Monrovia – Since the Ivorian political crisis of 2010-2011, the Liberia-Côte d’Ivoire border region has experienced periodic cross-border attacks.
Report by Edwin G. Genoway – [email protected]
These devastating attacks have destroyed lives, displaced families, shattered livelihoods and contributed to the breakdown of community norms and values.
Many of the attacks have been attributed to supporters of former President Laurent Gbagbo who, having fled Côte d’Ivoire in the wake of the election crisis, are accused of using the Liberian border region to recruit militia members and launch attacks.
Representatives of governmental and nongovernmental organizations in Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia met for a dialogue session in search for common solutions to improving security along the Ivorian-Liberian border region in Accra, Ghana from 23 to 24 March 2015.
One of the issues discussed at that meeting was to train and sensitize officials on sub- regional protocols and human rights issues so as to mitigate and prevent incidences of civilian harassment, intimidation and exploitation.
But the Institute for Research and Democratic Development (IREDD) in its validation and dialogue meeting on implementation of regional commitment and protocols at the border region has carried on survey on the three major Liberia-Côte d’Ivoire borders points.
IREDD reveals that there has not been any training or sensitization for the security officials on the regional protocols in Loguatuo Nimba County.
However, UNDP is said to have conducted some training where select officers at the border post participated.
The Executive Director of the Institute for Research and Democratic Development (IREDD) Harold Marvin Aidoo, in a PowerPoint presentation disclosed that two persons out of the four security officials assigned at the Webo border in River Gee County participated in a UNDP sponsored training but no training so far on the regional protocols.
He said security officials at the Tempo border post had not benefited from any training on the regional protocols and human rights issues, saying, security officials at Toe Town border point benefited from three training so far on human rights but there had been no training on the regional protocols, and that they were not aware of the Accra Declaration.
Representatives of governmental and nongovernmental organizations in Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia met on the occasion of the security along the Ivorian-Liberian border, identifying common solutions dialogue session in Accra, Ghana from 23 to 24 March 2015.
One of the issues also discussed was to collaborate more effectively with security and defense forces from neighboring country to secure the border region.
“There was United Nations sponsored cross-border exchanges meetings at the Loguatuo border region until the UN drawdown begun, in Toe Town, IREDD reported that meetings between the security officials are unstructured, saying, they meet only when there are issues at the border,” Harold noted.
In his presentation, Aidoo said since the opening of the Ivorian border there had been no meeting, while now meeting had also been held at the Webo border.
IREDD has suggested that in order to improve security and peace, peace-building actors in Ivorian-Liberian border regions must monitor and engage with official processes for improved cross border security.
Aidoo said there was a need to strengthen the capacities of local peace building actors along the Ivorian-Liberian border regions to monitor and engage with official processes for improved cross border security.
“Capacities of Districts Platform for Dialogue (DPDs) in Danane, Toulepleu, Bloloquin, Tai on the Ivorian side, Logatou, Toetown, Temppo and Webbo on the Liberian side of the shared cross border regions strengthened to monitor the implementation of commitments signed by their governments to improve cross border security and articulate the concerns and needs of the local people as input in high level deliberations,” he noted.
IREDD works with the Legislature and other government ministries to host public hearings and incorporate citizen testimony into the legislative process.
IREDD has provided technical assistance by volunteering session topics, working with legislators to develop programmatic agendas, and encouraging witnesses and civic groups to participate in the process.