[allAfrica.com] [Bishop_John_T._Walker_Memorial_Dinner_November_5] An Unmistakable Telltale Sign The Analyst (Monrovia) EDITORIAL November 1, 2004 Posted to the web November 1, 2004 Monrovia ON THE AFTERNOON of Thursday last week, the Monrovia suburbs of Paynesville, Jacob Town, Gardnersville, and Barnesville were submerged in a sort of communal violence unknown to Monrovians since the war between the settlers and the Bassas, Deys and other tribes in the 1800's. Stone throwing and iron and flame brandishing youths went amok, damaging properties and burning down churches, mosques, and even residential houses. The attacks continued overnight and by Sunday, several properties lay in ruins as more and more communities remained tense and on the verge of explosion. The homes of prominent NTGL officials including those of the Minister of Justice and Transportation were also razed to the ground by flames. IN SPITE OF the combined over-exerted efforts of UNMIL, UNCIVPOL, and the Liberia National Police, the violence continued up to press time last night. There are a number of interpretations regarding what is going on. While some believe it is religious war between the Christians and Muslim, others are of the conviction that it is all about hooligans and criminals using an isolated situation to loot and plunder. From the character of the violence neither of these is far from the truth, but we call for a bit of caution here for none is absolutely the truth of what is happening. It is not an either or, or both situation. It is a situation that requires careful investigation to pinpoint the root cause or causes of what is obtaining and bring charges against the perpetrators. FROM INFORMATION available to us, what is happening is bigger than simply a commotion for looting or a war of clashing beliefs because we are yet to hear Christian or Muslim cleric issuing an edict for defense or offense. There is no question that it is because of the deep roots of the commotion that the combined over-exerted efforts of UNMIL, UNCIVPOL, and the Liberia National Police to bring the situation under control have so far paid little dividend. The truth is those on the streets are mainly marauding mobs that comprise hooligans and agents provocateur of failed sectarian and tribalist elements who believe they can make a comeback in society on the crest of religious sentiments, on the blood of the poor masses of our people, and at the expense of peace in Liberia and the ECOWAS subregion. THESE PEOPLE MUST be sought out and prosecuted along with all they stand for if this nation must move from transition to a stable society. This has to happen now because those involved in the plot against the Liberian people seemed determined to project themselves as the patriarchs and heralds of religious renaissance in Liberia when the fact and their true intention is that they want to protect their shady deeds and ill-gotten wealth. There is a telltale sign on the wall that unless that happens, until these individuals are exposed and prosecuted, Liberia will know no rest. IT IS IN this regards that we are calling on UNMIL and all paramilitary authorities responsible for security in Liberia to see the disruption and death in our communities as the work of devilish individuals trying to project their own images to proof that Liberia is still fragile despite the presence of the United Nations peacekeeping forces. If it ever did, it should refrain from seeing the unraveling security situation as a religious war, for no Christian or Muslim of substance wants to fight for religion. They must rather see it as efforts by individuals taking advantage of the incomplete disarmament process in Monrovia to promote their long-held vision and hold the rest of the country in the throes of communal violence. UNMIL must therefore see the violence as the kickback of the disarmament process and move immediately to commence the cordon and search process. We call also on the NTGL to remain resolute in quelling the violence by launching an immediate investigation into the root cause of the violence. Nothing should be done to let this thing end on the let- forget-it-for-the-sake-of-peace bases. WE CONGRATULATE THE Inter-Faith Mediation Commission (IFMC) and other opinion leaders for their media statements aimed at reducing tension, but we want them to do more than that. We prevail on the IFMC, the Liberia Council of Churches (LCC), the Liberia Islamic Council, and all other religious groups of substance to move swiftly to defeat the machinations of a few disgruntled Liberians. There is no question that most of those we call hooligans or mobs or even schemers belong to the mosque or church. This is why we have no doubt that acting together they can help the security forces to bring to this situation to a stop. WE ARE LOOKING forward to such consorted efforts. MEMO WE TOLD YOU Your Excellency: Once again, our communities are in flames. From Bushrod Island to Paynesville through New Georgia, Barnesville, Gardnersville, Jacob Town, and 72nd, and from ELWA Junction to Greater Monrovia through Congo Town, and Sinkor, hooligans have taken over and are determined to plunged the country once again into war. Already, according to projections from NGOs and our own counting, dozens of Liberians have lost their lives while hundreds more sustained injuries and several thousands of dollars' worth of property damaged as the direct result of the violence. Sir, we heard you say that what is happening is the work of hooligans and destructive elements who do not want to see peace return to Liberia and we heard you also ordering the peacekeepers to apply the military "rule of engagement" to bring the situation under control. We heard you lamenting the situation and wishing that Heaven could immediately send down a solution. But it didn't, for, God probably couldn't. Even the tough-talking Jacques Paul Klein bellowed and ordered UNMIL to use "maximum force" which he interpreted as "shoot to kill" and yet, the violence continues. All of this points to what we have been saying: that this society is not yet free of violence because it has not been completely ridded of the instruments of violence and death. The guns have not been taken away from those who see the complete tribal and religious domination of Liberia as their spoil of war. It points also to what we have been saying about taking firm stance on the intra- LURD fighting which has naively been seen as rivalry for jobs but which goes beyond that. It points most of all, to the laissez-faire attitude of your administration in working with UNMIL and the United Nations to do all that is possible to rid Liberia of arms. We say laissez-faire because we are yet to know where your administration stands on the question of the conclusion of the DDRR programme by today. We are yet also to know where you sta nd on the declaration by UNMIL in October last year that Monrovia is "arms free" when it is known even by the little child in Monrovia that former GOL, MODEL, and LURD fighters in the capital are still armed and prepared on a 24-hour basis to create a situation in which the wills of their masters will prevail. There were recent reports of the smuggling into the country of hardened criminals - up to date, we have heard noting of any statement from you clarifying the reports. All we heard is a Justice Ministry official who claimed that certain tribes were singled out for immigration checks while others were left alone to go free. All of these pointed to a society that was sitting on a timed-bomb. We said so and nobody paid heeds and did anything about it. Nobody took us seriously. Now, here we are standing in the middle of a turbulent wave of violence and being unable to say whence it comes. Your Excellency, we are saying this not to say that you have done nothing since the riot started, but to stress the importance of being proactive where competing interests dominate reasoning and the love of country. The action of your administration henceforth cannot help but be guided by indicators in the larger society. Things are not normal and so solutions will have to be a little weird and out of the ordinary. We will therefore expect you in the next few days to hold dialogue with UNMIL, the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, ECOWAS authorities, and all other stakeholders to ensure that those who think there is more war to be fought in Liberia are rooted out of the system. If this is not done, as we have seen already, curfew and threat of summary execution will not help. Thank you very much.   =============================================================================   Copyright © 2004 The Analyst. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). =============================================================================