NIMBA COUNTY – Youths and women in Nimba County have vowed to promote conflict resolution and peaceful cohesion among residents as a mean of keeping the county at peace.
By Edwin G. Genoway, Jr 00231886458910 [email protected]
Nimbaians made the vow at the launch of a one-year project by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
The project is under the theme, Consolidating Peace to Social Cohesion and the Pro-Poor Livelihood and Economic Empowerment of Women and Youth in Liberia.
They had come from all the electoral districts in the county and gathered on the compound of the United Methodist Church in Ganta to identify problems affecting their communities and subsequently find solutions.
Among issues they identified were illegal selling of drugs, armed robbery and stealing as some of the major problems their communities are faced with in the county.
They bemoaned that their children were not paying attention to their lessons but rather have taken to using illegal drugs.
Madam Rachel Quoidah, a resident of the Guinea Road Community in Ganta, sees the area as very dangerous to live.
“Selling drugs in my community is on the increase; the crimes rate is also high in my area. When you put your clothes outside or when you are cooking and leave your food outside to collect something inside, the pot will vanish; someone will take it away, trust me,” she explained.
Another resident of Ganta, Marie Belleh said Marijuana is commonly used in many different ways in her community by kids. She disclosed that many of the young people mix the substance in food and consume it.
“They can fix it with milk candy; mix it with tea and many of them boil the marijuana and drink the water. When they finish drinking that water they no longer listen their own parents again,” she lamented.
Madam Belleh, however, called on UNDP to help the county and initiate a program that will rehabilitate young people in the county.
Political difference is one of the issues that were raised at the forum by some of the residents.
“Some young people are not speaking to each other because one person party won and the other person party or politician didn’t,” Prince Mensah, another participant at the gathering, noted.
Mensah, also accused some police officers of shielding drugs dealers and at the same times taking drugs themselves.
“The police officers themselves can join the criminals to smoke drugs, many times we see police people in the ghetto smoking, too,” he stressed.
Addressing all of the issues raised by community dwellers, Deputy Police Commander at Ganta Police Depot, Sensee Kowo, expressed the police willingness to work with the community.
Officer Kowo described all of the issues raised by the residents as a challenged for the police and called on young people in the county to be agents of positive change.
“It is a challenge for the police but we will do all we can to curtail the situations and problem raised by our citizens in the county. As you all know, the population of the county is increasing by the day and it is very difficult to fight crime,” he said.
He, however, blamed authorities of the United Methodist Church Compound for the increase of the crimes rate in the community.
According to him, the church’s refusal to clear the high bushes around its compound has caused criminals to take advantage and used the areas as safe haven.
He also stated that they want to fight crimes but there are not enough resources to do so. “We want to fight those criminals but have no resources to fight. The reason why you see those criminals outside after they were arrested is because the only holding cell in the county cannot hold criminals.”
According to him, the Liberian National Police will deal harshly with any police officers who would be found taking in drugs in ghettos or other places.
The residents were brought together by UNDP at a forum to brainstorm on problems affecting the young people and women in the county.
The conflict resolution forum is part of UNDP’s project launched for the transformation and the empowerment of underprivileged women and youths by providing skills training and funds to start their businesses.
The project in Nimba is the first phase that deals with conflict resolution and peaceful cohesion.
The US$500,000 is aimed at improving the lives of community residents in targeted communities like Grand Cape Mount, Nimba, Montserrado and Margibi Counties.
More than 700 residents from these counties are expected to benefit from the project within a year.
UNDP is partnering with the Ministries of Internal Affairs, Youth and Sports, Gender and Social Protection and Commerce and Industry.
UNDP National Project Manager Marcus B. Zarway praised Nimbaians for being ready to resolve their differences.
He said the second phase of the project will bring together Liberians who are interested in establishing small businesses.
“UNDP will assist them in that direction; we are here to work with government and help to transform the lives of the people in the counties,” he noted.