The trial of Gibril Massaquoi has continued to focus on the central explosive question of whether the defendant escaped UN witness protection in Freetown in June-August 2003 to commit war crimes in neighboring Liberia….
Liberia
Foya Victims Celebrate Kamara Conviction
Evelyn Pillo points to the place where her youngest brother was killed and eaten in Ngisakonja, Lofa County by Kamara and Ulimo forces. NGISAKONJA, Lofa County – Evelyn Pillo points to the spot where her father’s house once sat. It was here that her family endured the horrors that, she says, haunt them to this…
Liberia: Second Witness Says He Has Been Attacked and Intimidated for Testifying Against Kosiah
A second plaintiff has told the Swiss court hearing the appeal proceedings of Alieu Kosiah, the Liberian warlord challenging his 20-year sentence for war crimes, that Kosiah’s allies beat and intimidated him for testifying against Kosiah in 2021….
Liberia: Logging Company EJ&J Shipped US$3 million in Lumber Despite Telling Community Exports were Halted; FDA Fails to Act
Water dictates the lives of people in this part of central River Cess. With just three hand pumps to supply a town of 7,000, women and children here wake as early as 3 am to fetch water from distant creeks. But the creek water carries dangers….
Liberia: Jungle Energy Power: A Local Power Company Bringing Comfort to Rural Communities
Samuel G. Youhn, 62, has lived almost his entire life without electricity. His native Nimba County, like every part of Liberia, felt the pinch of the country’s brutal civil wars that destroyed electricity and other infrastructure, in addition to the estimated 250,000 lives they claimed. …
Liberians Turn to Facebook to Find “Good Samaritans” to Fill In Gaps As Healthcare System Fails Them
Like too many people across Liberia Fatu Washington spent much of her youth “living with rejection from friends and neighbors”, as she put it, in her home village of ‘Joseph Town’ in Bomi County….
Blind Women Defy Disabilities to Become Entrepreneurs
Blindness is one of the many tragedies that Liberians suffer at higher rates than people in other countries because of limited medical care. As many 22,000 Liberians suffer from impaired vision….
Presidential Candidate Tiawan Gongloe Promises to Sweep Corruption from Liberia, But Can He Win Over Voters?
Counsellor Tiawan Saye Gongloe, a veteran statesman and human rights lawyer, is one of few of the 20 presidential candidates in next week’s election with a detailed plan to fix Liberia’s problems….
At 78, Boakai Claims Age Makes Him the Best President. Critics Say He’s Too Old and Alliance with Johnson Will Hurt Liberia
With just weeks to the presidential election, pundits say Joseph Boakai, standard-bearer of the Unity Party (UP), presents a serious threat to George Weah, the incumbent president. …
As Instability Sweeps, West African Leaders Plead With Liberian Party Chiefs to Stop Inflammatory Comments
A series of violent incidents by political partisans, and inflammatory comments from party leaders, has Liberians on edge in the runup to next month’s presidential and legislative elections….
Nimba First-Time Voters Say Education Most Important Issue in Choosing President, in Survey
They’re a big group of new voters, in the country’s second-largest county. First-time voters in Nimba will have a major impact in next month’s election so there is a lot of interest in how they will vote. …
The Physically Challenged Candidate Running For Office
Our coverage of election-related activities is not only about presidential candidates. We are also spotlighting representative candidates and their platforms for their constituents. …
Candidate Wants To Boost Representation Of Liberia’s Million People With Disabilities
If resilience were all that was needed to win election, Samuel Dean would win in a landslide. The 45-year-old, who is contesting the Montserrado County District #8 seat against sitting representative Acarous Moses Gray, has had an extraordinary journey—escaping wartime Liberia as a teenager, being shot by police in New York City and, finally, using his payout to help hundreds of Liberians with disabilities….
Liberia’s First-time Voters Overwhelmingly Back a War Crimes Court Survey Finds
As Liberia commemorates 20 years since the end of the civil conflict that left devastated the country and left 250,000 people dead, a survey of first-time voters conducted in two of the country’s biggest counties found overwhelming support for a court….
In Liberia Drug Addiction Is Becoming A Major Problem. Here’s What Presidential Candidates Plan to Do About It
Drug abuse is a growing problem in Liberia. There is no reliable data on user numbers but one study, by the United Nations Population Fund, found a staggering one in five Liberian youth take narcotics. …
As Drug Addiction Reaches a Crisis Liberia’s Presidential Candidates Promise Tough Remedies
In 2012 Cecelia’s life fell apart. Struggling to take care of nine children after the sudden death of her husband, she turned to her oldest son, then in his early 20s, for help. But he was lost to the family, a year into a drug addiction that was destroying his life….
Call for Applications: Journalism Fellowships, Liberia
Journalists with at least three years experience are invited to apply to join New Narratives as reporting fellows for one year projects on a range of topics including governance, democracy, human trafficking, gender-based violence, climate change, pollution, biodiversity and land rights. Funding is provided by Swedish International Development Assistance, the US State Department, Wellspring Philanthropic…
Job Alert: PT Editorial Consultant, Liberia
Job Description Job Title: PT Editorial Consultant Job Location: Monrovia, Liberia Time: 2-3 days a week over four months Remuneration: competitive New Narratives seeks a highly experienced editor to support and mentor our Liberia team in journalism production and project management skills. Deadline: January 31, 2024. To Apply: Send CV, cover letter and links to…
Government Says It Has Cut Poverty but the World Bank Says It’s Rising.
When he took office in 2018 President George Weah promised his government would lift one million Liberians out of poverty by the end of his six year term. Half Liberia’s five million people live below in the poverty line. In January the Weah government declared a victory that surprised many people: it claimed to have…
Sinoe Forest Community Fumes Over Numerous Illegalities by Forestry Development Agency As Lawmaker’s Company Wins Concession
Community members here in Tartweh and Drapoe chiefdoms are fuming over a range of what they claim are violations of Liberian laws by the country’s forest management body the Forestry Development Agency….
Communities Drowning in Trash Furious Over Failed US$3M Waste Management Project – Part Two
In part two of this two-part investigation Anthony Stephens and Tina S. Menhpaine report with New Narratives on the obstacles that doomed a $3m EU-funded waste management project….