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LURD Chairman Speaks From Senegal

The Analyst (Monrovia)
NEWS
June 9, 2004
Posted to the web June 9, 2004

By George J. Borteh

Barely seven days after the military command of the Liberians United for
Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) announced the indefinite suspension of
their Chairman, Sekou Damate Conneh, the man who was reportedly suspended has
been speaking to journalists downplaying the suspension and terming it as a
"joke".
Mr. Conneh, speaking from Dakar, Senegal, where he is presently residing, said
his suspension cannot hold and that as far as he is concerned, he is still the
Chairman of the organization.
Mr. Conneh described those who called themselves Military High Command as
"rebels and bandits" trying to undermine the on-going peace process in the
country.
Speaking to reporters through telephone yesterday, Mr. Conneh termed the action
of the military high command as a joke, and threatened to deal severely with
those who are behind the plot.
When asked as to what extent he was going to deal with the alleged plotters,
Mr. Conneh did not say, but he named Justice Minister Kabineh Ja'neh and Soko
Sackor as prime instigators of the move to replace him. "They must be brought
to justice," Mr. Conneh said.
Although he is accusing Mr. Ja'neh and Soko V. Sackor, they were not present at
the meeting of LURD generals and frontline commanders held at the residence of
LURD's Deputy Chief of Staff Oforie Diah.
Speaking further, the LURD Chairman accused some of his antagonists in the
rebel group of allegedly looting his residence in Conakry, Guinea, during which
he claimed to have lost the staggering amount of US$2 million.
The LURD Chairman said that LURD is yet to be disarmed, and that there was no
need to struggle for power in LURD because, with some 60% fighters of LURD
disarmed, there would be no more LURD by the time full disarmament takes place.
Mr. Conneh warned that those who want power should patiently wait for the 2005
general and presidential elections.
In a related development, the Secretary General of LURD Joe Gbala has dismissed
as useless, Monday announcement by some executives of the group that Sekou
Conneh has been suspended.
Mr. Gbala, who is Managing Director in the power sharing government, said those
pressing the removal of the Finance Minister were doing so because the Finance
Minister was not prepared to do "business as usual" and plunder the national
treasury.
It can be recalled that the military high command of LURD involving "generals"
and frontline commanders, announced the suspension of the Chairman of the
organization, Mr. Conneh.
The LURD military high command and frontline commanders said they took the
decision because the LURD Chairman Conneh has played somewhat hypocritical role
saying that he had signed a statement replacing Finance Minister Lusenee Kamara
with Mr. Soko V. sackor only to deny later that he not had signed.

   

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