Monrovia – Hundreds of Fendell residents whose homes were demolished on April 19, 2015 on orders of the administration of the University of Liberia (UL) Saturday, September 23, 2017 staged a peaceful protest with placards before the main entrance of the state-run university.
Report by Kennedy L. Yangian [email protected]
Saturday’s peaceful protest was staged at the time when the Liberia Media For Democratic Initiative (LMDI) was having its third Presidential debates under the banner the “Ducor Debate”.
The Presidential debate at Fendell was attended by six of the 20 Presidential candidates including Senator Oscar Cooper (Independent) Rev. Kennedy Sandy (Liberia Transformation Party) Ms. Macdella Cooper (Liberia Restoration Party) Simeon (Freeman Movement for Progressive Change (MPC) and Yarjpajuwur Mator (Independent).
The affected Fendell residents accused President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf-led government of neglect and doing nothing to address their plights.
According to them, they’ve decided to stage a peaceful protest at the site of the debate to claim the attention of the Presidential candidates.
“This current government of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has failed to address our plight, so we are taking our case to the new candidates because we don’t know who will win this election; but if there is no justice or settlement for us, we will not vote,” said Viola Lincoln the spokesperson of the aggrieved residents.
She said there are about 20,000 affected residents and they have agreed in principle not to turnout on Election Day if nothing tangible is done to address their concern.
She said the number represents the total number of citizens affected by demolition across the country.
She accused the government of tampering with the case since they filed the complaint with the courts concerning the demolition of their homes.
“Whenever we go to court for the hearing of the case, there will be some form of manipulation from the government where the case will not be heard or the judge presiding changed,” said Madam Lincoln.
She continued that the move by the administration by the University of Liberia to demolish their homes on claim that they owned the land was misleading because the university was only given the land free of charge through an appeal from the late President William R. Tolbert to the people of Fendell to do same
According spokesperson Lincoln, the aggrieved residents will not rest with their case until they can get redress as they have planned at the moment to file a lawsuit to the ECOWAS Court against the Government of Liberia for violating their human rights.