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Crime On the Increase As Liberia Prepares To Celebrate its 161st Anniversary
On 26 July 2008 Liberians from all walks of life will be celebrating their country’s 161st anniversary. After many decades ofdomination by an Americo-Liberian elite, followed by civil strife and instability, peace has finally returned to Liberia. However, crime and insecurity ismaking life exceedingly difficult for ordinary citizens– to such an extent that Monrovia’s inhabitants have been warned not to venture out at night. What are the underlying factors to this rising crime rate?
Following the civil war and the ousting of former president Charles Taylor, the 2003 Accra Comprehensive Agreement (CPA) laid the foundation for the present period of post-conflict reconstruction and peace building in Liberia.
In September 2003, the United Nations Mission to Liberia, UNMIL, was established by resolution 1509 of the UN Security Council and it saw a deployment of 15 000 UN peacekeeping troops. Since the involvement of UNMIL in Liberia, many post-conflict reconstruction programmes have been rolled out. The broader security sector reforms including police reform, Disarmament Demobilisation Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DDRR) as well as army restructuring, have been implemented. According to the UN Secretary General’s 16th Progress Report on UNMIL, 3 500 police officers were trained in 2007 and to date 3 662 officers have graduated. Furthermore, since the end of the disarmament and demobilisation in 2005, 108 838 rounds of ammunition and 12 002 assorted spares have been collected and destroyed by UNMIL.
However, though many strides have been made to restore peace and stability in the country, bourgeoning criminality remains a concern. The opposition Liberty Party has recently voiced its concerns over what it calls a ‘state of insecurity’ occasioned by the upsurge of criminal activities across Monrovia. These concerns were supported by different civil society groups. The Monrovia-based Partners for Democratic Development said that it was alarmed by the heightened insecurity prevailing in the country and that if the government does not take decisive action, the situation could further undermine national security and the fragile peace currently existing. According to Agence France Presse, in the past eight days armed robbers attacked at least 160 homes in Monrovia. They demanded money or valuables and in some instances assaulted and raped victims. In another development the Liberian National Police (LNP) arrested two former soldiers of the Armed Forces of Liberia for being in possession of 62 master keys.
In light of these events, the government has admitted to its inability to adequately protect citizens. Through the office of Justice Minister Frances Johnson Morris, the government urged citizens to protect themselves. Meanwhile General Solicitor Tiewon Gongloe said that citizens should avoid the streets of Monrovia at night.
Many reasons can be submitted for the recent spate of violence and crime in Liberia. The first is that Liberia has been marred by internal strife for so long that the state is left with limited capacity to deliver and to enforce the rule of law. In addition, abuse of power and human rights violations carried out by the police in the past have strained police-community relations, necessary in curbing the scourge of crime. With no hope in the criminal justice system, citizens tended to resort to popular forms of justice. The country is in dire need of qualified judges and dedicated police officers that will jealously protect the rule of law.
Secondly, the country is also characterised by the lack of effective oversight mechanisms and there is no one to police the police. With no effective oversight measures, law officers are likely to operate outside the legal framework, thus creating conditions conducive for criminals to flourish.
Thirdly, the country also has an entrenched culture of violence. Although rehabilitation and reintegration programmes have been rolled out, these have not been effective enough to change the social fibre of the society and they are not sustainable. Many ex-combatants have been left out of the system and are faced with unemployment. They see crime as an alternative source of income.
As Liberians are celebrating their 161st anniversary, they will need to ask themselves what does a peaceful and prosperous Liberia look like? What are their respective roles in helping to achieve a stable Liberia? In order to address crime, the Liberian government will also need to channel a lot of energy and resources to addressing broken and dysfunctional families – a problem that perpetuates the cycle of violence. In this regard, a comprehensive national family policy and national youth policy can be envisaged. The Liberian government will need to understand that more police on the streets, more streetlights and more prisons are not the only solution to the problem.
As Liberians will be heading to Buchanan, Grand Bassa County to celebrate this historic anniversary, they will need to remain conscious of their responsibility to rebuild Liberia out of love and not through the barrel of the gun. They will need to start seeing themselves as important actors and get a sense of ownership in the process of rebuilding their country, ratherthan merely observing it, as collectives only to be managed.
Thembani Mbadlanyana, Junior Researcher, Training for Peace Programme, ISS Tshwane (Pretoria)