plant in Sinkor is piling up. Most days, the striving businessman is lucky to sell five sachets of water. With many mouths to feed, Mr. Zubah is nearing boiling point, the edge of uncertainty where he’ll soon have to decide whether to stay in business or call it a day. Pretty soon Mr. Zubah would be forced to send his workers home, unable to have them continue working without pay.
These days Pam Taylor, owner of the Kpatawee Fresh Water located in Congo Town, has to rely on occasional contracts from loyal companies to make ends meet and pay a skeleton staff at her fading business, unable to withstand the “unfair” advantage thrown the way of foreign competition.
Source: FPA EDITORIAL
The government of Liberia must start giving striving local businesses the same tax waivers and import duty free breaks it gives foreign companies and ensure that businesses set aside for Liberians are protected from infiltration by foreign firms.
Source:
BBC
 |
| Damana Adia Pickass |
A supporter of Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo has prevented the electoral commission from releasing the first results from Sunday's run-off.
Damana Adia Pickass, who represents the president in the commission, tore up the results as the body's spokesman was on the verge of announcing them to awaiting journalists.
Wednesday is the legal deadline for the election results to be declared.
The election is supposed to reunify the country divided since a 2002 civil war.
By Emmanuel Abalo and International Wire Reports from Nairobi, Kenya
Source:
Running africa
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| Dr. Amos Claudius Sawyer |
Former Chairman of the Liberian Interim Government of National Unity(IGNU) between 1990 – 1994) Dr. Amos Claudius Sawyer is among several eminent persons named to a team of experts charged with conducting a fact finding review mission to Kenya.
The former Liberian leader and political scientist will serve as the lead person of the team of experts which will be conducting the fact finding mission known as Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).
This review will run from November 29th – December 1st in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.
Source:
Heritage Liberia
The Price of Liberia’s staple, rice, has increased on the local market. At some shopping centers in Monrovia and its environs, a bag of Chinese round grain rice (butter rice) is being marketed for US$ 25.00 contrary to the Government of Liberia’s approved price, which stands at US$21.00. This arbitrary increase in the price of the nation’s staple, according to a random survey conducted by this paper, is causing serious problem not only for the ordinary people, but even those in officialdom.
Source: Heritage Liberia
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| Ellen Johnson Sirleaf |
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| George Borley |
Credible report gathered by the Independent Authoritative Heritage Newspaper says President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has begun diplomatic inquiry into circumstances that resulted to the detention of former Liberia Peace Council (LPC) rebel leader Mr. George Borley in the United States.
Mr. Boley, a prominent son of Grand Gedeh County, is currently in detention in the US over reported immigration charges.
Source:FrontPage Africa
- FPA STAFF/NEWS SERVICE REPORT
Monrovia -
A secret diplomatic cable causing shockwaves around the world, sent to American diplomatic missions in the name of Secretary of State Hilary Clinton apparently sought personal details about Liberia, according to a document, described by the controversial whistleblower website, WikiLeaks. The revelations by the controversial investigative online journal, has unraveled what some are describing as a new window on U.S. diplomacy in Africa. The documents were first released on November 28, when Wikileaks published previously secret diplomatic cables.
Source:
Topix Local News Liberia
Washington, DC — Amara Konneh recently returned to his post as Liberia's minister of planning and economic affairs and a member of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's economic management team, following a brief interruption in early November when the president sent her entire Cabinet on administrative leave. When Konneh was a young man, he fled Liberia after much of his family was killed during the civil war in 1990. He joined his sister in Guinea, where he started a school for refugees and eventually gained asylum to enter the United States. He earned a bachelor's degree from Drexel University and a graduate degree in Management Information Systems from Penn State University. He worked for a decade for the Vanguard investment group before playing a key role in Johnson Sirleaf's come-from-behind 2006 campaign.
Source: FrontPage Africa
- Nat Nyuan Bayjay
- Monrovia Liberia
JENKINS SCOTT IS DEAD, BURIED: News of his death Friday, soon spread quickly to family members and friends as well as sympathizers who were probably expecting to get such news concerning his demise due to his poor state of being prior to his death.
The Gurley Street Mosque in Central Monrovia was filled to the brim as dozens gathered to witness the impromptu funeral of another powerful man whose notoriety during the erstwhile People’s Redemption Council (PRC) of Liberia’s military junta remained up to his death.
Bird Life
The governments of Liberia and Sierra Leone have started the formal processes of designating the Gola Rainforest as a shared National Park and Protected Area.
- Nat Nyuan Bayjay
Source: FrontPage Africa
Monrovia -
A day after Roosevelt Jayjay was appointed Minister at the Ministry of Lands, Mines & Energy by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, members of the Grand Bassa County Legislative caucus have come out in support and defense of the man, initially offered the post, Dr. Byron Tarr.
allAfrica.com
The Security Council today authorized the sending of extra United Nations peacekeepers to Côte d'Ivoire ahead of the presidential run-off election scheduled for Sunday and urged everyone in the West African nation to ensure a peaceful poll.
Peter N. Toby
Source:
allafrica.com
A resident of Gbee Town near Brewerville, Momo Musa (40) has been charged with murder and detained at the Monrovia Central Prison pending court trial , police sources confirmed here.
- FPA STAFF REPORT
Monrovia – The Executive Mansion in Liberia late Wednesday announced several more appointments in government as President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf continues to reconfigure her Cabinet in the aftermath of her decision to send all but one of her Cabinet members on Administrative leave recently.
Written by Matthias Daffah
Source: Star Radio Liberia
The Commissioner of Zogolemai Township in Voinjama District, Lofa County says there’s a need for additional security forces to be assigned in the township.
Commissioner Peter Paywala said security personnel are needed in the area to cope with the influx of aliens and increased criminal activities.
The Liberia News Agency says Mr. Paywala expressed concern about the flow of aliens in the township especially at a time when voter registration was drawing near.
According to Commissioner Paywala, the aliens are crossing over mainly from neighboring Guinea and settling in the Quadou Bondi area.
The Zogolemai Township commissioner has meanwhile called on the NEC and the national security sector to be vigilant as the country prepares for elections.
Written by Robert J. Clarke, Jr.
Source:
Star Radio Liberia
Liberia and the European Union have signed an additional twelve point five million Euro grant as direct budgetary support to the country.
JEFF GRAY — LAW REPORTER
The Globe And Mail News
Increase text size In February of 2007, Bay Street lawyer Jim Dube’s plane touched down outside Monrovia, the devastated capital of Liberia. As part of an international pro-bono project, he was determined to help the new government – run by Africa’s first female head of state, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – to rebuild the rule of law.
Source:
Liberiawebs
In Liberia, a female presidential hopeful told VOA the Foreign Ministry is denying her constitutional right to register a political party so that she can contest next year’s presidential election.
Minister Gongloe Rejects Shift
Source:
allAfrica
Former Labour Minister Tiawan Gongloe has rejected President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's offer of Minister of Post & Telecommunication, according to well-placed sources.
The President's office, contacted, confirmed that discussions were held with Mr. Gongloe with the President opting to retain him in the cabinet but with a change of Ministries.
Presidential Press Secretary Cyrus Badio said despite Mr. Gongloe's recent open disagreement with the President, she finds him a suitable character and wished to retain him.
Sources close to the Executive Mansion told this paper Tuesday that talks between the former Minister and the President have failed to resolve the issue.
Sources said the President wants Cllr. Gongloe back in cabinet but not in the same position, although there were no hints as to why he has been removed from Labour.
It can be recalled that Mr. Gongloe has hiked aliens work permit fees since he became Labour Minister, thus pitting powerful Lebanese and Indians against him.
Reacting to the mass cabinet dismissal, Mr. Gongloe issued a 12-page statement disagreeing with the President and declaring that her action pointed towards autocracy, imperial presidency and dictatorship. But he did not reign amidst reports that the President was contemplating retaining him.
Sources:
America.gov and
allAfrica.com
On November 22 the Department of State released a $4.5 million grant for FY2011 to the Special Court of Sierra Leone.
This grant demonstrates the U.S. commitment to ensuring that those most responsible for the atrocities committed during the war in Sierra Leone are brought to justice. This grant was expedited due to the financial crisis the Court is currently facing.
Written by Robert J. Clarke, Jr.
Source: Star Radio Liberia
The Health and Social Welfare Ministry has reported the alleged refusal of foreign nationals in the country to allow their children take the polio vaccine.
Everyone is a genius
Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. – A Einstein
Drawing the line in Liberia
Crimes sponsored, committed, or masterminded by handful of individuals cannot be blamed upon an entire nationality. In this case, Liberians! The need for post-war justice is a step toward lasting peace, stability and prosperity for Liberia. Liberia needs a war crimes tribunal or some credible legal forum that is capable of dealing with atrocities perpetrated against defenseless men, women and children during the country's brutal war. Without justice, peace shall remain elusive and investment in Liberia will not produce the intended results. - Bernard Gbayee Goah
Men with unhealthy characters should not champion any noble cause
They pretend to advocate the cause of the people when their deeds in the dark mirror nothing else but EVIL!!
When evil and corrupt men try to champion a cause that is so noble … such cause, how noble it may be, becomes meaningless in the eyes of the people - Bernard Gbayee Goah.
If Liberia must move forward ...
If Liberia must move forward in order to claim its place as a civilized nation amongst world community of nations, come 2017 elections, Liberians must critically review the events of the past with honesty and objectivity. They must make a new commitment to seek lasting solutions. The track records of those who are presenting themselves as candidates for the position of "President of the Republic of Liberia" must be well examined. Liberians must be fair to themselves because results from the 2011 elections will determine the future of Liberia’s unborn generations to come - Bernard Gbayee Goah
What do I think should be done?
The situation in Liberia is Compound Complex and cannot be fixed unless the entire system of government is reinvented.
Liberia needs a workable but uncompromising system that will make the country an asylum free from abuse, and other forms of corruption.
Any attempt to institute the system mentioned above in the absence of rule of law is meaningless, and more detrimental to Liberia as a whole - Bernard Gbayee Goah
Liberia's Natural Resources
Besides land water and few other resources, most of Liberia’s dependable natural resources are not infinite, they are finite and therefore can be depleted.
Liberia’s gold, diamond, and other natural resources will not always be an available source of revenue generation for its people and its government. The need to invent a system in government that focuses on an alternative income generation method cannot be over emphasized at this point - Bernard Gbayee Goah
Liberia needs a proper system
If Liberians refuse to erect a proper system in place that promotes the minimization of corruption and mismanagement of public funds by government institutions, and individuals, there will come a time when the value of the entire country will be seen as a large valueless land suited on the west coast of Africa with some polluted bodies of waters and nothing else. To have no system in place in any country is to have no respect for rule of law. To have no respect for rule of law is to believe in lawlessness. And where there is lawlessness, there is always corruption - Bernard Gbayee Goah
Solving problems in the absence of war talks
As political instability continues to increase in Africa, it has become abundantly clear that military intervention as a primary remedy to peace is not a durable solution. Such intervention only increases insecurity and massive economic hardship. An existing example which could be a valuable lesson for Liberia is Great Britain, and the US war on terror for the purpose of global security. The use of arms whether in peace keeping, occupation, or invasion as a primary means of solving problem has yield only little results. Military intervention by any country as the only solution to problem solving will result into massive military spending, economic hardship, more fear, and animosity as well as increase insecurity. The alternative is learning how to solve problems in the absence of war talks. The objective of such alternative must be to provide real sustainable human security which cannot be achieved through military arm intervention, or aggression. In order to achieve results that will make the peaceful coexistence of all mankind possible, there must be a common ground for the stories of all sides to be heard. I believe there are always three sides to every story: Their side of the story, Our side of the story, and The truth – Bernard Gbayee Goah
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