Friday, July 4, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
NGO,s in LIberia
THE ROLES OF NGO’S WITHIN “SOCIETIES IN TRANSITION”.
This paper does not attempt to discredit the work of any NGO either local or international but rather point out the positive impact of some of the local and international NGO,s that have contributed to enhance the fragile
democratization and volatile peace enjoyed in Liberia today.
Introduction
Liberia was characterized by its division into two basic societies. One was composed of the settlers of the freed slaves, who immigrated to West Africa from the New World in the nineteenth century, and the Liberians, who descended from them; the other much larger faction was made up of the tribal Africans indigenous. From Liberia’s inception there was an exclusive identification of the state with the immigrant experience with American settlers, which was emphasized in its national symbols. The young country’s motto, for example, expressed the conviction that “The Love of Liberty Brought Us Here,” and the seal of the republic featured the images of an immigrant and settler’s plow. The black settlers came to be called Americo-Liberians, while the indigenous population was referred to “Country People.”
Expectations
The expectation was that Liberia, would grow and foster in an environment characterized by sound democratic principles, social equity and justice, driven by an effective judicial system, efficient private and public sector services. It was indeed envisaged that the future would be sustained on good principles and practice of governance, stable political environment, social equality and dominance of the rule of law based on American principles, hence it was the fifty one state of America in Africa
Ethnic problems.
The upsurge of the civil war in 1989, ethnic competition for the scarce economic resources and political power has taken root among ethnic groups; each group tends to fight to have a president come from their group. For them, the president will loot the state for this ethnic group. In other words, the president is not for the state, but his ethnic group. This is the root cause of ethnic groups struggle to control the state. The quest for power among politicians engendered the sprouting of 22 political parties’ representing various ethnic groups for the presidential elections in Liberia. Ethnic groups encouraged the emergence of ethno-nationalism in order to mobilize supporters. Some political leaders in Liberia had the habit of allocating to their ethnic groups considerable state resources to extend their influence and control. Consequently, this practice encouraged corruption, rivalry, hatred, and conflict between ethnic groups. The 1980 coup d’etat led by Sergeant Samuel Kanyon Doe and his compatriots broke the political dominance of the Americo-Liberia elite, and subsequently paved the way for mass participation of the natives in the socioeconomic and political enhancement of Liberia. Since then, ethnic tensions, political instability, a brutal and senseless civil war which degenerated to ethnic cleansing engulfed the once peaceful nation in the West Coast of Africa.
The ethnic factions (Krahn, Mandingo, Gio, Mano, Lorma, Sarpo, etc) during the 14-year civil war, ethnic cleansing and mass brutal murders committed by warring ethnic factions against harmless and innocent ethnic groups, are cases in point of ethnic loyalty eating the fabric of once stable Liberia. How can post-war Liberia eradicate or minimize this cancer that is consuming the unity of Liberia? Ethnic affiliation as an extended family is a great asset in nation building especially when acting as a moral retaining influence upon, and means of security for its members.
Realities
Stagnated economy due to poor management of resources and corruption, deterioration of social and physical infrastructure in the absence of institutionalized maintenance culture, increase in the proportion of the population falling below poverty line became endemic .Declining opportunity for the youths in Liberia. Educational system collapsed, unemployment figure soared high and violent crime became prevalent in most counties of the country . Massive migration negated the structure for revitalizing and rebuilding the economy of this once vibrant nation. While perversity of political instability, corruption, anti free market practice, and unattractive to private sector investments laid the roof of this nation.
As a result, the states began to shudder. Many thought this was the birth pangs of nation building, but not knowing that these were symptoms of deep rooted institutional and ethnic dysfunctional ties on which these state was built.
The result was that a diminished bright start gave way to authoritarian rule. Authoritarianism paved the way for declining economy and depressed social well being. Stunted economic performance exacerbated poverty condition, which in turn served as the catalyst for violent social tension and conflict. However such violent conflict further reinforced the condition of poverty.
Liberia made a transition from Potential nation state to failed state, from failed state to rogue state – a shifting quick sand of conflict.
Roles played by Inter-Faith Mediation Committee and other NGO’s
Among civic groups, the most influential in the peace process has been the Inter-Faith Mediation Committee (IFMC). This organization, comprising prominent Christian and Muslim leaders, convened the first consultations between the representatives of Doe, Taylor and the AFL in June 1990. Two months later, their proposals were adopted and articulated as the original ECOWAS peace plan. Ever since the involvement, the IFMC has been pivotal in bringing parties together, in organizing conferences at home and abroad, and in helping to set agendas for these meetings. It was represented in many of the peace negotiations across West Africa and has been a leading critic of the flaws in the accords. In March 1995 and February 1996, the IFMC led successful 'sit-home' strikes in protest at agreements they felt rewarded the leaders of warring factions. The second of these led to the formation of the Civic Disarmament Campaign (CDC) for which the Committee serves as an umbrella organization for a broad range of civic actors. Some of the issues of interest to the IFMC remain the polarization of Liberian society along ethnic lines, the warring factions to disarm and the issues of justice and retribution in post-war Liberia. It continues to play a crucial role in both advocating peace and delivering social services.
Women's organizations
Among the range of atrocities endured by the Liberian population, women have been the specific target for rape, sexual abuse and harassment. Together with children, they also constitute the bulk of refugees and were the greatest losers in the conflict. Women activists coordinated their responses to this suffering through a national organization, the Liberian Women's Initiative (LWI). The LWI has been instrumental in drawing local and international attention to the plight of women, in organizing women's responses to overseas relief, in channeling the views of women to national and international mediators and in representing women in local, national and international peace negotiations. In a lot of cases, women assumed leadership roles demonstrating immense resilience, fortitude and wisdom. This could contribute to an irreversible change in the role and perception of women in Liberian society paving the way for the first woman president in Africa today.
NGOs and Interest Groups
Interest groups and local NGOs made significant contributions to the search for peace. The association of Interest Groups of Liberia (IGL), headed by Dr. Togba-Nah Tipoteh, played a key role in organising a range of professional bodies serving teachers, legal workers, drivers, traders and farmers whose combined efforts were crucial to the organization of the two 'sit-home' strikes. In daily operations and through delegations at several major conferences.
Another faith base NGO that really imparted positive values without any dependency syndrome was Jesuit Refugee Service, below is a summary of some of the programmes ran during the turbulent and transition period Liberia.
-Street Children (Monrovia) - Psycho-social accompaniment of youth
-Reconstruction (Bomi) - redevelopment of war-torn community
-Education (Bomi) - training for Catholic communities
-School Feeding (Lofa) - enabling children to go to school
-School Agriculture (Lofa) - self-sufficiency projects for schools
-School Reconstruction (Lofa) - building schools for returnees
-Shelter Reconstruction (Lofa) - redevelopment of war-torn community
-Vocational Training (Saclepea) - non-formal education for Ivoirian refugees
-School Reconstruction (Tappita) - building schools for returnees
-Shelter Reconstruction (Tappita) - redevelopment of war-torn community
-Vocational Training (Tappita) - non-formal education for Liberians
-Teacher Training (Bomi, Bong, Nimba, Lofa) - workshops for educators
Two other prominent examples of local NGOs are Susukuu, a development agency also headed by Tipoteh, and the Special Emergency Life Food Programme (SELF). Although in existence before the war, Susukuu has assumed an additional role complementing international efforts at disarmament. It does this by sponsoring ex-combatants for training in schools, colleges and technical institutes. SELF is a local organization concerned with relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction. It was established in September 1990 to help ensure an orderly distribution of relief aid from abroad. Recently, its major efforts have been geared towards the organization and sensitization of local communities for effective participation in the post-war governance of Liberia.
Recommendation and conclusion
In order to minimize internal and political conflict emanating from ethnic loyalty or alliance, leaders of post-war Liberia should formulate a new concept of the common good based on ethnic identities, political consensus, and people’s consent. To develop such a concept does not mean that ethnic differences must be denied; rather ethnic identities should be tolerated on the basis that fosters the common good. This task involves developing a more profound unity that underlines ethnic differences.
Finally, I state it that Liberian peace process or transition from Conflict to peace today is possible because of the roles played by the coalition of all Non Governmental Organizations that had the opportunity to participate there in.
Many thanks to Samuel Johnson, who oriented me into the Liberian Society and was always willing and readily available to assist with dates whenever needed. Other source of information is the JRS website.
Submited by Francis Suleiman ( Dominofranksj ) as requirement for the completion of the IDHA 25 Course institute of humanitarian affairs at Fordham University NEW York(Summer2008)
This paper does not attempt to discredit the work of any NGO either local or international but rather point out the positive impact of some of the local and international NGO,s that have contributed to enhance the fragile
democratization and volatile peace enjoyed in Liberia today.
Introduction
Liberia was characterized by its division into two basic societies. One was composed of the settlers of the freed slaves, who immigrated to West Africa from the New World in the nineteenth century, and the Liberians, who descended from them; the other much larger faction was made up of the tribal Africans indigenous. From Liberia’s inception there was an exclusive identification of the state with the immigrant experience with American settlers, which was emphasized in its national symbols. The young country’s motto, for example, expressed the conviction that “The Love of Liberty Brought Us Here,” and the seal of the republic featured the images of an immigrant and settler’s plow. The black settlers came to be called Americo-Liberians, while the indigenous population was referred to “Country People.”
Expectations
The expectation was that Liberia, would grow and foster in an environment characterized by sound democratic principles, social equity and justice, driven by an effective judicial system, efficient private and public sector services. It was indeed envisaged that the future would be sustained on good principles and practice of governance, stable political environment, social equality and dominance of the rule of law based on American principles, hence it was the fifty one state of America in Africa
Ethnic problems.
The upsurge of the civil war in 1989, ethnic competition for the scarce economic resources and political power has taken root among ethnic groups; each group tends to fight to have a president come from their group. For them, the president will loot the state for this ethnic group. In other words, the president is not for the state, but his ethnic group. This is the root cause of ethnic groups struggle to control the state. The quest for power among politicians engendered the sprouting of 22 political parties’ representing various ethnic groups for the presidential elections in Liberia. Ethnic groups encouraged the emergence of ethno-nationalism in order to mobilize supporters. Some political leaders in Liberia had the habit of allocating to their ethnic groups considerable state resources to extend their influence and control. Consequently, this practice encouraged corruption, rivalry, hatred, and conflict between ethnic groups. The 1980 coup d’etat led by Sergeant Samuel Kanyon Doe and his compatriots broke the political dominance of the Americo-Liberia elite, and subsequently paved the way for mass participation of the natives in the socioeconomic and political enhancement of Liberia. Since then, ethnic tensions, political instability, a brutal and senseless civil war which degenerated to ethnic cleansing engulfed the once peaceful nation in the West Coast of Africa.
The ethnic factions (Krahn, Mandingo, Gio, Mano, Lorma, Sarpo, etc) during the 14-year civil war, ethnic cleansing and mass brutal murders committed by warring ethnic factions against harmless and innocent ethnic groups, are cases in point of ethnic loyalty eating the fabric of once stable Liberia. How can post-war Liberia eradicate or minimize this cancer that is consuming the unity of Liberia? Ethnic affiliation as an extended family is a great asset in nation building especially when acting as a moral retaining influence upon, and means of security for its members.
Realities
Stagnated economy due to poor management of resources and corruption, deterioration of social and physical infrastructure in the absence of institutionalized maintenance culture, increase in the proportion of the population falling below poverty line became endemic .Declining opportunity for the youths in Liberia. Educational system collapsed, unemployment figure soared high and violent crime became prevalent in most counties of the country . Massive migration negated the structure for revitalizing and rebuilding the economy of this once vibrant nation. While perversity of political instability, corruption, anti free market practice, and unattractive to private sector investments laid the roof of this nation.
As a result, the states began to shudder. Many thought this was the birth pangs of nation building, but not knowing that these were symptoms of deep rooted institutional and ethnic dysfunctional ties on which these state was built.
The result was that a diminished bright start gave way to authoritarian rule. Authoritarianism paved the way for declining economy and depressed social well being. Stunted economic performance exacerbated poverty condition, which in turn served as the catalyst for violent social tension and conflict. However such violent conflict further reinforced the condition of poverty.
Liberia made a transition from Potential nation state to failed state, from failed state to rogue state – a shifting quick sand of conflict.
Roles played by Inter-Faith Mediation Committee and other NGO’s
Among civic groups, the most influential in the peace process has been the Inter-Faith Mediation Committee (IFMC). This organization, comprising prominent Christian and Muslim leaders, convened the first consultations between the representatives of Doe, Taylor and the AFL in June 1990. Two months later, their proposals were adopted and articulated as the original ECOWAS peace plan. Ever since the involvement, the IFMC has been pivotal in bringing parties together, in organizing conferences at home and abroad, and in helping to set agendas for these meetings. It was represented in many of the peace negotiations across West Africa and has been a leading critic of the flaws in the accords. In March 1995 and February 1996, the IFMC led successful 'sit-home' strikes in protest at agreements they felt rewarded the leaders of warring factions. The second of these led to the formation of the Civic Disarmament Campaign (CDC) for which the Committee serves as an umbrella organization for a broad range of civic actors. Some of the issues of interest to the IFMC remain the polarization of Liberian society along ethnic lines, the warring factions to disarm and the issues of justice and retribution in post-war Liberia. It continues to play a crucial role in both advocating peace and delivering social services.
Women's organizations
Among the range of atrocities endured by the Liberian population, women have been the specific target for rape, sexual abuse and harassment. Together with children, they also constitute the bulk of refugees and were the greatest losers in the conflict. Women activists coordinated their responses to this suffering through a national organization, the Liberian Women's Initiative (LWI). The LWI has been instrumental in drawing local and international attention to the plight of women, in organizing women's responses to overseas relief, in channeling the views of women to national and international mediators and in representing women in local, national and international peace negotiations. In a lot of cases, women assumed leadership roles demonstrating immense resilience, fortitude and wisdom. This could contribute to an irreversible change in the role and perception of women in Liberian society paving the way for the first woman president in Africa today.
NGOs and Interest Groups
Interest groups and local NGOs made significant contributions to the search for peace. The association of Interest Groups of Liberia (IGL), headed by Dr. Togba-Nah Tipoteh, played a key role in organising a range of professional bodies serving teachers, legal workers, drivers, traders and farmers whose combined efforts were crucial to the organization of the two 'sit-home' strikes. In daily operations and through delegations at several major conferences.
Another faith base NGO that really imparted positive values without any dependency syndrome was Jesuit Refugee Service, below is a summary of some of the programmes ran during the turbulent and transition period Liberia.
-Street Children (Monrovia) - Psycho-social accompaniment of youth
-Reconstruction (Bomi) - redevelopment of war-torn community
-Education (Bomi) - training for Catholic communities
-School Feeding (Lofa) - enabling children to go to school
-School Agriculture (Lofa) - self-sufficiency projects for schools
-School Reconstruction (Lofa) - building schools for returnees
-Shelter Reconstruction (Lofa) - redevelopment of war-torn community
-Vocational Training (Saclepea) - non-formal education for Ivoirian refugees
-School Reconstruction (Tappita) - building schools for returnees
-Shelter Reconstruction (Tappita) - redevelopment of war-torn community
-Vocational Training (Tappita) - non-formal education for Liberians
-Teacher Training (Bomi, Bong, Nimba, Lofa) - workshops for educators
Two other prominent examples of local NGOs are Susukuu, a development agency also headed by Tipoteh, and the Special Emergency Life Food Programme (SELF). Although in existence before the war, Susukuu has assumed an additional role complementing international efforts at disarmament. It does this by sponsoring ex-combatants for training in schools, colleges and technical institutes. SELF is a local organization concerned with relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction. It was established in September 1990 to help ensure an orderly distribution of relief aid from abroad. Recently, its major efforts have been geared towards the organization and sensitization of local communities for effective participation in the post-war governance of Liberia.
Recommendation and conclusion
In order to minimize internal and political conflict emanating from ethnic loyalty or alliance, leaders of post-war Liberia should formulate a new concept of the common good based on ethnic identities, political consensus, and people’s consent. To develop such a concept does not mean that ethnic differences must be denied; rather ethnic identities should be tolerated on the basis that fosters the common good. This task involves developing a more profound unity that underlines ethnic differences.
Finally, I state it that Liberian peace process or transition from Conflict to peace today is possible because of the roles played by the coalition of all Non Governmental Organizations that had the opportunity to participate there in.
Many thanks to Samuel Johnson, who oriented me into the Liberian Society and was always willing and readily available to assist with dates whenever needed. Other source of information is the JRS website.
Submited by Francis Suleiman ( Dominofranksj ) as requirement for the completion of the IDHA 25 Course institute of humanitarian affairs at Fordham University NEW York(Summer2008)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
