The Giah Development Organization in the Americas has applauded the government through the Liberian Immigration Service for its intentions to deport Burknabes illegally occupying their family land in Grand Gedeh County.
The organization said the key for the preservation of Liberia’s national security interest is to recognize along with the citizens of the area that the Burkinabes in Grand Gedeh County belong to the Mujahedeen, Al Shabab, and Al Qaeda terrorist cells.
A statement signed by the organization’s President on Monday, October 11, 2021, noted that the Burknabes seem to have found a new safe haven to engage in Jihadism, extremism, and other heinous acts against humanity.
Mr. Samuel T. Kwitee Sr. said the influx of the Burkinabes in Grand Gedeh County is a threat to Liberia’s relative peace and stability achieved in recent years.
It was reported by LINA on September 11, 2021 that Nationals of Burkina Faso, who transit through Cote d’Ivoire to enter final destination Liberia, have been declared “illegal migrants by the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS) which now says it has started to repatriate them to their home country.
The Burkinabes cross into Liberia and settled in forest areas along the Ivorian-Liberian border, and are said to be carrying out mainly coca farming, hunting, and pit sawing despite “not having proper documentations.”
Some are said to be contracted or hired by locals who want to cultivate large farms in return for portions of farm land or other means of reparation.
Concern about the situation has lingered for over five years now. The latest move by the Liberian security to deport the migrants, however, springs from a “security concern.”
There is an estimated 500 of them in Liberia, and their members are said to be apprehended “on a weekly basis” by border patrol unit officers of the LIS, LINA quoted Col. Budy.
Mr. Kwitee stressed that the presence of the Burkinabes is nothing but a nuisance that places Liberia’s national security in a predicament.
“As we speak right now, the Burkinabes are exponentially growing and expanding in Grand Gedeh County’s deep sacred forest faster than the speed of lighting.
They are not only creating family feuds and breaking all of our traditional value systems, but financing their operations by harvesting our natural forest resources. On top of that, they buy and brandish weapons openly.”
The Giah Development Organization President said with the exponential vise in their population, in no distant time, the Burkinabes would be able to determine the politics of Liberia through the ballot.
Mr. Kwitee and his organization believe strongly that the Burkinabes will eventually rein terror on all Grand Gedeans to accomplish their terrorist mission if nothing is said or done.
According to him, his organization consciously took the decision to drawing attention early on to the Liberian Government about the Burkinabes growing problems in Grand Gedeh County and has been raising serious concerns from the onset to the Liberian Government to avoid being blind-sided or taken off guide by these Burkinabes masquerading as migrants or refugees.
He said innocent Grand Gedeans suffered a lot and died for nothing during the Liberian Civil War, as such, they will watch their back this time around to protect their people whenever they smell or see trouble and harm coming their way.
Mr. Kwitee said their plead to the Liberian Government to curb the insane wave of Burkinabees in Grand Gedeh County must not be considered a wolf or preemptive cry, but taken seriously into considerations.
“Despite Grand Gedeans’ generosity to all strangers, we will not hesitate to notify the Liberian government of individuals and groups intending to engage in malicious activity to plunge our county and country into chaos.”
He said as Grand Gedeans, it is incumbent upon all of them to put greed aside, do the right thing to preserve their traditional value system, and protect their natural forest resources from foreign exploitation.
“We need to and must work along and support the Liberian government’s effort in protecting our status quo by seeking to avoid the menace of the Burkinabes,” Mr. Kwitee concludes.