The Bureau of Public Affairs

 Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

DAILY NEWS SUMMARY FOR THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2017

News of the death of a Liberian peacekeeper in Timbuktu, Mali, is the lone story dominating our summary of the local dailies today.

DOMINANT STORY

Liberian Peace-keeper Dies In Rocket Attack in Mali, Nine Others Wounded One Killed, Not Deterred

According to the FrontPage Africa newspaper, Liberia’s Defense Minister Brownie Samukai has termed as a regrettable situation the attacking of Liberian peacekeepers in Timbuktu, Mali, killing at least one person and injuring nine others. “I’m very sorry for what has happened; this is a very unfortunate situation of terrorist who have attack UN peacekeepers who were only providing peace and security for the people of Mali," Min. Samukai said. According to him, despite the attack, Liberia would continue the mission and would rather take appropriate measures to deter and defeat attackers. The attack is the latest to hit the mission known as MINSUMA, stationed in the country since 2013 and considered its most dangerous active peacekeeping deployment. "A mortar and rocket attack was launched against the MINUSMA camp in Timbuktu," a UN statement said. The UN mission said it had reinforced the camp's defenses and deployed air cover to identify where the enemy fire had originated, describing it as a "terrorist" attack. 

Related Captions: Rocket Attack Kills Liberian Soldier In Mali (Daily Observer), Liberian Soldier Killed In Mali…Several Injured (The INQUIRER)

OTHER STORIES

UNECA Convenes Technical Meeting Of High Level Panel On Migration President Sirleaf To Chair HLPM

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) on June 27-28, 2017 convened a technical meeting to workout modalities of the launching of the High Level Panel on migration in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The High Level Panel on Migration was set up by the African Union and the United Nations in 2016 through UNECA. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf chairs the panel, which comprise Liberia, Canada, China, Malta, and Norway as well as the International Labor Organization, the International Migration Organization has been named to Chair the HLPM beyond 2017, the In Profile Daily reads.

Related Caption: UNECA Convenes Technical Meeting of HLPM Shortly on Migration; President Sirleaf Will Chair the Occasion (FOCUS)

Supreme Court Transfers Judge Gbeisay To Kakata

The Supreme Court Wednesday transferred Judge Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay to the 13th Judicial Circuit Court in Kakata, Margibi County. Judge Gbeisay has been re-assigned to Margibi County and subsequently replaced with Judge Yussif Kaba, currently mending the Civil Law Court in Monrovia. According to the Daily Observer, Judges serve at the will and pleasure of the Chief Justice, who has the mandate to transfer any judge from one court to the other throughout the country. Gbeisay has been presiding over Criminal Court ‘C’ for the last two terms of court, a total of 104 days, before his transfer to Margibi County. Under the law, judges are to be rotated (transferred) after serving a term of court, which lasts for 42 days, and an extended period of 10 days for them to prepare reports on their activities, which takes the total to 52 days.

Related Caption: Judge Charged Yussif Kaba Takes Charge of Criminal Court “C” (FrontPage Africa)

Gov’t Warns As Strange Disease Kills 12

The front headline story of the Heritage newspaper reads that the Government of Liberia (GoL) through the Ministry of Health and its partners is encouraging the public not to panic, but to continue to take the preventive measures. The government urges the public to reinforce hand washing practices and report any death or sickness to the county health team and local authorities in any county, especially Montserrado and Sinoe Counties. “For those persons who die and are linked to the unexplained cluster of illness and death in Sinoe, the Ministry of Health burial team will work with the families of persons who died and are linked to the unexplained cluster of illness and death in Sinoe,” the government stated.

Freedom of Information Law Requires Review as PUL Celebrates World Press Freedom Day

The Chief of Human Rights Protection at United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), Marcel Carlos Akpovo, who represented Keynote Speaker, SRSG Farid Zarid, has called for the review of Freedom of Information Law in a way that it will better protect the rights of the media. He made the statement Wednesday, May 3, 2017 at the celebration of the World Press Freedom Day in the Auditorium of the main campus of the University of Liberia in Monrovia. He said the country is faced with challenges in exercising the Freedom of Information Law, emphasizing meanly on the media. Akpovo asserted that if the media have a free access to information and expression, that will help citizens make an informed decision in this 2017 elections based on issues they will be highlighting, the In Profile Daily reads.

LRD10.9 Billion Unaccounted For

The New Dawn newspaper reports that Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) Executive Governor, Milton Weeks has disclosed that 10.9 Billion Liberian dollars currently in circulation outside of the banking system and can’t be accounted for. He blames the situation on huge quantity of old Liberian banknotes that were put in circulation and have become mutilated, while others are pocketed by private citizens and companies. Governor Weeks spoke at a public hearing in the chambers of the Liberian Senate on Tuesday, 2 May in Monrovia, noting that this problem has put the CBL in a difficult position in replacing mutilated banknotes. He pointed out that currently, the Liberian government is in possession of 12.6 billon of the newly printed local currency, and of the amount, only 1.6 billion LRD is in circulation while the remaining 9 billon LRD has been distributed among commercial banks , while the rest, which he did not disclose, is at the Central Bank.

World Hand Hygiene Day Is Tomorrow

A back-page story of the In Profile Daily reads that Liberia is joining other countries on the Continent of Africa to celebrate the World Hand Hygiene Day tomorrow, May 5, 2017. Dubbed The WHO SAVE LOVES: Clean Your Hands, this is an annual initiative which forms part of a major effort led by the World Health Organization (WHO)            to support health-care workers to improve hand hygiene in health care settings and thus support the prevention of often life-threatening Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs). According to Theodosia S. Kolee, ASc, BSN, MPH-Epidemiologist, who is the National IPC Focal Person at World Health Organization-Liberia, this year’s event will be held under the theme: “Fight  Antibiotic Resistance, its’ in your hands.”

FAO, GOL Revitalize Agriculture Statistics Unit

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), have revitalized the Agriculture Statistics Unit at the MOA to ensure the management and sustainability of reliable data on agricultural performance in the country. Agriculture Minister Moses Zinnah said access to quality and affordable data has been a challenge for the ministry. Minister Zinnah made the statement last Friday during the official opening of the statistics unit in Fendell, outside Monrovia. FAO Representative in Liberia Marc Abdala stated that sustainability is key to the success of the statistics project, if Liberia is to succeed in ending hunger by 2030 under the United Nations mandate. He said the FAO remains committed to supporting Liberia’s efforts to improve food security and to eliminate hunger, reads the Daily Observer.

MRU Women Brainstorm To Prevent Violence Against Women, Girls

About 30 women representing the Mano River Union (MRU) countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea have begun brainstorming on how to end violence against women and girls, which include sharing experiences, identifying strategies and forming networks, among others. The Program Director of Global Fund for Human Rights for West Africa, John Kabia, said recent statistics have shown that about 35 percent of women around the world are victims of domestic or sexual violence, which is worrisome and calls for networks to address such a grave issue in the region and the world at large. Mr. Kabia made the remarks Wednesday at the kickoff of a three day event on the state of Women’s Rights Movements in the Mano River Region, and current programming to respond to violence against women and girls held at a hotel in Congo Town, writes the Daily Observer.

CHAP Discloses Progress Of Japanese Rice Grant Project

The Executive Director of Community of Hope Agriculture Project (CHAP), Robert Bimba, has said that the ongoing Japanese Rice Grant Project is making tremendous progress in Lofa, Bassa, Bomi, Cape Mount and Montserrado counties. “The US$ 2 million rice grant provided to Liberia by the Japanese Government to help achieve economic recovery of Liberian rice farmers in Ebola- affected counties will enable farmers to work smart to improve annual yield,” Bimba disclosed. He said the eighteen month project awarded CHAP in December 2016 has so far helped farmers in the targeted counties understand the importance of labor saving devices, and the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in rice production. SRI is an improved technology that increases rice yield that is being widely practiced in the West African region. He explained that his institution is working with 1,800 rice farmers in the five counties with skills in SRI practice and have upgraded the capacity of six rice processing facilities, reports the Daily Observer.

Over 50 Law Enforcement Officers End Five-Day Intensive Security Training US Justice Department Sponsored, FBI Facilitated

Participants at the just-ended international security training for law enforcement agencies in Accra, Ghana which covered wide range of issues have graded the exercise as resourceful and a great success. The training was held under the auspices of the United States Department of Justice and facilitated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The five-day training which lasted from April 24-28, 2017 brought together over fifty law enforcement officers from three West African countries including Ghana, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde and Liberia, FOCUS newspaper reads.

Action Against Hunger Improving Hygiene At Public Schools

According to the FrontPage Africa newspaper, Action Against Hunger along with Ground Water Exploration International has constructed modern latrines and hand pumps on the campus of three schools in rural Montserrado to remedy the students struggle to have access to water and latrine. Three schools: Arthington Public School, Jallaba Public School and Krukai Public School, now have health clubs, which are providing education for students who in return are becoming hygiene ambassadors in their community. Action Against Hunger WASH Program Manager Jackson Yoko said the program seeks to improve wash activities in schools.

Lofa County’s Capital to Get Pipe Borne Water Soon

Citizens in Voinjama, Lofa County will shortly receive pipe borne water through a USAID funded project. According to Lofa County Superintendent, George S. Dunor, the water project is a USAID initiative meant to provide safe drinking water for thousands of residents of Voinjama and its surroundings town and villages. The project is part of USAID Municipal Water initiative to be constructed in three counties including Lofa County. The Lofa County Superintendent informed reporters that the construction of the pipe-borne water line is expected to be completed and dedicated by or on the 26 of July 2017, write the FrontPage Africa newspaper.

Disease Outbreak in Sinoe not Transmissible

Liberia’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Francis Kateh, says the unknown disease outbreak in Greenville, Sinoe County, which has so far killed 12 people is not transmissible. “Health authorities are 99 percent sure that the disease is not transmissible,” Kateh said on a local radio station. According to him, about 60 persons from Monrovia and other parts of the country attended a funeral in Sinoe where they came in contact with the disease, the FOCUS newspaper reads.

Equal Opportunity For Public Education Will Reduce Economic Burdens House Joint Committee Discloses

A report calling for the provision of quality education to Liberians from Kindergarten to economic burdens in the country has been submitted to the Plenary of the House of Representatives. Plenary is the highest decision making body of the House of Representatives. The presentation of the report by the House Joint Committee on Education, Ways, Means and Finance and Judiciary to Plenary stemmed from the submission of a proposed Act under the captioned: Equal Opportunity Public Education Act by Maryland County Representative, Bhofal Chambers. In the report submitted to the House Plenary on Tuesday, May 2, 2017, the Joint Committee pointed out that the document seeks to ensure that all Liberian citizens of sound minds have the right to public education at low cost from kindergarten through college or undergraduate level, irrespective of gender, disability, class, religion, ethnicity, political affiliation, organization, amongst other, the Heritage newspaper reads.

Rep. Dunah Wants More Courts And Judges Across Liberia

Nimba County District #7 Representative, Worlea Saywah Dunah, is calling for amendment of Section 3.6 of the Judiciary law of Liberia title 17 of the Liberia code of law revised to provide for the appointment of additional relieving judges for circuit courts across the country. Representative Dunah, who chairs the Judiciary committee of the lower House, says the amendment will bring much needed relief to the judiciary as workloads of judges are enormous and sometimes natural events like illnesses and death impedes dispensation of Justice. In a communication sent to the House plenary on Tuesday, he says the two relieving judges provided for by the current section 3.6 are insufficient to service the increasing demands of the justice sector, specifically the judiciary and there is the further need for the appointment of additional relieving judges to address such demands.