TOP

STORIES

EBOLA

MEDIA
ISSUES

pg 5
FPA EDITOR
ADDRESSES MEDIA
CONFERENCE
IN NORWAY

pg 7

CREMATORIUM
DEMOLITION
Community signs MOU to
erase Ebola memory

CENTRAL BANK OF LIBERIA

MARKET BUYING AND SELLING RATES
LIBERIAN DOLLARS PER US DOLLAR
BUYING

FrontPage

L$84.00/US$1

L$85.00/US$1

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2015

L$84.00/US$1

L$85.00/US$1

THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015

L$84.00/US$1

L$85.00/US$1

THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2015

These are indicative rates based on results of daily surveys of

the foreign exchange market in Monrovia and its environs. The
rates are collected from the Forex Bureaux and the commercials
banks. The rates are not set by the Central Bank of Liberia.

www.frontpageafricaonline.com

Source:
Research, Policy and Planning Department,
Central Bank Liberia,
Monrovia, Liberia

PRICE L$40

FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2015

VOL 9 NO.52

SELLING

AMID DISAPPOINTMENT FROM SEVERAL RELATIVES, FRIENDS,

SUPREME COURT POSTPONES PROCEEDINGS FOR 13 MERCENARIES

HEARING
REASSIGNED

We dont know that this case had been re-assigned, if so we wouldnt have wasted
our time and rushed to come to this court on time, a disappointed relative

POLICE CONDEMNS
PLANNED SINKOR
DEMONSTRATION
p 8

RESUMING
TRADE AMID
TEMPERATURE
CHECKS

Law & Order - pg.5

pg - 6

Friday, March 20, 2015

Page 2 | Frontpage

Monroviahe Government of Liberia has announced

that all matters relating to the death of the
late Michael Allison is closed; disclosing
Wednesday that autopsies conducted have
proved that he died of natural accident-drowning. But
FrontPageAfrica has gathered that family members
of the deceased are preparing to respond to the
Government findings in the next few days.
When contacted Thursday, a senior member of the
Allison family who did not want to be quoted vowed
that the matter is not yet over, declaring that the
family will make an official statement soon.
Since the death of Allison there has been persistent
outcry from many quarters that something went
wrong; especially when the deceased was a whistle
blower in a case including some members of the
House of Representatives who are being investigated
by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission over
questionable payments for legal consultancy during a
nationwide consultation on draft oil laws.
Allison was found dead on a local beach in Monrovia
prompting an autopsy to establish the actual cause of
death. Following nearly a month and two pathologists,
a Sierra Leonean and an American were contracted
to perform the work. The Government of Liberia
Wednesday released a statement announcing the
results of the autopsies.
A tough speaking Minister of Justice blasting the
media for speculating regarding Allisons death
announced that everything surrounding Allison is
now closed with the release of the findings from the
autopsy.
There will be no charges and this investigation is
with due purpose is now closed, Cllr. Sannoh said but
there are calls for the Government of Liberia to make
the full autopsy report public rather than announcing
findings.
Tactics to dissuade attention

The Minister of Justice in making the findings of

the autopsy regarding Allison public spoke more
on the identity of the deceased rather than more
explanations surrounding the autopsy findings and
according to family sources, this is deviating from the
main issue and bringing the character of a dead man
who cannot defend himself into question.
But the Justice Minister Wednesday said Alison was a
fraudster who used fake names and passports.
There is no record that has Allison to his name, no
evidence had it that he was referred to as Michael
Allison. The body that was found was a citizen of
America, Minister Sannoh said.
Some ordinary Liberians and a youth activist believe
that the revelation made by government that Atty.
Michael Allison had three identities is a clear attempt
to sway the publics attention from the truth.
Jeremiah T. Barclay, a youth activist argued that the
revelation of fake identity has no bearing on the case
adding that the most important thing is to find the
actual cause of death.
It is a clear attempt by the government to intimidate
the family not to call for another autopsy, Barclay
said.
The issue at foot is not about a person having four or
five passports, to have come out with such a result that
he got drowned is unfortunate, Barclay continued.
Barclay challenged the result released by the
government adding that if nothing is done they
[youth] will gather at the Capitol to demand justice.
The government in a strong worded statement termed
Atty. Allison as dubious person who had no record to
indicate that his name is Michael Allison.
The government says its investigation revealed that
the name carry Michael Allison was not the decease
real identity.
There is no record that has Allison to his name, no
evidence had it that he was referred to as Michael

Allison. The body that was found was a citizen of

America, Minister Sannoh said.
The Justice Minister said that the whistle blower
live a dubious life adding that the Allison case has
indicted the passport department, Liberia National
Bar Association and the vital statistics.
The Justice Minister said, based on the investigation
the body that was found on the beach is that of Mr.
Maurice Bright Jr. born in Bahamas Dec 8, 1967.
Flawed report

A youth activist Alvin Wesseh has urged that Minister

Sannoh is using the issue of identity to shield what he
termed the government flawed report.
I hear the Justice Minister saying that Allison was a
dubious man that is diversionary tactics, the Justice
Minister needs to come to truth telling, he needs to
tell where is Michael Allison if they argued that person
name Michael did not died, Wesseh added.
Wesseh believes that the report was manipulated and
framed to suit the interest of certain higher ups.
The entire report was systematically manipulated
to sever certain interest group, I think justice was hijacked, Wesseh said.
Wesseh continued: I question that report, it baffles
me for the government to say they are not prepared
to do another autopsy.
Wesseh said the death of the whistle blower is a big
blow to the fight against corruption.
The President said corruption is a vampire so
anybody who wants to fight corruption will be eaten
by the vampire, Wesseh added.
Cllr. Sannoh said that the investigation did not
cover any evidence of foul play that Allison death
was induced by the conduct of anybody or their
instrumentality.
We thereby announce that the government of Liberia
considered that the body found was natural resulting
from drowning, Cllr. Sannoh added.
Cllr. Sannoh explained that the investigation conducted
by the LNP is intended to determine whether a crime
has occurred and to identify arrest, interrogate and
charge those they made have probable cause to
believe committed the crime.
Wesseh said the decision by Justice Minister Sannoh
to leave the fact and falsely attribute a character to
Atty. Allison is a quest to ambush justice.
Let me send this as a caveat that history and men are

the final judges of our deeds, Wesseh added.

Gborto Brooks said, institutions like the Liberia
National Bar Association, the passport department
and vital statics need to investigate for whatever role
they made have played.
Brooks said if nothing is done to these institutions the
revelation by the government needs to be investigated.
Brooks said, if the government investigation shows
that the dead man is an American it is further
implicating the Liberian government.
They are saying he was an American citizen, for me I
think this government is putting itself in trouble with
the American government, Brooks said.
A resident of Sinkor, Neved Kortu said, the report by
the Ministry of Justice leaves him to wonder where
Liberia is headed.
It is disheartening and worrisome, Im wondering
where our country is heading, Kortu said.
Kortu said, people obtaining passport under dubious
means is not strange to Liberia adding that a Danish
journalist did the same.
After a month of investigation, with two autopsy
reports, several eye witness accounts and interviews
of over twenty interested persons and a revelation of
a new identity of the deceased Michael Allison, the
government says no evidence has link anybody to the
death of the whistle blower.
The Liberian National Police did not receive any
evidence nor did it uncover any evidence for its
investigation that the manner of death was criminal.
Justice Minister Benedict Sannoh said.
Over the months there were many conflicting
information surrounding the death of Allison, some
say he was murdered because of the NOCAL saga,
while others say he went for a swim at night and got
drowned.
In course of the saga the government of Liberia
brought both a Sierra Leonean and An American
pathologists to conduct an autopsy which according
to the government the both autopsy established that
death was caused by drowning.
The report issued and concluded that the cause of
death was drowning, The manner of death is consider
consistent with an accident, it duty of a medical expert
to identified the cause of death, Sannoh said.
Cllr. Sannoh said, no one has been implicated in the
death of the decease or they made have contributed
to his death.

Friday, March 20, 2015

Frontpage

Page 3

FrontPage COMMENTARY
EDITORIAL LAWMAKERS ARE KEY TO SUSTAINING
Commentary

DISGRACEFUL
POOR MONROVIA
REPORT NEEDS
SERIOUS
ATTENTION

LIBERIA IS THE oldest black independent African Republic

with a long history of existence covering over 167 years.
NOT ONLY IS Liberia an old country but one with rich
history of making major contributions to formation
of international organizations in Africa and the world
including the Organizations of African Unity (OAU) which
has transformed into the African Union (AU).
LIBERIA IS A founding member of the OAU now AU and
the United Nations, the League of Nations and other
organizations.
THE COUNTRY PAVED the way for the several other African
countries to gain independence from their colonial masters.
SOME OF THE African countries that gained independence
recently are moving far ahead in terms of growth and
development while Liberia continues on a slow footing.
AS OF TODAY, there is no real explanation for the current
state in which the country finds itself, lacking basic social
services, good infrastructure, well-functioning systems
including education, health, and others.
AFTER 167 YEARS as a nation Liberias capital, Monrovia
has been recorded as one of the poorest cities in world to
the extent of being named the poorest city in the world.
MONROVIA IN TERMS of geography is one of the smallest
cities in world with just few streets, ideally located along
the Atlantic Ocean, making its development to be something
less expensive as compared to other African cities that are
larger in size and having huge population.
MANY LIBERIANS DO not really live in Monrovia but
rather on the outskirts as the city itself has proven to be
uncomfortable for dwelling lacking running water, good
sanitation, electricity and other services.
PEOPLE COMMUTE TO the city where most of the
government ministries and agencies are located for work
as the city has turned dwelling place for the poorest of
people, those who cant afford to live in comfort on the city
outskirts.
HOUSES IN THE city are congested and garbage is disposed
of on main streets, making the city somewhere people who
earn higher income cannot afford to live.
WITH ALL THESE harsh conditions prevailing in Monrovia,
no wonder why it was rightly described as one of the
poorest cities in the world in the UN Habitat 2012/2013
State of World Cities Report.
Monrovia is listed along with several West African capitals
as the poorest cities in the world in the slamming report.
THERE ARE ONLY five cities with very weak prosperity
factors (CPI below 0.500) in UN-Habitats worldwide
sample Bamako, Antananarivo, Monrovia, Niamey and
Conakry. Their common feature is that they have recently
experienced various types of conflict with various degrees
of intensity. In each of them, production, quality of life and
infrastructure indicators are very low, states the report.
THE LISTING OF Monrovia amongst capitals of African
countries, some of which only gained independence
recently is a mixed comparison.
MORE BESIDES, THE justification that Monrovia
experienced some form of conflict cannot be used for the
terrible look of the city and the awful living conditions of
its residents.
LIBERIA GRADUATED FROM civil wars more than one
decade ago, which is sufficient time to change things and
v

LIBERIAS COMMUNITY RADIOS

By Frank Sainworla, Jr. Cell: 0888311579 email: fsainworla@yahoo.com, Contributing Writer

heck the records of the National Legislature,

the community radio sustainability Act has
for years been gathering dust. This bill seeks
to be include allotment in the annual nation
budget to help upkeep and develop community radios
dotted across Liberia, given the vital role they play in
disseminating information to most of the population
who live in rural areas. Remember, if such an Act is
passed, it will make funding mandatory in the budget
law for these under resourced stations to be more
responsive to local needs and development process.
But it will not be left to the discretion of any given
political actor(s) at a point time.
Lawmakers need to realize that the relevance of
community radio stations has grown exponentially
over the years, with their role during the Ebola crisis
being extraordinary. So they must see the urgent need
to stop delaying the passage of that bill intended to
give community radio a new lease of life.
Just travel to regions beyond the capital, Monrovia,
one immediately gets to appreciate that community
radios are indeed filling a big void. Even the wellfunded United Nations UNMIL radios signal cannot
reach some of the fringes community radios are
covering. Needless to talk about equally challenged
state owned ELBCs signal. Many like this writer
who have been fortunate to travel to Northwestern,
Northeastern and Southeastern Liberia in recent
times, can attest that community radio stations there
serve as the only source of information for the vast
majority of the locals. If they are off the air in places
such as Tappita or Karnplay in Nimba County, people
virtually live in the proverbial dark world.
Like the Liberian media as a whole, the now over 50
local community radio stations were one of the foot
soldiers in the war against the deadly Ebola Virus
Disease, said Bill Burk, Chief of Party of the American
media development group, IREX earlier this week. He
added that the community radio sector must not be
over looked. This is a point buttressed by a USAID
official, Loren Brown who described as critical
community radios role in beating Ebola down to zero
cases.
Even Information Minister Lewis Brown himself
acknowledged that community radios have become
not only a powerful tool but also trusted medium,
as demonstrated by the way they gave voice to
communities leading to a near successful victory over
the deadly Ebola. The Information Minister however
warned against community radios being used by
give the city a better look.
NEIGHBORING SIERRA LEONE also suffered similar crisis
but Freetown is not listed amongst the worse five cities in
the world.
MOGADISHU IN SOMALIA is also not listed amongst the five
poorest cities in the world whereas Somalia is a country that
has been engulfed in years of unrest and it is still unstable
but its capital is far better than Monrovia which has been
experiencing more than one decade of perpetual peace.
IN ACTUALITY, THERE is no justification for the poor state
of Monrovia and the Government of Liberia must see the
report as a big shame and begin taking measures to revamp
the city to resemble a 21st century city as declared by the
Joan Clos, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and
United Nations Executive Director, UN-Habitat .
IN THIS REPORT, UN-Habitat advocates for a new type of
city the city of the 21st century that is a good, people
centered city, one that is capable of integrating the tangible
and more intangible aspects of prosperity, and in the

some politicians to promote their selfish political

ambitions. Of course that warning is in place.
Brown was speaking last Tuesday at a one-day forum
at the Monrovia City Hall of the Ebola Community
Action Platform (ECAP) funded by USAID through
IREX, PSI and MercyCorps under the theme-- Trusted
Voices in Challenging Times: Community Radio and
the Ebola Crisis.
Moreover, the above mentioned assertions are backed
by hard social scientific research studies done,
confirming the important role of community radios
in contemporary Liberia. An IREX community radio
study few years ago shows that 89% of Liberians
see them as the number one trusted source of
information.
A more recent study done in December 2014 and just
released by UNICEF shows that radio is indeed the
king when it comes to public access to information
dissemination in Liberia. According to the study,
93% of Liberians said that radio was the first channel
though which they got messages about Ebola.
So, the evidence is resounding: community radios
are an indispensable link in the national information
chain in Liberia today. And as such, it must not just
only be given sporadic assistance but must be given
sustained support.
If Liberias post Ebola recovery and development
efforts is to succeed, it will certainly not be realized
without community radios being on board. The
National Legislature and Executive branch of
government must now begin to put their money
where their mouth is by putting rhetoric into deeds.
Yes, community radios have proven to be vital in the
war against Ebola. But they will even be equally vital
and more effective in the post Ebola era if they get
the necessary support from national government,
something they complained at the City Hall forum did
not come.
Its good that Minister Lewis Brown publically
hailed community radios role in battling Ebola and
acknowledged their power, urging them to help
government to foster national unity and inclusive
development. But let this not only be reduced to
words, because this government has a track record of
being strong on words but weak on implementation.
Frank Sainworla, Jr.
Freelance Journalist/Media Consultant
Tel : +231-(0)888311579
E-mail : fsainworla@yahoo.com

process shedding off the inefficient, unsustainable forms

and functionalities of the city of the previous century.
By doing this, UN-Habitat plays a pivotal role in ensuring
that urban planning, legal, regulatory and institutional
frameworks become an instrument of prosperity and wellbeing said Clos.
THIS IS A challenge for Liberia to make Monrovia resemble
a 21st century city; a city as older than 167 years has no
reason to be counted amongst the poorest cities in the
world amid the plethora of resources.
MORE ASTONISHING IS the rich nature of Liberia, having
vast natural resources-gold, diamond, iron ore, fertile soil
for agriculture and other resources.
LIBERIANS DESERVE BETTER from the government in
terms of providing the basic social services that are expected
of a 21st century capital city.
THE UN HABITAT report is a big disgrace to Liberia and
needs serious attention to redeem the city image and
ranking in future reports.

Friday, March 20, 2015

Page 4 | Frontpage

The Reader's Page

FrontPage

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING

ABOUT OUR STORIES ON THE
WORLDWIDE WEB

COMMENTS FROM
FPA ONLINE

BUSTED DRUG STING: NSA

HELPED U.S. DEA BREAK
HUGE DRUG TRADE

Sylvester Moses Top Commenter Works at Self-Employed

An interesting story; congratulations to Director Sirleaf, and US
DEA, which was the beneficiary of this operation - the drugs were
destined for their market. The significance of this entrapment story
is that foreign drug cartels will be wary about using Monrovia as a
drug transshipment hub. Yet, we must note that the same outcome
was achievable through best - practiced operational methods. There
are therefore few disturbing questions that deserve answers.
First, why would a foreign drug ring single out the head of NSA
to aid and abet in transferring illegal drugs abroad? (We can chalk
that to his proximity to ultimate power: stepson of the president).
Second, what motivated Director Fomba to not only agree in
becoming an undercover cop, but also decided to meet foreign drug
lords in his own home? Thirdly, why didnt they maintain a secure
rendezvous, or couldnt the neutrality of a hotel suffice?
Moreover, agencies heads dont participate in investigations,
especially drug operations, and the protection provided to keep him
safe didnt match the benefits. He shouldve have passed on the
info of the overtures so that the US DEA would take over. Such
extreme risks may be taken only if the life of the president or the
defense of the state is imperiled. Despite praises from a grateful
US DEA, Fomba's professional judgment was colored by friendship
with Agent Gaye.
Dash S. Wilson Top Commenter Wilmington University
This story brings to mind the name Emmanuel L. Shaw, (A
notorious criminal by profession), former Finance Minister during
the administration of President Samuel Doe, who was also very
instrumental in using Liberia as a transit point for the trafficking of
drugs to the united States and Europe. According to my professor of
LEG-320 who spent some years in Liberia, indicated that Emmanuel
L. Shaw ran this same criminal enterprise in Liberia along with many
criminal elements namely Gus. Kouwenhoven, and his (Shaw's)
late buddy in crime, Michael Wolman (Shot and killed In South
Africa). Emmanuel L. Shaw used his connection in government and
used Liberia for drug trafficking and made millions overnight. The
united States government is aware of Shaw's organized criminal
empire he had in Liberia. Emmanuel L. Shaw is between Accra,
Ghana and Kigali, Rwanda with a fake name running from justice.
We should not be surprised to hear that Shaw is arrested and brought
to the states to face the law. Do the crime, do the time. Everybody
knows Shaw's MO in Monrovia, this makes it impossible for him to
stay in Liberia. Emmanuel L. Shaw, the FBI has not forgotten about
you, it is just a matter of time. We must galvanize our resources and
protect our country and not characters like Emmanuel Shaw that are
involved in organized crime.

DROWNED WITHOUT FOUL

PLAY: ALLISON DIED OF
NATURAL ACCIDENT

Sylvester Moses Top Commenter Works at Self-Employed

Upon securing the services of a second pathologist to reexamine
the body of the deceased, Counselor Michael Allison, acting
Justice Minister Sannoh warned the press and the public against
speculation and exaggeration. But, to our dismay, rather
than providing closure relative to the mysterious death of a
whistleblower in a sensational case of corruption, he has in this
latest statement simply opened another overflowing can of worms.
For instance, the public, we included (because Michael was the
image of a late colleague) would want answers to this question:
what does the assumed names, if any, of an individual, who went
abroad and secured citizenship in another land, has to do with
his mysterious death now determined to be drowning by the
opinions of medical experts? A conclusion which presupposes
that water was found in the lungs of a reportedly "abandoned and
mutilated" corpse.
Moreover, Sannoh said that The Liberian National Police did
not receive any evidence nor did it uncover any evidence for its
investigation that the manner of death was criminal. The public
need to know the depth of such probe, example - his telephone
record 48 hour before going to the beach with girl friend to gauge
Michaels state of mind prior to drowning. This case matters: a
young lawyer dies, and the answers seem - so far - unsatisfactory,

DISCLAIMER

The comments expressed here are those of our online readers and
bloggers and do no represent the views of FrontPageAfrica

Send your letters and comments to:

editor@frontpageafricaonline.com
YOU WRITE; WE PUBLISH; THEY READ!

COVER-UP SMELLS IN
MICHAEL ALLISON CASE
The Editor,

hen it quacks, smacks and talks like a duck, you bet

it is a darn duck. Call it what you may: feet dragging,
beating around the bush, trying to buy time or a
cover-up, there are powerful forces outside Liberia
that are trying to get to the bottom of Michael Allison's supposedly
questionable and mysterious drowning death, an key government
whistle blower in the secrecy, convuluted, corruption-plagued
running of Liberia's newfound wealth of offshore oil and the
syndicate, NOCAL charged with spreading the oil money to uplift
Liberians from grinding poverty.
It is no accident that the corrupt regime of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
has been trying to cover its dirty tracks following the first autopsy
which outcome has been shelved. That a second autopsy has been
ordered performed and not by another handpicked, drive-by,
"two-by-four" pathologist from friendly neighbor Sierra Leone is
enough to warn the regime that Uncle Sam wants to get to the
bottom and is interested in Allison's death and the noticeably
silence from the president initially.
According to confidential sources who told my authoritative and
informative Liberian African News Service, LANS -518-556-1343,
Allison's mysterious death was brought up in private discussions
with President Ellen Johnson during her recent visit to the United
States and her meetings with US President Barack Obama and
Secretary of State John Kerry.
Why? The late Allison was an American citizen and the US leaves
no stone unturned when it comes to anyone or group or regime
that kills US citizens. That is why the American pathologist was
chosen to go to Liberia to perhaps review the first autopsy and
perform a second autopsy at the request of the US government.
We hope Allison will not be the straw that breaks the Camel's
back in the corruption culture that engulfs the Liberian regime.
Listen closely and attentatively to President Obama's five - minutes
White House welcoming remarks on February 27 for President
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and you will not miss a beat that his theme
was corruption. Not once but twice Mr. Obama mentioned the
dreaded word, corruption. But for Sirleaf who campaigned in
2005 on defeating corruption as Liberia's public enemy number
one, not once did she mention the word corruption in her seven
minutes of remarks. Note that President Obama told President
Sirleaf that the United States has its own ideas on how to fight
corruption. And you now already have a team of USAID auditors
in Liberia to trace and to make sure Ebola money sent there from
American taxpayers did not end up in the corruption money
draining sinkholes of government cronies.
Both Presidents Barack Obama and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf are now
lameduck presidents and are trying to cement their individual
legacies. For both leaders who are Havard University graduates,
Mr. Obama's landmark accomplishments include his Affordable
Healthcare Act or Obamacare and creating millions of new jobs by
reducing the US unemployment rate from the double digits when
he first took office to now near the 7 percent mark.
As for President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf who bragged then about
being an Havard Economist and the promise to create jobs for
Liberians, the unemployment rate when she took office nearly 10
years in 2006 was 85 percent, and today it is still stagnant at 85
percent; a sort of voodoo economics or what I call ELLEONOMICS.
Jerry Wehtee Wion,
Journalist and Political Commentator,
Washington, DC, USA

A POSITION ON THE LAW WITH

RESPECT TO A MOTION FILED BY
DEFENSE ATTORNEYS REPRESENTING
TWO TWO OF THE PEOPLE INDICTED
IN THE NOCAL CASE

Dear Mr. Editor:

must write to your paper to clarify a position on the law with

respect to a motion filed by defense attorneys representing two of
the people indicted in the NOCAL case as headlined in your paper
NOCAL Sage: Belated Indictment Lawyers Want Clients Loosed. As
I have not had an opportunity to read the full brief filed, I am basing my
analysis on the strength that the facts reported by your paper is a true and
correct summary of those arguments. The arguments revolve around the
interpretation of Article 4.2 of the Criminal Procedure Laws of Liberia and
has nothing to do with the individuals involve.
In brief, Section 4.2 holds that one charged with a felony must be tried
within a period of five years. The meaning of the statute is therefore clear
and the plain meaning of the statute is that one who is charged with a
felony. In the instant case, I understand that the indictment was recently
issued (probably in March 2015) by a Montserrado County Grand Jury.
The defense attorneys are arguing herein that the defendants allegedly
committed the acts between 2006 and 2007, which means that they
should have been tried by 2012 to fall within the 5year time limit of
Section 4.2.
Here is where the Defense team gravely errs. Section 4.2 says that a
person must be tried within five years of having been charged. However,
the defendants were only charged in March 2015 when the indictment
was issued. The instrument by which a person is charged in this instance
is the indictment. Any times prior to the indictment, the defendants were
simply being investigated by the state on suspicion of having committed
egregious crimes against the Republic and the people thereof. You can
even say that they were just persons of interests in this NOCAL saga as
your paper has now termed these proceedings.
Conversely, prior to the issuance of the indictment, they were free citizens,
although under a cloud of suspicion, but nevertheless free men and
women. It is only when they were charged, i.e., issued with an indictment,
that their liberty were constrained and they had to post bail.
The defense team, eminent as it is, is therefore in error as it is confusing
the period of lengthy investigation (from 2006/2007 to 2015) as the
period during which their clients should have been tried. But the
defendants could not have been tried before the indictment because they
had not been charged.
The defenses argument, if it is to make any sense at all, would apply
to a statute of limitation. But I am not sure of the statute of limitation
applicable to the felonies with which these persons have been charged.
The SolicitorGeneral need not present an excuse that it took too long to
investigate as NOCAL was not cooperative. The issue before the court is
the plain interpretation of Section 4.2, and here, the SolicitorGeneral can
win on the plain interpretation of the statute without making the excuses
she is making before the court.
Understandably, this misconception of when a person is charged in
Liberia is cultural one. In
Liberia, once a person is being investigated; the perception is that they
have been charged, especially so when such investigation is making
headlines in the media. But you will agree with me that it is also possible
that at the conclusion of the investigation, the Justice Ministry may have
concluded, based on the weight of the evidence adduced during their
investigation, not to charge some or all of the defendants. But in this
case, they decided to take the case to the grand jury. It is this resulting
indictment of the grand jury that formally charged these persons with a
crime under Liberian law. They are still presumed innocent until convicted
by a court of competent jurisdiction.
Here is the point, the clock on being tried within five years just started to
tick in March 2015, and not in 2006!
Thus, the motion filed by the defense is due to be dismissed by the Court.
Or if granted, the SolicitorGeneral should appeal the ruling on this basis.
Thank you for the opportunity.

Sincerely,
Warnerlyn Rebecca Warner
WarnerlynBecky_Warner@CalPERS.ca.gov
Sacramento, California

EDITORIAL TEAM

Rodney D. Sieh, Managing Editor, 0886-738-666;

077-936-138, editor@FrontPageAfricaonline.com;
rodney.sieh@FrontPageAfricaonline.com
Wade C. L. Williams, News Desk Chief, wade.
williams@frontpageafricaonline.com; 0880664793
Danesius Marteh, Sports Editor, danesius.marteh@
frontpageafricaonline.com, 0886236528
James-Emmanuel D. Cole, Jr, Graphics Designer
& Layout Editor, echange4life@gmail.com;
0886 211 390, 0777 027 030
Henry Karmo, henry.karmo@frontpageafricaonline.
com
Al-varney Rogers al.rogers@frontpageafricaonline.
com, 0886-304498

Sports Reporter, A. Macaulay Sombai,macaulay.sombai@

FrontpageAfricaonline.com, 077217428
COUNTY NEWS TEAM
Grand Bassa, Alpha Daffae Senkpeni, 0777432042
Bong
County,
Selma
Lomax,
selma.lomax@
frontpageafricaonline.com, 0886-484666
Sinoe County, Leroy N.S Kanmoh, leroy.kanmoh@
frontpageafricaonline.com
0886257528
BUSINESS/ADVERTISING
Kadi Coleman Porte, 0886-304-178/ 0777832753, advertise@
frontpageafricaonline.com

Friday, March 20, 2015

Monrovia
amily
members
and friends of 13
convicted mercenaries
who had gone to the
Supreme Court Thursday eager
to witness the appeal hearing
for their convicted relatives,
walked out of the high court
with disappointment when the
Chief Justice Francis Korkpor
announced reassignment of the
case.
No date was set for the reassigned case, but Chief Justice
Korkpor stated that the decision
of the court to re-assign the
case was due to the absence of
Associate Justice Philip Banks
from the bench indicating
that three Associate Justices
including him cannot hear the
case and make determination.
FrontPageAfrica has reliably
learned that Associate Justice
Banks is reported to have left
the country about two weeks
ago for the United States where
he is expected to undergo an
eye surgery.
The late hour announcement by
the Chief Justice to re-assign
the case prompted most of the
friends and family members
who had gathered at the court
on the scheduled time at 9:00
am to walk out because their
hopes for a logical conclusion
were dashed.
We dont know that this case
had been re-assigned, if so
we wouldnt have wasted our
time and rushed to come to
this court on time, said one of
the disappointed middle aged
woman who refused to state
her name, but claimed that she
is a Grand Gedeh citizen who
traveled as far as Thinkers
Village to town for the case.
Another prominent Grand
Gedeh citizen seen walking
out of the court Thursday was
former Grand Gedeh County
Superintendent Chris Bailey,
who refused to comment on the
matter.
A source hinted FPA late
Thursday that the same
mercenary case is expected to
be heard next week probably
at the time when Associate
Justice Phillip A. Z. Banks is

Frontpage

AMID DISAPPOINTMENT FROM SEVERAL RELATIVES, FRIENDS,

SUPREME COURT POSTPONES PROCEEDINGS FOR 13 MERCENARIES

HEARING REASSIGNED
We dont know that this case had been re-assigned, if so we wouldnt have wasted
our time and rushed to come to this court on time, a disappointed relative
Kennedy L. Yangian kennedylyangian@frontpageafricaonline.com 0777296781

back in the country from his

medical leave in the United
States.
Thursdays re-assignment is
the first postponement the
mercenary case has faced
since an appeal was taken at
the level of the Supreme Court
by lawyers representing the 13
mercenary convicts, majority
of whom are from the South
Eastern County of Grand
Gedeh.
The 13 mercenary convicts
were arrested in 2010, 2011

and 2012 respectively by state

security reportedly along the
border towns of Liberia with
Ivory Coast especially in the
Southeast county of Grand
Gedeh.
During the first course of their
trial in 2012, the case was
ordered adjourned and jurors
disbanded by the presiding
Judge at the time Yussif Kaba.
Judge Kabbah adjourned the
case after one of the jurors
Jeremy Dweh said he was
allegedly
tempered
with

PAGE
RONT

by the prosecution. But the

prosecution contended that
juror Dweh was finding an
excuse because he had used
two names to get on the panel
which was illegal.
In 2013 when the case resumed,
the prosecution produced
several witnesses including
state security officers from
the Liberia National Police
(LNP) and that of the Ivorian
Security including some Grand
Gedeh citizens, who testified
and accused the defendants

MEDIA ISSUES

of being the ones responsible

for the cross border attack in
the Ivory Coast that left seven
United Nations Peace Keepers
from Niger dead.
The defendants in their separate
testimonies claimed that they
were involved in mining
activities in Grand Gedeh
at the time of the election
violence in the Ivory Coast and
had no knowledge of any cross
border attack and that the state
security officers have decided
to link them because they were

FRONTPAGEAFRICA EDITOR

Addresses Media Conference in Norway

MonroviarontPageAfrica
Editor-In-Chief
Rodney
Sieh
is
expected to address a

Page 5

major media conference taking

place in Norway, Europe.
Organized by the Stiftelsen for
en Kritisk og Underskende
Presse (SKUP), an association

established in 1990, dedicated

to promoting investigative
journalism in Norway, Editor
Sieh was invited to address
the conference being attended

by scores of journalists from

several countries around the
world.
The FPA editor is expected
to deliver address at the

conference on Saturday May

21.
In a prolife of the Liberian
journalist,
the
organizers
of the conference, SKUP
indicated that Journalist Sieh,
the editor and founder of the
Liberian newspaper FrontPage
Africa has been fearless in his
reporting the ills permeating
the Liberian society including
corruption and other vices.
Sieh founded the newspaper
as a pure newspaper in 2005.
In 2008, they started to publish
print edition. He has several
times been in litigation in
connection with revelations of
corruption in Liberia. In 2013
he was jailed after revelations
of a corrupt minister, the
conference organizer profiled

Grand Gedeans.
Despite their assertions of any
involvement in the Ivorian
crisis, they were found guilty
with claim by the jurors that
the state had proved its case
beyond all reasonable doubt.
The claim was denied by the
defense adding that the guilty
verdict announced by the jurors
was contrary to the evidence
produced by the prosecution
hereby leading them to take an
appeal to the Supreme Court
for redress.

Journalist Sieh.
The organizer further stated
in the profile Rodney Sieh
is founder and editor of
FrontPageAfrica in Liberia.
Sieh founded the website in
2005 and started publishing
a printed version in 2008.
He has exposed several
cases of corruption in the
Liberian government and was
imprisoned in 2013 for libel
damages against a former
government official.
Journalist Sieh is expected to
speak on the topic Free Media:
Blood Fever
The conference is meant for
investigative reporters and
editors in Norway.
One of the conference
highlights is the SKUP award
ceremony.
SKUP
regularly
offers
workshops and training in
various investigative methods.
The foundation's website offers
documentation on a decade of
investigative journalism and
projects in Norwegian media.

Friday, March 20, 2015

Page 6 | Frontpage

RESUMING TRADE AMID

TEMPERATURE CHECKS

t Bo Waterside on
this busy market
day, crowds gather
around market stalls
stocked with bulging bags of
rice, fake soccer shirts, and
fresh oranges. Theres little
effort to minimize bodily
contact: traders push past one
another, and children squeeze
through the throngs of people,
selling peanuts, cellphone
cards, and sachets of cold
water.
Until three weeks ago, Bo
Waterside
was
deserted.
Liberias
President
Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf announced the
reopening of the border after
an eight-month closure on
February 22, just two months
after a flare-up of cases in
Grand Cape Mount, the western
county that sits alongside
the border. Sierra Leone was
slower to open its doors,
resulting in a temporarily

confusing
situation
that
allowed Liberians out of their
country, but not into Sierra
Leone. The issue was soon
resolved, and many people
say they are glad to be able to
resume cross-border travel
and trade.
Mary M. Juane, from Sierra
Leone, is among those crossing
the border from Liberia into
her home country. She is 70
years old and, until Ebola hit,
was still working as a primary
school teacher in the Sierra
Leonean town of Fairo.
Bye bye, Liberia, Juane cries
out, as she flashes her identity
card at the border post. There
is nowhere like home. I dont
care about Ebola anymore. Im
just happy to get back to Sierra
Leone, she says, with a big
smile.
On July 20, 2014, Juane
traveled to Monrovia by land
to visit her children who

PRES. SIRLEAF HAILS

COMMUNITY ROLE IN
EBOLA FIGHT

live in the Liberian capitals

Slipway Community, where
several cases of Ebola were
recorded. Juane planned to
stay for two weeks, but as the
Ebola outbreak escalated, the
resulting state of emergency
lengthened her stay by eight
months.
When I was stuck in Liberia,
I used to cry all the time,
she says. My children would
say, Listen, they are burning
people who die from Ebola. If
you get sick, you will die and
get burned, and even your soul
will not go back home to Sierra
Leone.'
Edwin Pundoe is a 37-yearold petty trader from Liberia
who is equally happy that the
border has reopened. He is on
his way to the Sierra Leonean
town of Kenema, where he
plans to sell sports goods.
Now I can buy sneakers in
Monrovia and take them to

Sierra Leone to sell, he says.

During the outbreak, I ate all
the small money I had, and I
struggled to get by. But now
I am happy I can sell again. I
dont really fear Ebola, I only
fear not making money.
Confusion and Suspicion
Pundoe crosses the border
without any problems from
customs officers. But not far
behind him is Mohammed
Pussah, a trader from Tieni
in Liberias Grand Cape
Mount County. Drenched in
sweat, he is pushing a yellow
wheelbarrowknown locally
as a "push-push"stacked
with bags of rice.
Oh, I am so happy the border
is open, he says. I push loads
across every day; sometimes I
make up to 20 trips in one day.
When the border was closed,
nobody gave me loads to carry,
so I was really suffering.
When he reaches the border
post, officials ask Pussah to step
away from his wheelbarrow
and have his temperature
taken. He refuses, worried that
his push-push might not be
there when he returns.
People are refusing to wash
their hands, says Yassah
Godoe, a registered nurse
assigned to the medical
checkpoint on the Liberian side
of the border, where resources
such as thermometers and
bottles of hand sanitizer are
provided by the International
Organization for Migration
(IOM). She says they have
encountered much resistance
to the new protocols designed
to keep the spread of Ebola in
check.
Sometimes when someone
has a high temperature
reading, we ask them to stay in
a room for a while, just in case,
Godoe says. But there is often
confusion. Children are also
moving across without always

getting checked, as are some

older people. You ask them to
stop, but they tell you they are
just going to walk round [the
checkpoint], and you cannot
stop them.
People suspected of having
a fever are taken to the Sinje
Ebola treatment center, about
25 minutes away, for tests.
Two days ago, we had to
transfer two suspected cases,
Godoe adds. They tested
positive for malaria, but we are
waiting to do a second Ebola
test for them both after three
days.
Godoes colleague Marthaline
Doe says it can be a challenge
to persuade people to take
preventative measures before
entering Sierra Leone.
It is not easy here, she says.
People dont want to wash
their hands and get their
temperature taken. You have to
talk and talk, and some people
will still run away. On a market
day like today, it is hell. People
are behaving as if they dont
know what Ebola is. I have a
headache.
Collaboration, But Limited
Support
On the Sierra Leonean side
of the border, Hajie Sheriff is
on duty. He is the supervisor
for the border post's medical
team. Although the post is
run by the Sierra Leonean
government, Sheriff says that
it has not provided adequate
resources.
Our people dont care for
us; the Liberians are even
helping us with gloves and
other materials, he says. I
have 15 volunteers here, but
nobody cares about them. We
cant even get staples, and have
to get them from our friends
in Liberia. We really need
support.
Meanwhile, Boima Bango,
a
member
of
Sheriffs

WITH SUPPORT FROM OSIWA

CEMESP Launches Project on Decentralization

MONROVIA
resident Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has acknowledged the
role played by communities as key in curbing the
high infection rate of the Ebola virus in the country.
She noted that though the government appreciates
the efforts of doctors, nurses and the Incident Management
Team, among others, who led the initial fight against the
virus, it also recognizes communities for taking charge,
responsibility and ownership of the fight.
She made the statement Thursday at the start of a two-day
Community Leadership Conference held at a local hotel in
Monrovia under the theme: Ebolas Impact On Communities:
Learning From Their Experiences To Plan For The Future.
The Liberian leader pointed out that the government was
encouraged by the commitment of this initiative that will take
the community one step forward and to support the spirit of
volunteerism and selflessness which characterizes the various
interventions made by scores of young people.
The community, filled with resilience took charge of the
Ebola fight initially when everyone including the government
did not know how and where to start from and as such, it now
has every reason to take ownership because, the growth and
development of Liberia depends on it, President Sirleaf noted.
She lauded IREX and partners, including the media and civil
society organizations leadership for identifying about 60
communities where it is expected to hold community-based
interactive forum.
President Sirleaf, however, called on IREX to make available to
the government report on areas that were critically hit and did
not get adequate and prompt response from the government
so that health authorities can begin to provide the needed
services to those communities.
LINA

team tasked with checking

temperatures, is having a tough
day. Hes complaining about
motorbike riders crossing the
border without stopping at the
medical post.
Sometimes they will forcibly
pass through the checkpoint
with their passengers, Bango
says. Other people stop, but
they push to be served first,
and are fighting and touching
each other, risking the spread
of Ebola. People dont care;
they have no fear of Ebola.
Logistical Constraints
A security officer from the
Liberian side of the border
who spoke on condition of
anonymity says its hard to
control the movement of
people. The security team
only has two motorbikes, but
the border has three different
entry points, making it difficult
to effectively patrol.
When you tell them to get
their temperature checked,
they start to talk about you,
he said. Then news spreads
that you are preventing people
from crossing the border. Its
hard.
Everyone, it seems, is trying
to do their jobs with as little
hassle as possible, from the
medical teams to the traders.
But with logistical constraints
combined with trust issues
between traders and nurses,
a
risk
of
cross-border
transmission of the virus
clearly remains.
But, among the traders who
use this border crossing daily,
the most tangible feeling is that
of relief. Williet Bangura, who
sells Liberian goods in Sierra
Leone, likens the reopening of
the border to the abolition of
slavery.
Oh, I thank God they opened
it, she says. [It] was so hard
for me when the border was
closed.

he
Center
for
Media Studies and
Peacebuilding
(CEMESP)
with
support from the Open society
Initiative for West Africa,
OSIWA, on March 18 hosted
its first preparatory debriefing
session of core delegates on its
Open space dialogue Project
titled: Inspiring Citizens Action
for Effective Participatory
Local
Governance
and
Decentralization in Liberia.

The session brought together

five delegates per county.
The counties forming the
first
cluster
delineation
of the country includesMontserrado, Grand Cape,
Bomi, Gbarpolu and Margibi.
It was therefore a total of
twenty-five delegates who
were engaged at the centers
conference hall to hear about
what the project is expecting
of them.
The core delegates are to

help in the recruitment of

the remaining delegates in
summing up to 100 for the first
cluster Open Space dialogue
on Decentralization and local
Governance in Liberia.
At the
event, delegates
asked pertinent questions
and made comments about
decentralization,
especially
making reference to prior
consultation that had been
undertaken
in
garnering
citizens perspectives about the

decentralization framework in
the making.
CEMESP is in the concluding
stage of hiring an international
consultant from Germany to
facilitate what is actually a
bottom to top policy dialogue
initiative dubbed Open Space
designed to cover the whole
country based on three
clusters delineation.
Similar preparatory debriefing
sessions will be hosted in
Gbarnga Bong County
for
cluster Two and Zwedru
Grand Gedeh county for
cluster Three. The Open Space
dialogue on Decentralization
and Local Governance will
target a total of three hundred
delegates whose input will be
factored in the reforms process
leading to the enactment of a
Decentralization Act.
There will be an action
plan to arise from all
dialogues and an observatory
on
local Governance
and
Decentralization
formed in all counties to
monitor
compliance
and
noncompliance of what will
be contained in the projected
action plan. CEMESP is thus
building its capacity in the
implementation of this project
by improving on its skill on
Open Space to be replicated in
future policy advocacy themes
and context.

Friday, March 20, 2015

Frontpage

Agriculture Column

with Bisi Klah; 0886 587 547

Grasscutter Production (Part 1)

Introduction
For a couple of times, I have
heard many people request for
grasscutter meat, it has always
been referred to as bush meat.
It is very interesting therefore to
discover that this delicious meat
can not only be made available
for the table through the luck of the
hunter but by domesticating this animal
as
part of ones poultry.
Grasscutter farming is another special area most farmers
nowadays want to go into; because this venture is one biggest
and can boast of almost a thousand full grown grasscutters.
The housing, feeding, maintenance and management
techniques of this care species are what are going to be treated
in this write-up.
Housing

Depending on how ambitious one is and the amount of means at

his disposal, the house has to be constructed to accommodate a
large number of grasscutters, taking into consideration the fact
that they reproduce very quickly.
For example, a house has two-double hall of 80 by 40ft.
each. The height of these halls is normal. Inside the dens are
constructed around the wall. There are single dens whose size
is 2m.sq. Or2 by 2ft and double dens of 4 by 4ft. the middle has
double collective dens of 4 by 4ft. The height of these dens has
to be 3ft, or three blocks above DPC.
The top has to be covered with wood or bamboo constructed in
such a way that they can be opened. There must be a gap of 4ft.
between the dens by the wall and those at the middle to make
room for easy passage when food will be served.
Feeding

The animals are fed four times a day. For example, the farmers
will do feeding of the animals between 7 and 9 am (grass);
between 10 and 1pm (conventional feed); between 3 and 4pm
(fruit or cassava) and between 6 and 7 pm (grass).
Grass constitutes a greater percentage of the grasscutters feed.
The most widely used grass is the pennnisetumpurpureum or
elephant grass. This grass looks like sugar cane and is wildly
grown. As a result of its usage for grasscutter feed, they can be
planted to avoid lack.
Apart from this, there are plants in the same family that can
serve as a substitute. Such plants include the following such as
Panicum, nervure of palm trees, coconut trees and pineapple
leaves.
Worthy of note too is the use of maize stem for the same
purpose when it is available. However, in an integrated system,
where with the help of irrigation system, crops like maize
are planted all year round, feeding the grasscutter will not
constitute a problem.
The grasses are cut to sizes to enter into the pens. Those for
small ones are dissected so that they can easily eat them. The
new leaves and stems around them are also good for the small
ones even though the big ones can eat them as well.
The leaves and stems combined are generally served to the big
ones. The grasses are put slanting with part of it resting on the
pens wall.
The conventional feed is used as a supplement to the grasses
that are given to the animals to correct or make up to the
nutritional requirement of their system. It is also used to
enhance the growth rate of the animals.
Each morning, some quantity of brewery waste is prepared
depending on the number of animals. The quantity required is
poured into already boiling water and stirred therein for about
20 minutes.
When this is done, the quantity of conventional feed to be given,
again, depending on the number of the animals is poured into
the boiled brewery waste. The two are mixed together and
allowed to cool down for about 30 minutes. This is then served
into the animals feeders with a ladle.
Cassava and fruits are another king of food given to the animals.
All the tubers in this family like yam, and sweet potato can be
cut to size and given them in the afternoon. Fruits like mango,
pineapple and pawpaw are also ready food to be used.
There is rotation in the pens in which food is to be given for
each day. As already said, each of the pens has double room
with an adjoining hole. Food is served in one and water in the
other. The following day, food is served in pen 2 and water, in
the other pen where food was served the previous day.
It will reduce be discovered with this practice, that the animals
used the pen where food is served more. This will reduce the
amount of dirt in one cell each day and help to keep one pen
dry for the animal
The feeders and drinkers are constructed with concrete. Each
is about 1ft long and the inside is about 2cm. all the feed for the
animals are put in the feeder and they are served water once
every day.(Center Songhai Liberia).

CREMATORIUM
DEMOLITION
Community signs MOU for break down Ebola memory
By Edwin G.genoway, Jr (231886458910) genowayedwin@gmail.com

R
Monrovia

esidents of Boys
Town have called
on government to
bring down the
walls of the crematorium in
order to erase the memory of
the people that Ebola bodies
were burned there.
According to the residents if
the crematorium remains there
it will always remind people
or kids who witnessed the
burning of their fellow humans
that there existed such thing in
their community.
The residents said if the site
is destroyed people will only
talk about it but will not see
any evidence of crematorium
something they say will reduce
the trauma rate in the area.
The community leader of the
Boys Town Community has
also called for the celebration
of Liberians that were working
in the crematorium in the
community.
Mr. Tilbelrosa Tarponweh
said those who were working
in the crematorium cremating
bodies and the health workers
who were the front liners are
all heroes and heroines, saying
they need to be celebrated for
their hard work.
We want to be normal again
in boys town after the Ebola
crisis, we were bothered and
traumatized when we all use to
see smoke of bodies burning,
we smell the smoke of the
burned bodies and we saw flies
pulling in the crematorium and
then back in the communities,
the issue brought serious
discrimination among us here,
the crisis is now over but we
are still traumatized one way
of the other, that's why we
want people to come and de
traumatize us," he said.
He said what people saw during

the Ebola crisis was a horror

and many have not forgotten
what they saw during that time.
Tarponweh described the
cremation process as a hell on
earth, saying many saw their
own relative being send to hell
on earth, "as Christians or even
Muslims know that burning
bodies depicts hell on earth
and many are now traumatized
after they witnessed their
relatives and love ones being
send to hell on earth," he noted.
He spoke at program marking
the signing ceremony of
memorandum of understanding
between the Boys Town
community around the Indian
Crematorium in lower Margibi
County and the Sengbe Group,
Inc(SGI) and Renewed Energy
Serving Humanity(RESH).
The MOU provides that the
SGI will provide psychosocial
service for residents for one
year especially those who
witnessed
the
cremation
exercise.
Power Gibson, a resident of the
community said the burning of
the body in their community
will pose serious health hazard
to them.
He said there should be no
evident of the crematorium
because it brings serious
trauma to the people and
therefore saying we need to
tear that wall down because we
don't want to be passing and
see that place so as to bring
traumatic memories to us."
Speaking to the resident, the
Head of Sengbe Group, Inc.
Dr. Kpangbala Sengbe said
because of Ebola disease that
engulfed the sub region and has
so far left almost 9,000 people
dead; including almost 4,000
in Liberia, continue to leave
a psychological toll on many
communities.

He said one of the communities

in Liberia hardest hit is Boys
Town Community in Lower
Margibi County due to the
cremation of EVD bodies
at the crematorium located
in the community. He said
as a result of the exposure
of the community to the
cremation process, a tradition
very foreign to Liberia's
path of bidding farewell to
the dead, traumatic episode
including sleeplessness, lack
of concentration/focus by
crematorium workers, behavior
imbalances of children and
general anxiety amongst the
population
are
becoming
prevalent in the community.
According to him, because of
this negative effect of the EVD,
the community engaged the
services of SGI Inc. and RESH,
to provide psychotherapeutic,
education consultancy and a
psychotherapy and community
mobilization
to provide
comprehensive psychosocial
services to the citizens and
residents of the community as
they navigate the psychological
and emotional challenges
been experienced by these
individuals.
Dr. Sengbe noted that the
services to be provided will
cost US$200,000 for the
six months. However, he
said residents and citizens
will not pay a dime for the
services that will be provided.
Rather, they will work the
community leadership to seek
the necessary funding from
development partners and
other organizations that want to
see the EVD completely a part
of the past.
"As we sign this MOU
between our institutions and
this community, let this signify
that Liberians are ready to take

Page 7

on the mantle to provide the

necessary leadership in their
individual professions, one of
such being psychotherapy," he
noted.
He also noted that the
ceremony also signifies a stack
departure from the past where
trauma healing process of the
rehabilitation mechanism after
the fourteen years of civil
crisis.
"Imagine almost ten percent
of our population been killed
and we could not carry out a
comprehensive psychotherapy
or psychosocial service to
the citizens and residents,
unfortunately, the system
decided to rehabilitate only the
ex-combatants and abandoned
the citizens, who were the
recipients of the victimization,"
he noted.
Dr. Sengbeh said no wonder
why residents and citizens
of Liberia are still presenting
several vexing issues including
anger, drugs and alcohol abuse,
massive prostitution and other
deviant behaviors.
He however urged the
government of Liberia to be the
first to support the cause, saying
the primary responsibility of
government is to protect its
citizens and residents," as well
as we all know, mental health
issue is a concern, let the
government lead the way by
showing its juice as SGI and
RESH begin the psychological
treatment of the citizens and
residents of lower Margibi
County, especially the Boys
Town Community area," he
noted.
He said the engagement
between the community and
his organization is intended
to perform at the highest
standard as are accepted by
internationally
recognized
psychotherapeutic protocols.
Dr. Sengbeh noted that the
approaches that will be
undertaken by SGI are not
invasive to family but they
will take into consideration the
rights, cultural or otherwise, of
the individuals and community,
"we are not here to impose
our ways on the people but
to provide a guided pathway
in the mitigation of mental
health and psychosocial issues
affecting the individuals in
community," he stressed.
He said issues affecting the
children, some of whom
witnessed the transportation
of dead bodies due to the
proximity of their homes to
the crematorium, are important
and the SGI engagement
will take into consideration
psychotherapy for children.
"Personally and professionally,
today marks a special day in
our lives because this the first
that trained psychotherapists
and
counsellor
s
have
come to fold to work with
a community affected by
traumatic experiences without
first requesting for money, we
know that the money will come
but the whole well being of this
community and the country
is paramount so here we are
availing our services," he said.

Friday, March 20, 2015

Page 8 | Frontpage

HOW THE EBOLA OUTBREAK CAN HELP

US PREPARE FOR THE NEXT EPIDEMIC

rian
D'Cruz,
a
Virginia emergencyroom doctor, spent the
winter volunteering
in a Doctors Without Borders
Ebola treatment center in
Conakry, Guinea. One of the
myriad obstacles he encountered
was that the yellow hazmat
suits Ebola doctors wear take
45 minutes to don, yet are so
stifling that a doctor can only
spend an hour in one before
risking dehydration. Having to
frequently drop everything to
pull off the suits made it even
more difficult to stretch their
already meager staff, D'Cruz
told me in an interview at the
Washington Health Forumthis
morning.
In an editorial in the New
England Journal of Medicine
today, Bill Gates, who now
focuses his philanthropy, the
Gates Foundation, on global
health, said he noticed the
issue with the suits as early as
September. "It was apparent
that health workers in protective
suits would get so hot that it
was difficult for them to care
for their patients," Gates wrote.
"I asked a group of people who
work for me on technology for
keeping vaccines cold to refocus
on keeping the medical workers
cool."
"I am concerned that we will
miss the opportunity to learn
from the Ebola epidemic."
The workers quickly devised
a new, cooler system. But
they then found there was no
way to get the new equipment

to the treatment centers. It

was another example, Gates
wrote, of how "there was no
coordinated process for getting
new equipment ... distributed
to the people who need it." The
suits, however small of an issue
they might be, were yet another
illustration of how the Ebola
virus managed to outwit the
global response against it.
The current Ebola outbreak, the
worst in history, appears to be
fading. However, this might be
just a temporary retreat before
the virus comes roaring back
in another country or another
strain. This epidemic taught the
world, at a cost of over 10,000
lives, how ill-prepared health
responders are to deal with a
viral outbreak of this size.
"I am concerned that as the
intensity of the problem fades
from the worlds attention, we
will miss the opportunity to learn
from the Ebola epidemic and be
better prepared for the next one,"
Gates wrote.
There have already been calls for
stepped-up healthcare resources
in the affected countries, for
better training of health workers,
and for a more robust pipeline of
vaccines and treatments. But the
reason why Ebola spiraled out of
control this time, Gates argues,
is not because of millions of tiny
flaws in the current global health
system. "The problem is that we
hardly have a system at all," he
wrote.
In NEJM, Gates calls for a
kind of global SWAT team for

outbreaks. He envisions an
operations center that's manned
by "experts in epidemiology,
surveillance, outbreak response,
social anthropology, and other
areas who can provide surge
capacity for the response."
Among other things, he also
recommended:

Constant
disease
surveillance

Better transportation
networks and supply chains (so
the new-and-improved suits
could have made it to their
destination in time).

Better cell phones and
Internet access

Strengthened
healthcare systems in the host
countries

Better diagnostics for
faster blood-test results

More funding for
research into treatments, such as
Zmapp, the antibody-based drug
that appeared to help a few Ebola
patients before its manufacturer
ran out of supplies.

Funding for vaccines

now, so that they are tested and

ready when an outbreak hits
later.
Gates argues that there should
be a "global institution" to
coordinate all of this. The WHO,
he argues, is too underfunded
and neutered to handle the task.
"I worry that many people do
not think a serious epidemic is a
problem for them to worry about.
They may think that the United
Nations system, and especially
WHO, has it covered. In fact,
WHO has not been clearly
chartered or funded to handle
most of the things required in an
epidemic," he writes.
Linda Fried, the dean of
Columbia Universitys Mailman
School of Public Health, told me
she agrees with most of Gates'
recommendations. "These are
global issues and everyone needs
to come together," she said. "The
strength of one country's health
system matters to the others.'"
She agrees that the WHO
suffers from a lack of money
and structureissues that led
to a weak response in the early
days of the epidemicthough
the organization could rally if
given more resources. The Ebola
funding picture is improving:
Congress just approved $5
billion in emergency aid targeted
toward the disease, at least $800
million of which is aimed at
preventing future outbreaks.
But Fried notes that there are
still funding shortages in other
scientific
realmsincluding
in the United States. The U.S.
spends only 3 percentof its health
budget on public health, even
though it is precisely groups like
the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention that protect
Americans when deadly diseases
strike.
"We would do well to invest in
the science of prevention," she
said. "But I believe the federal
government is disinvesting in
that science. At a time when the
science of prevention and public
health is important, the U.S. is
backing away."

POLICE CONDEMNS
PLANNED SINKOR
DEMONSTRATION
By Edwin G. Genoway, Jr; genowayedwin@gmail.com
(231886458910)

Monroviahe Liberia National Police has condemned any

planned demonstration by some residents of the
Sinkor Community against the Airfield Police Station.
Police spokesman Sam Collins said the police will
not take any form of violence under the guise of expressing
grievances.
Collins said he is encouraging residents of Sinkor who feel
injured by the police station do written compliant to the
Professional Standard Division.
The police spokesman was reacting to a FrontPageAfrica story
captioned Police Brutality Resurfaces at Airfield Depot.
In an interview with FPA at the Police Headquarters in
Monrovia, Collins said there is no act of police brutality at the
Airfield Depot though residents are complaining of the act.
He also denied any act of harassment against peaceful
residents in the area, saying the police is professional and will
not get themselves involved in any act of harassment.
On Tuesday March 17 FPA reported that residents of the
Airfield community and its environs are threatening serious
demonstration against the police commander Malachi Kolubah
and his Executive Officer(EO) Emmanuel Jarwee and the entire
Airfield police depot for what they (residents) referred to as
constant harassment and brutality against peaceful residents.
The residents noted that the Salem Depot has been reduced to
an extortion box where people have to pay money before they
are served.
According to the angry community dwellers and business
people of Sinkor, the Airfield Police station is no longer a place
of rescue; rather it has turned a place where people pay money
to buy protection and justice.
But the police spokesman said such information is untrue.
The police spokesman however remains tight-lipped on the
FPA report of a victim, Melvin Coleman of Sinkor Community
who accused the EO, Emmanuel Jarwee and an officer only
identified as Rescue of beating him on Thursday morning
March 12, 2015 at the Salem Depot.
He told FPA that his tablet phone that cost US$300 was taken
from him by the officer identified Rescue on the order of the
EO.
Investigation into Melvin phone case is currently ongoing by
authorities of the Liberia National Police or LNP.

JAPAN DONATES FOOD AID TO LIBERIA

By: Bettie Johnson /

betty.johnson@
frontapageafricaonline.com

Monroviahe
Government
of Japan says its
remains committed
in rebuilding Liberias
agriculture and food industry.
In a release from the Ministry
of Commerce, the Japan
Government
statement
followed an expected donation
of food aid to the ministry

of commerce and people of

Liberia.
The Ministry of Commerce
and Industry said the donation
expected will be the fifth (5th)
round of the Japanese donated
Food Aid and weighs 8,060.13
metric tons of assorted rice to
the Government and People of
Liberia.
The vessel, M/V Tao Ace
V-36701, conveying the rice
consignment is expected to
disembark at the Free Port of
Monrovia on Sunday, 21 March

2015, the release states.

According to the Commerce
Ministry, since 2008, the
Government of Japan has been
providing Food Aid Assistance
to the Government and People
of Liberia under the Japanese
Oversea
Development
Assistance (ODA) Program
to support Liberias social
economic development.
The ministry said the donation
has resulted to several
developmental
projects
namely: The US$4m support

to the Ministry of Agriculture

phase one (1) Paddy and
Seed Rice Project in Bong,
Nimba, Lofa, Grand Gedeh
and Gbarpolu Counties; The
US$3.2m support to the
Ministry of Agriculture phase
two (2) of the Paddy and Seed
Rice Project; The US$1.4m
support for the construction
of five (5) storage
facilities in Bong, Nimba, Lofa,
Grand Gedeh and Gbarpolu- the
five (5) major rice producing
belt zones in Liberia; The

US$665,000 support to the

Liberias Innovative Fund for
Entrepreneurs (LIFE); and
The US$731,412 support to
the Bureau of International
Economic Cooperation in the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
among others
The Ministry of Commerce
release further states in
Considering the invaluable
contribution Japan has made
over the years to Liberias
economic recovery program,
the Ministry of Commerce and

Industry will lead an array

of representatives from the
Ministries of Foreign Affairs,
Finance and Development
Planning,
Justice
and
Agriculture to the program
marking the presentation of
the fifth round of Japans
Food Aid donation to Liberia.
The program is expected to
take place at the Free Port of
Monrovia on Monday, 23 which
will witness the off-loading of
the vessel.

Friday, March 20, 2015

Frontpage

Page 9

Date of publication: February 26, 2015

NOTICE FOR INVITATION FOR PREQUALIFICATION FOR THE SERVICES OF

INSURANCE BROKERS/UNDERWRITERS OF ECOWAS COMMISSION

1.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a sub-regional multilateral organization created on 28 May 1975 composed of fifteen
(15) Member States. Following the transformation of the Executive Secretariat into a Commission in January 2007, ECOWAS became increasingly involved in
the implementation of strategic programmes aimed at acceleration the existing cohesion and fostering the systematic removal of impediments to integration
and cooperation which are directed at every aspect of economic and socio-political activity of Member States, particularly in the areas of industry, transport,
telecommunication, energy, agriculture, natural resources, trade, finance, social affairs, conflict prevention and peace keeping.

2.
The ECOWAS Commission invites expression of interest in sealed envelops from eligible companies for the Services of Insurance Brokers/Underwriters
for ECOWAS Commission.

3.
The Department of General Administration & Conference of the ECOWAS Commission thereby requests from eligible companies to indicate their
interest in providing this services. Interested companies must provide the following information showing that they are qualified to perform the services:
General Requirement for Both Brokers and Underwriters

Signed introductory letter

Evidence of Registration as a company
Copy of certified current operating license issued by your regulatory authority
Copy of certified Companys Annual Audited Accounts for the last three years.
Copy of certified Companys three year Tax Clearance
Copy of certified Companys Group Life Insurance Certificate
Evidence to prove number of years of insurance experience Management profile
List of names & contacts details of top ten (10) clients
Letter of reference from your bankers
Evidence of having managed insurances of Multilateral/Regional or Multilateral organization

Evidence of Claims payment for claims over N100m or $500,000.

Copy of Reinsurance treaties for the last two years.
One Sample policy document for each of the following classes:
(Group Life, Group Personal Accident, Fire, Burglary, Motor-Vehicle and Public Liability).
List of companys branches.

Evidence of supervising claims payments.

Certified copy of Professional indemnity cover.
List of companys branches.
Evidence of company having a representative office in Abuja.

5.

All submission should be in the Community official Languages (English, French and Portuguese).

Specific Requirements for Underwriters

Specific Requirements for Brokers

4.
Interested eligible companies may obtain further information at the Procurement Division, ECOWAS Commission Building, 1st Floor, 101 Yakubu
Gowon Crescent, Asokoro District, PMB 401, Abuja, Nigeria, procurement@ecowas.int.
6.
All submission should be delivered in a sealed envelope and deposited in the ECOWAS Tender Box located in the Office of Commissioner, General
Administration & Conference, 5th Floor ECOWAS Commission, 101 Yakubu Gowon Crescent, Asokoro District, PMB 401, Abuja, Nigeria and clearly marked:
Invitation for Prequalification for the services of Insurance Brokers/Underwriters of ECOWAS Commission, Do Not Open, Except in Presence of
the ECOWAS Procurement Commission on or before Thursday, March 26, 2015 at 11:00 am at the latest.
7.

In addition to the original of the submission (English, French and Portuguese), the number of copies is: 03 (in each Language).

Mr. Stephen Nartey

Commissioner
General Administration & Conference

Page 10 | Frontpage

IN BRIEF

PAGE
RONT

WORLD NEWS

Friday, March 20, 2015

'FOUR SUSPECTS' ARRESTED FOR

LINKS TO TUNISIA MUSEUM ATTACK

VIOLENCE ERUPTS
BETWEEN ARMY AND
REBELS IN DR CONGO

Goma (DR Congo) (AFP) -

iolent clashes have

erupted between the
army and a militia in
eastern DR Congo,
forcing many civilians to flee
their homes, officials said
Thursday.

Government forces have

been fighting rebels of the
Alliance of Patriots for a
Free and Sovereign Congo
(APCLS) in the Masisi
territory west of Goma,
the capital of North Kivu
province.
"The rebels attacked last
night," an army officer told
AFP from the front line.
"We have already managed
to push them back. We will
continue to chase them until
we have cornered them all."
The number of casualties
remained
unclear
but
government officials told
AFP one child had been
killed.

our people have been

arrested for direct
links to Wednesday's
gun attack in Tunis
that left 23 people dead,
including 20 foreign tourists,
the Tunisian presidency says.
The army will also be
deployed to major cities, the
presidency added.
One of two gunman involved
in the Bardo museum
attack, Yassine Laabidi, was
reportedly known to the
authorities.

BOKO HARAM
'SLAUGHTER WIVES' IN
NE NIGERIA: WITNESSES

Maiduguri (Nigeria) (AFP) ozens of Nigerian

women who were
forced to marry Boko
Haram fighters were
reportedly slaughtered by their
"husbands" before a battle with
troops in the northeast town of
Bama, multiple witnesses said
Thursday.
Five witnesses who recounted the
massacres to AFP said the Islamist
militants feared they would be
killed by advancing soldiers or
separated from their wives when
they fled the town.
They killed the women to prevent
them from subsequently marrying
soldiers or other so-called nonbelievers, they added.
"The terrorists said they will not
allow their wives to be married to
infidels," said Sharifatu Bakura,
39, a mother of three.

REPORTS: DEATH THREATS AGAINST

AMB. CAROLINE KENNEDY IN JAPAN

(CNN)
apanese authorities are
investigating death threats
against
the
American
ambassador
to
Japan,
Caroline Kennedy, according
to Japanese media reports and
international wire services.
Local police are looking into
phone calls placed last month
to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo
threatening to kill Kennedy,
according to local media reports.
CNN could not immediately
confirm the reports.
"We take any threats to U.S.
diplomats
seriously,"
said
State
Department
deputy
spokesperson
Marie
Harf.

ierra Leone is to
enforce a three-day
lockdown of key
parts of the country
to try and contain the Ebola
epidemic.
There have been 3,325
confirmed deaths from Ebola
in the West African nation.
A three-day curfew in
September, keeping people
at home under quarantine,
was hailed as a success by
authorities, despite some
criticism.
The country's National Ebola
Response Centre says a new
lockdown will come into
place next week. It will affect
close to 2.5m people.
While the number of cases
has slowed since the peak of
the outbreak, the virus is far
from eradicated.
In the seven days leading up
to March 15, there were 55
new cases in Sierra Leone,
and 90 in neighbouring
Guinea.
The number of new cases in
Liberia - where most deaths
have occurred - has not been
registered.
Palo Conteh, the head of the
NERC, told the AFP news
agency that the curfew would
take place across the Western
Area of Sierra Leone, a part of
the country that includes the
capital, Freetown.
The districts of Bombali
and Port Loko will also be
affected.
"The lockdown will be
conducted from March 27
to March 29 and will be like
the one we conducted in
September last year," said Mr

Laabidi and his accomplice,

Hatem Khachnaoui, were
killed as security forces
stormed the museum.
Tourists
from
Japan,
Colombia, the UK and other
European countries were
killed in the attack and more
than 40 people were injured.
The suspects arrested on
Thursday were not identified
and it was not clear what
their alleged involvement
might have been.
In a statement, the presidency

said Tunisia was facing

"exceptional circumstances",
adding
that
"terrorist
operations have now moved
from the mountains to the
cities".
"After a meeting with the
armed forces, the president
has decided large cities will
be secured by the army," the
statement added.
Stopovers suspended
On Thursday, two Spanish
tourists and a Tunisian
museum worker were found

at the museum after having

hidden
there
overnight
believing the attack might
not have been over, police
said.
The area outside the museum
is still covered in blood stains
from the attack
The attack is a huge blow for
Tunisia's tourism industry
and its government, which
only emerged at the end of
a long political transition
several months ago, the BBC's
Arab affairs editor Sebastian

Conteh.
"The
government
and
partners are hopeful that
latent cases that are now not
being reported or recorded
will come out."
Mr Conteh said that health
workers will visit every
house in the areas affected
by the lockdown. They will

remind people about the

dangers of touching corpses
and taking patients to
traditional healers.
There have been 10,179
deaths
due
to
Ebola,
according to the World
Health Organization.
The majority of those deaths
have been in three West

African countries - Liberia,

Guinea and Sierra Leone.
The economic effect of the
outbreak has been severe in
Sierra Leone.
The World Bank estimates
that the revenue of some
parts of the population has
dropped by as much as 40%,
and that close to 180,000

Usher says.
Two cruise companies - MSC
Cruises and Costa Cruises said they were suspending
stopovers in Tunis.
Earlier,
Tunisian
Prime
Minister Habib Essid told
RTL Radio that security
services had flagged up
Yassine Laabidi but were not
aware of "anything specific"
or of any links to known
militant groups.
In a televised address,
Tunisia's President Beji Caid
Essebsi said the country
would not be cowed by terror
attacks.
"These monstrous minorities
do not frighten us," he said.
"We will resist them until the
deepest end without mercy."
Who were the victims?
According
to
Tunisian
authorities,
23
people
were killed - though it is
not clear if totals provided
by the authorities include
the gunmen. Some of the
countries involved have
given different totals and
not all the dead have been
identified.
The dead include:


At
least
three
Tunisians,
including
a
police officer involved in the
security operation

Five Japanese were
killed, according to Mr Essid
- although Japan says it has
only confirmed the deaths of
three citizens

Four Italians

Two Colombians

Two Spaniards

One national each
from the UK, Australia,
France and Poland

EBOLA CRISIS: SIERRA LEONE

LOCKDOWN TO HIT 2.5M PEOPLE

people have lost work as a

result of the crisis.
Despite dozens of new cases
every week, the government
is determined to meet a
target to eradicate Ebola by
15 April.

Friday, March 20, 2015

s countries in
on the continent
of Africa begin
preparation
for
their participation in the
preliminary round of the
2018 FIFA World Cup, the
President of the Liberia
Football Association (LFA)
has disclosed that the newly
constructed Lone Star
Technical Center is about
80% ready for use.
Musa Bility made the
disclosure on Tuesday
during a press conference
held at the headquarters of
the LFA.
The newly constructed
technical center is 80%
ready and it would be
opened in April in order
to be used by members of
the technical staff and we
hope that the government
through
the
national
legislature will give their
support in order to help
move our six national teams
forward, said Bility.
He also said the Lone Star
coaches headed by senior
Head coach the nation
most celebrated soccer star
James Salinsa Debah started
work about a week ago and
that they are all responding
very positively.
The LFA boss also disclosed
that program marking the
closing of his association
2014 league season and the
opening of the 2015 season
would officially take place
on Friday, March 20, at the
Blue field Sports Ground.
He added that the

Sports

LONE STAR TECHNICAL CENTER

80% READY-LFA PRESIDENT

Page 11

SPORTS

SORRY EVERTON
CRASH OUT IN KIEV

A. Macaulay Sombai, sombai 121@gmail.com

oberto Martinez's
side
had
their
vulnerable defence
thoroughly exposed
as they took a hammering
from the Ukrainian side, who
reached the Europa League
quarter-finals
Everton
were
comprehensively dismantled
as Dynamo Kiev fought back
from a 2-1 first-leg defeat
to reach the Europa League
quarter-finals, winning 5-2
on the night and 6-4 on
aggregate.

ROMA DUMPED OUT

AFTER EARLY COLLAPSE

association
2014
first
division
champions
Barrack Young Controllers
(BYC) and the knockout
champions FC Fassell will
clash for the Super Cup
title after the closing and
opening program.
Regarding
clubs

registration, Bility disclosed

that only two teams, BYC
and Fassell out of the 12
first division clubs have
been given the green light
to take part in the league
after meeting 25% of the
requirements set by the
LFA.

The
LFA
head
acknowledged that failure
on the part of the rest of
the 10 first division clubs
to meet the requirements
or criteria set there will be
no league because those
requirements or criterias
are straightly from CAF or

VAN GAAL: MANCHESTER UNITED WILL

BE MY LAST JOB IN MANAGEMENT

he Dutchman started
his coaching career
in 1986 and says that
he will retire after
his stint at Old Trafford - and

Frontpage

maintains the club are aiming

to win the Premier League
Louis van Gaal says that
Manchester United will be his
last job in management, and

he insists he plans to leave the

club on a high.
The 63-year-old began his
managerial career in 1986
as an assistant at AZ and has

won the league title in three

separate nations: Netherlands,
Spain and Germany.
Van Gaal hopes to add to his
tally of trophies in England but

FIFA and not from LFA.

Bility paid homage to all
those that succumbed to
the deadly Ebola virus
and prayed that their soul
rest in peace and called on
everyone to remain vigilant
against the disease.
insists that he will retire when
he calls time on his tenure at
United.
"I am also old. This is my last
job. For sure," he told The
Daily Telegraph. "I have to
pay attention to my kids, my
grandchildren but also to my
wife. They deserve it. Now I
cannot pay that attention. I
was not at the birthday of my
grandson for example. I don't
like it."
United are currently fourth
in the Premier League and lie
eight points behind leaders
Chelsea, though the Blues have
a game in hand, and Van Gaal
insists that the main aim this
season is qualification for the
Champions League.
Having spent over 200 million
last summer, the Dutchman
admits that such a league
finish would make it easier to
attract marquee players, thus
fuelling a potential title charge
in 2015-16.
"That's our goal, yes, and it
depends on how we end this
season," Van Gaal replied when
asked if the club can win both
the Premier League and the
Champions League. "We have
to qualify for the Champions
League and we have many
tests next year.
"That also develops the level of
your team, and of course how
many players can come in to
improve our selection."

oals from Gonzalo

Rodriguez, Marcos
Alonso and Jose
Basanta condemned
the Giallorossi to a second
consecutive home defeat
without scoring
Roma's season took another
turn from bad to worse as
they suffered a 3-0 home
defeat to Fiorentina to crash
out of the Europa League on
Thursday.
Rudi Garcia's draw specialists
held a slender edge over their
Serie A counterparts after
claiming a 1-1 scoreline in
first leg of the last-16 tie but
that was obliterated amid a
shambolic first-half display.
Gonzalo Rodriguez opened
the scoring from the penalty
spot and defensive errors
allowed Marcos Alonso and
Jose Basanta to put Fiorentina
3-0 up, effectively ending the
tie after 22 minutes.

HOLDERS SEVILLA CRUISE

INTO LAST EIGHT

he Barcelona loanee
gave the holders
victory in the second
leg after Bailly's
dismissal late in the match
Sevilla have kept the defence
of their Europa League crown
alive following a 2-1 win over
Villarreal on Thursday and a 5-2
aggregate triumph.
Leading 3-1 from the first leg,
Unai Emery's men were rarely
troubled and their progression
was never in doubt once captain
Vicente Iborra rolled into an
unguarded net.
Giovani dos Santos netted
a stunning free kick to give
Villarreal something to shout
about with 17 minutes to go.

FrontPage
www.frontpageafricaonline.com

VOL 9 NO.52

Sports

FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2015

PRICE L$40

BIG
DUEL
TODAY
B
ITS BYC VS FC FASSELL IN LFA SUPER CUP AT THE BLUES FIELD

arrack Young Controllers and

FC Fassell will square-off in the
Liberia Football Association
(LFA)s Super Cup on Friday in
the seasons traditional opener.
The game should have been played at the
Antoinette Tubman Stadium on March 15
but was postponed to allow the LFA and
clubs adequately prepared following an
Ebola pandemic.
BYC and Fassell are fresh from
continental assignments, although they
were eliminated in the first round.
They, should, however entertain several
dignitaries, who are expected to grace the
occasion beginning 2:00PM.
At a news conference on Tuesday, LFA
president Musa Bility revealed that
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, House
Speaker Alex Tyler, Senate Protemp
Armah Jallah and Montserrado County
Senator George Weah are among invitees
expected to occupy the VIP box.
The last four Super Cups have been won
by the league champions (two apiece for
LISCR and BYC) but the Go Blues Boys
will not underestimate Fassell and star
striker Vitalis Sie, who scored a hat-trick
during their second leg 3-3 draw with
Guineas AC Horoya in the Confederation
Cup.
Police were called to restrain unhappy
BYC fans, who evaded the pitch to
protest the dismissal of then coach
Abraham Sese the last time the two teams
met in an FA Cup match in 2011 at the
ATS.
Fans will be hoping there is no repeat
of that ugly scenario with the LFA set to
resume the league almost a year since it
closed the 2013/2014 season due to an
elective congress in Buchanan, Grand
Bassa County.
Most of the clubs will be match-rusty due

Who will win the first silverware in this seasons traditional curtain raiser?
- Danesius Marteh, danesius.marteh@frontpageafricaonline.com -

to the FAs inability to hold off

season tournaments like the
Presidents Cup or Who Owns
The Land to reawaken the
passion for football among diehard fans.
But there shouldnt be a lack of
passion following the Liberia
Football
Players
Unions
16-community league in June
in Montserrado County that
drew the support of Robert
Sirleaf, Mustapha Raji, Sekou
Konneh, Andy Quamie and
Representatives
Adolph
Lawrence, Edward Forh and
William Darkel.

With Liberia winning the war

on Ebola, the LFA has drawn-up
new measures club must meet
in order to participate in the
2015 national league.
Fans and pundits will be
watching the Super Cup,
Liberias version of the
Community Shield in England,
on Friday and what it has in
store for the season.
But health workers will also be
watching for measures that the
LFA have put in place for safety.
See you there!

VISIT UNCLE ZEH'S LAUNDRY & DRY CLEANING SERVICE ON

CROWN HILL, BROAD STREET WHERE THE CUSTOMER COMES FIRST

CALL: 0775 149 376, 0775 149 161