Liberia History & Information

Continued from Part 1

Palava Hut: The Abuja Accord has set a deadline of January 31, 1997, for total disarmament, demobilization and repatriation. Is that deadline realistically achievable? If so, how; if not, why?

Ellen Sirleaf

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf: My personal view is there might be some slippage, and that is because the process got started a bit late. Secondly, there was this reported assassinatioin attempt which may have slowed down the willingness of the factional heads to proceed. Third, the supportof the international community has been a bit delayed. For all of those factors, I do not think January 31st would be the date. But again, General Malu has said it’s going to be achieved and that he’s going to do as much as he can by that date. I don’t know how much it’s going to take in realistic terms and what this would do to the rest of the process because each of these dates is linked to some other events which lead ultimately to elections at the end of May.

Palava Hut: Can general and presidential elections be held as scheduled, or should Liberians expect to be taken on another lethal ride by recalcitrant vultures?

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf: I think the success of holding an election will, to a larger extent, depend on the success in disarmament. Right now, we have not made enough progress to say with a hundred percent certainty that the date for elections, May 31st, is a realistic one. We have to continue, however, to count on General Malu’s resolve and to hope that if he gets the support which is expected within the next month that he can quickly recover lost time to aim at that date. It is a very complicated thing because so many people are displaced not only outside in refugee camps in neighboring countries but also within the country. And how does one guarantee free and fair elections? These are issues that need to be addressed. The UN has now been officially requested by ECOWAS to send an assessment mission regarding the efficacy of holding elections within the timeframe of the Abuja Treaty. That mission is now in Liberia making this assessment. We will have a better feel for it when the mission’s work is complete.

Continue to part 3