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Liberia: A dawn of a new era?
For the first time in the history of fiscal probity in Africa's oldest republic, the supreme audit outfit in Liberia, the General Auditing Commission-GAC, has presented its first special Forensic Audit report of the Auditor General to parliament. It is mandated by law to report to the Legislature.
In 2005, an Act of Legislature amended section 53 of the Executive Law of 1972 creating the GAC; making the entity independent of the executive branch of government. This led to the recruitment of the current head of the institution, John S. Morlu II, 2006 by the European Union in alliance with the Liberian government. This was done through a conventional vetting process that saw the participation of other nationals having advertised the job in 150 countries the world over.
The presentation of the audit report on Wednesday to the Lawmakers at the Capitol Building-home of the Lawmakers- in Monrovia, signals a dawn of a new era in the fight against fraud and abuse of public fund in Liberia. Till now, this is the inaugural presentation of an audit report to parliament in the history of the continent’s oldest republic.
The Special Forensic Audit Report of the Auditor General on the Bong Mines Community Escrow Account was received by Genevee Massaquoi, Assistant Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Clerk of the House of Representative, Atty. James Karbah on behalf of the lawmakers.
Thirty one copies of the report were given to the Senate, while the Representative received 65 copies. The Liberia National Legislature, the first branch of government, comprises 96 Legislators, 64 Representatives making up the lower House and 30 Senators.
Making the presentation on behalf of the Auditor General, in separate remarks, GAC head of communication, James Jensen, said “GAC’s unbending commitment in making sure that public monies are truly accounted for the general goods of the public”.
“The proper management and application of public resources, is a cardinal platform of directing more donors funding for Liberia and a truest means for Liberia’s post war economic recovery,” Jensen noted.
He praised international partners like the European Commission, American government plus other partners that have been backbones of support to GAC’s quest to cleanse Liberia from the chain of fiscal improprieties, wastes, corruption and abuse of resources.
He assured the lawmakers that the Auditor General (AG), John S. Morlu II, will in a short period present additional audit reports to members of the legislature.
Both Massaquoi and Chief Clerk Karbah expressed appreciation for the report and promised to present them to the lawmakers. The Special Forensic Audit report of the Bong Mines Community escrow account covers the fiscal year ended 2006/2007.
The former mining town, Bong Mines is situated in Bong County, central Liberia. The audit commissioned by the Auditor General included the audits of financial and related records pertaining to three projects in Fuamah District in Bong County. They included Handii road, rehabilitation of the annex to Handii Clinic and seven classroom school construction and clinic renovation all totaling US$236,693.9.
In a related development: a GAC source said the entity has “completed the audits of several government institutions, including, the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP); National Housing Authority (NPA), National Lotteries, Independent Human Rights Commission (IHRC); and the Ministry of Finance”. For the first time in the history of fiscal probity in Africa's oldest republic, the supreme audit outfit in Liberia, the General... more -
American To Stand Trail For Torture Abroad
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Prospective jurors gasped last week at the gruesome details of torture described in a courtroom as attorneys navigated the jury selection process in Charles Taylor Jr.'s trial, which begins Monday.
The trial of Taylor Jr. -- whose father, Liberian ex-President Charles Taylor Sr., is standing trial in The Hague, Netherlands, on war crime charges -- will present a unique challenge to prosecutors.
The case tests a 1994 United States law saying those accused of committing acts of torture overseas can be tried in a U.S. federal court.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, where his father attended college, Charles "Chuckie" Taylor Jr. moved to Liberia when his father was named president of the country.
Taylor Jr., also known as Charles McArthur Emmanuel, pleaded guilty to passport violations and served 11 months in prison when he arrived in Miami from Trinidad.
In 2006, while awaiting sentencing on the passport violations, he was indicted by a grand jury and charged with conspiring to commit torture, committing torture and the use of a firearm while committing a violent act in Liberia.
Defense attorney John Wylie told prospective jurors they can expect to hear "allegations of burning people with clothes irons; allegations of shocking genitals with electrical charges; allegations of cutting genitals; allegations of forcing people to sodomize each other; allegations of cutting off people's heads and displaying the heads."
But, Wylie said, "Mr. Emmanuel pleads not guilty to all of these charges." He said the government has little physical evidence, such as DNA, to back up its allegations.
The indictment alleges that under his father's presidency, Taylor Jr. became the leader of the Anti-Terrorist Unit and the Liberian National Police. Both groups are accused of abducting, torturing and killing people. Court documents say people were brought to the presidential compound, where the acts occurred.
As part of jury selection, Prosecutor Karen Rochlin questioned prospective jurors about their opinions of the allegations of torture occurring at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
"Is it OK for the U.S. to investigate torture overseas, if parts of the U.S. government, according to reports, have not behaved so well?" she asked.
Human Rights Watch International has been watching this case.
"As the first prosecution for torture committed abroad, Taylor's trial is a vital, long-awaited step by the U.S. government to ensure human rights abusers do not escape justice. The Department of Justice's efforts should be applauded and replicated in more cases like this one," said Elise Keppler, the organization's senior counsel.
Opening statements are scheduled for Monday in Judge Cecelia Altonaga's courtroom. The judge has said she expects the trial to last fewer than two months.
Pre-trial proceedings have implied that some of the evidence expected will be testimony from alleged tortured victims. The government will bring many of the witnesses from Liberia. Their identities will be withheld because they fear reprisals.
If found guilty on all charges, Taylor Jr. -- or Emmanuel, as he is referred to in court -- could face up to life in prison. MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Prospective jurors gasped last week at the gruesome details of torture described in a courtroom as attorneys n... more -
American Warlord: The story of Chucky Taylor, American teen turned torture suspect
Chucky Taylor was an ordinary suburban teenager — until he went to live with his father, one of Africa’s most brutal dictators. How did a kid from Orlando end up as the first U.S. citizen on trial for torture abroad? Chucky Taylor was an ordinary suburban teenager — until he went to live with his father, one of Africa’s most brutal dictators. How di... more
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Girl cuts off ex-boyfriend's penis
A Liberian girl has reportedly cut off the penis of her former boyfriend after he refused to take her back.
The victim, Musa S. Kromah, had previously gone out with the accused, a woman known only as Kadiatu, but refused to get back with her due to her criminal activities. As their conversation was coming to an end, Kadiatu asked Kromah to walk her home. On the way, she grabbed Kromah's penis and claimed that she was going to cut it off if he failed to give in to her romantic advances. When Kromah mistook the warning as a joke and continued to reject this former partner, the girl allegedly cut off a good portion of his penis.
The brother of the victim explained that Kromah is currently undergoing medical treatment at the John F. Kennedy Hospital in Sinkor, Liberia, but revealed that the incident was too terrible for human sight.
He claimed that the girl escaped and is currently on the run. A Liberian girl has reportedly cut off the penis of her former boyfriend after he refused to take her back. ... more -
I'm No Racist
Ex-President Bill Clinton sets tries to set the record straight in an interview with ABC's Kate Snow.
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Boys of Mass Destruction
In a twist of realism, a new feature film, "Johnny Mad Dog", uses a cast of actual ex-child soldiers from Liberia to portray the violent lives of youth forced to participate in armed conflict.
The original script was adapted from Emmanuel Dongala's acclaimed book "Johnny Chien Mechant". Johnny, 15, and his small commando unit comprised of young boys ages 6 to 15, rip through an unnamed African country, terrorising and slaying everything in their path.
Director Jean-Stephane Sauvaire contrasts this lengthy killing spree with the narrative thread of Laokole, a 13-year-old schoolgirl, who along with her disabled father and young brother, are forced to flee their city, occupied by child-soldier militias.
Emmanuel Jal, a former child soldier and now an internationally known rapper, told IPS at a screening of the film at the United Nations in New York, "The escaping of refugees and the fear in people's eyes in the movie took me back to a journey that I once experienced myself."
Jal was born in war-torn Sudan in the early 1980s. At the age of six or seven, he was forced to join the rebel army to fight in the civil war. For nearly five years, he carried around an AK-47, "the real weapon of mass destruction", which was taller than he was. By the age of 13, he was a veteran of two civil wars.
Jal told IPS that the film is largely an accurate depiction. "It's a movie that describes a day of a child soldier in a battlefield. I would love to add the moments before a child soldier goes to war and how they feel when they lose a battle and a couple of their friends. The real battle is not when you are fighting, it's when you have left the war and you have to deal with the nightmares and the boredom."
Jal was rescued by a British aid worker, who smuggled him to Nairobi to raise him as her own. After her death, he became interested in music, which he found to be therapeutic and kept him busy. Today, 15 years later, Jal has three highly acclaimed albums that narrate his experiences as a child soldier. His most recent album is "Warchild".
Preparation for the film was crucial. Sauvaire chose to shoot in Liberia, whose civil war ended in August 2003 and which now has one of the world's few woman heads of state, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, elected in 2006.
"We really sensed the government's support, its desire to welcome us, its need to give testimony," he said. "For Liberians, it was a way to assess before the international community that they had moved on, that they had turned the page after 15 years of war."
Sauvaire organised castings in Monrovia and the ghetto zones surrounding the city. Out of 500 or 600 ex-child soldiers, Sauvaire had to choose 15 for his film. Most fought in Liberia with Charles Taylor, or the insurgent Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) until August 2003, and many live on the streets without any family structure.
"It was primordial for me to work with ex-child soldiers, who seemed to be the only ones capable of giving a sincere testimony of this horror," said Sauvaire.
Because the children couldn't read the script for the film, they improvised on the scenes. Subtitles are used throughout the film, as the children speak English as it is spoken in the districts of Monrovia, "a very phonetic English, pretty crude and instinctual."
After the filming was finished, producers set up the NGO Johnny Mad Dog Foundation "with the aim of bringing framework and support to the young actors of the Johnny Mad Dog movie," the director said.
***Story continues, click link to read*** In a twist of realism, a new feature film, "Johnny Mad Dog", uses a cast of actual ex-child soldiers from Liberia to portray... more -
Liberians killed in farm massacre
Liberian police are investigating the killing of at least 12 farm workers in a land dispute over the weekend in a remote southern part of the country.
They had been thrown into a river after being shot and hacked to death, Police Director Beatrice Munah Sieh said.
One of those who escaped, Tidoe Monden, said the shooting started on Saturday morning after they had been working for three hours. Monden said that he escaped injury because he had just left the group to get food for his colleagues.
"I saw the men shooting with three AK-47 rifles and three single-barrel shotguns."
The attackers then used workers' machetes to "finish some of the wounded."
Liberia is recovering from a 14-year civil war which ended in 2003. Liberian police are investigating the killing of at least 12 farm workers in a land dispute over the weekend in a remote southern part... more -
Iron Lady of Liberia
After nearly two decades of brutal civil war, Liberia is a nation ready for change. On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was inaugurated the country's first elected female president and Africa's first freely elected female head of state.
Filmmakers Siatta Scott Johnson and Siatta Scott Johnson and Daniel Junge take us behind the scenes of this groundbreaking administration as President Sirleaf known as the "Iron Lady" works to prevent a post-conflict nation from returning to civil war. From the feature documentary "Iron Ladies of Liberia," airing on the PBS Independent Lens series. After nearly two decades of brutal civil war, Liberia is a nation ready for change. On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was ina... more -
Street Typist Pastor Teaches Idle Youth in Liberia
William Saydee does what he can do to help his war ravaged country's slow reconstruction.
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Liberians drop rice for spaghetti
"As surging rice prices threaten to halt progress in fragile countries like Liberia, local people are changing life-long habits and switching to cheaper staple foods such as spaghetti."
What kind of delicious hybrid dishes will come out of this? "As surging rice prices threaten to halt progress in fragile countries like Liberia, local people are changing life-long habits a... more -
4REAL - Liberia with M.I.A
M.I.A. meets child rights leader Kimmie Weeks. They visit with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, fix a playground and throw an block party in Monrovia.
www.4real.com M.I.A. meets child rights leader Kimmie Weeks. They visit with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, fix a playground and throw an... more -
In Liberia, Everyone Wants a Cell Phone
But no one has electricity, so recharge centers do brisk business.
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Indian Female Peacekeepers Show the Way in Liberia
This all-female police peacekeeping unit from India says assignment in Liberia is easy, but they inspire Liberian women to follow suit, and prove it's not gender that matters, but how you get the job done. This all-female police peacekeeping unit from India says assignment in Liberia is easy, but they inspire Liberian women to follow suit... more
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Rare pygmy hippos caught on film
Two civil wars, illegal logging and poaching - it was thought this was more than enough to wipe out Liberia's population of pygmy hippos.
But this rare and endangered species has survived against the odds and there are photographs to prove it.
A team led by the Zoological Society of London travelled to the West African country.
It was delighted to discover that, despite their fears, the hippo population had not been wiped out.
Just three days after setting up hidden cameras in the Liberian forest, the team of zoologists were amazed to capture the pygmy hippos on film.
Ben Collen of the London Zoological Society said he remained highly concerned about the survival of the little hippos because they still face the threat of deforestation and bushmeat hunters. Two civil wars, illegal logging and poaching - it was thought this was more than enough to wipe out Liberia's population of pygmy... more -
Should Liberia get a war crimes court?
Some are happy with nation-touring Truth and Reconciliation commission, but activists and lawyers say it does nothing to stop impunity, build a new judicial system and prevent horrors of the past from repeating themselves. Some are happy with nation-touring Truth and Reconciliation commission, but activists and lawyers say it does nothing to stop impunity... more
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Bush busts a move
His approval ratings have hit a low on home soil, but in Liberia Bush got hearty applause when he broke out his best dance moves alongside President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.
Clearly meaning business, Bush started out with a modest bit of hand-clipping before unleashing an incredible 'human windscreen-wiper' jiggle. But the big cheers were saved for later on in his routine. When he took his jacket off, it was like Beatlemania all over again. His approval ratings have hit a low on home soil, but in Liberia Bush got hearty applause when he broke out his best dance moves along... more -
Gen Butt Naked confesses to nude killings
A former warlord known as General Butt Naked has confessed to Liberia's post-conflict reconciliation commission that his men killed 20,000 people during the country's civil war. The feared rebel commander earned his nom de guerre for charging into battle dressed only in his boots, at the head of a gang of fighters known as the Butt Naked Battalion. The nude gunmen became known for terrorising villagers and sacrificing children whose hearts they would eat before going into battle during Liberia's 14-year on-off civil war which ended in 2003. A former warlord known as General Butt Naked has confessed to Liberia's post-conflict reconciliation commission that his men kill... more
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Liberian General "Butt Naked" Admits to Eating Hearts
A former guerilla leader that took part in the Liberian civil war has admitted that he routinely ate children's hearts before heading into battle. Milton Blahyi fought against Liberian General Charles Taylor in the gruesome civil war and admitted to being responsible for 20,000 murders. He also admitted to making human sacrifices to the devil in hope of emerging victorious from upcoming battles. Blahyi, who claimed he had a change of heart after seeing God during a battle in 1996, was notorious for leading his troops into battle wearing nothing but laced up boots. The admission comes as part of an ongoing investigation by a Liberian truth and reconciliation commission modeled after the post apartheid South African version. Many in Liberia see the commission as not strong enough to handle the case, as it can only recommend that someone be charged with a war crime and is not capable of making the charges itself. A former guerilla leader that took part in the Liberian civil war has admitted that he routinely ate children's hearts before hea... more
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General Butt Naked confesses to 20,000 killings
A former warlord who goes by the name Gen. Butt Naked has confessed to the deaths of over 20,000 people at the hands of his men during Liberia's civil war.
He made the claims to the country's post-conflict reconciliation commission and spoke of his relief at finally being able to admit to it, saying, "I have been looking for an opportunity to tell the true story about my life and every time I tell people my story, I feel relieved."
The former General, whose real name is Milton Blayee, returned from exile in Ghana, where he's now an evangelical Christian preacher, to face the music last week. During the 14 year on-off civil war which ended in 2003, the General and his nude gunmen tormented villages and sacrificed children, before eating their hearts.
In other news, there's a General Butt Naked. A former warlord who goes by the name Gen. Butt Naked has confessed to the deaths of over 20,000 people at the hands of his men during... more -
Liberian government giving away cell phones so citizens can call police
Liberia's government is giving away cell phones so citizens in a country impoverished by civil war can report rapes and other violence as crime soars. Liberia's government is giving away cell phones so citizens in a country impoverished by civil war can report rapes and other vio... more
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