AFL Claims to Additional Package Is Spillover of Missing Link in Disbandment

The Editor,

I have followed the Armed Forces of Liberia’s demand for government to make available additional money in appending their disbandment packages. 

By these concerns and with serious interest, I was emboldened to analyze the program with specific prominence on the AFL disbandment component which was called for in the Accra Peace Accords.

Recently, the Minster of National Defense Brownie Samukai asserted that the government has spent close to 20 Million toward the process of paying arrears to the disbanded members of the armed forces of Liberia in an apparent response to the demand of the disbanded men.

This attracted my attention as student of Post conflict Military reconstruction.

Considerably, I have come to realized that neither the government nor the AFL can be held accountable for the irregularities referenced in this case since United Nations Mission in Liberia and other partners were leading the security sector reform and the implementation of provisions towards Liberia Peace and Security in the CPA.

First and foremost, I have come not to offer support to the specific claims of members of the disbanded forces neither to agree that the government owe nothing in arrears for them as they claimed but to inject the missing link.

The process of disbandment comes in several forms and for different reasons as the crafters may deem necessary based on an informed feasibility assessment.

Liberia case was similar to others, even though resource constraints thwarted most of the required standard; key among them was an assessment result that would have informed a procedure that best suit the specific case of the disbanded personnel of the Armed Forces of Liberia.

Key issues this assessment would have attended to, includes unveiling the managerial capability of the personnel beyond their service in the army and evaluation on their mental capability to adjust to new skills and careers for a sustainable future.

In this case, one would assume that the process which targeted at delivering cash package to the disbanded AFL personnel was not properly appraised to complement their degree of venerability and after service options to livelihood.

Therefore, I herein advocate that the specific claim of the AFL may not be as valid as they appealed but the omission of the code component in the SSRR towards their disbandment aborted the essence.

To this grave negligence, I suggest that UNMIL and other Para status be held liable and if need be facilitate a process that seeks to complete the circle of their disbandment and satisfactorily empower the disbanded members.

Emmanuel David Togba,
MA-Terrorism, International Crimes and Global Security (Honor)
[email protected] | 886451886 – 777212636