REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA

MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS

 OFFICE OF THE COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT

HARPER, MARYLAND COUNTY

Wetchuken / Rocktown Crisis Report

May 16, 2008

Prepared and submitted to: H.E.Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

                                        President of the Republic of Liberia

Through

Hon. Ambulai B. Johnson, Jr.

                                                      Minister of Internal Affairs

Submitted: _____________________

            Hon.Sie-Teba Neufville

          County Superintendent

Cc:  Maryland County Legislative Caucus

                          Marylanders in the Diaspora

                                                file

REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA

MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS

 OFFICE OF THE COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT

HARPER, MARYLAND COUNTY

May 16, 2008

Report

 THE CRISIS BETWEEN THE PEOPLE OF WETCHUKEN IN PLEEBO/SODOKEN DISTRICT AND NMAKLEWEIN OF ROCKETOWN IN HARPER DISTRICT

It is rather too regrettable that at the time Marylanders are striving to improved their standard of living, bring about infrastructure development including roads, intensify farming, engender peace and reconciliation and provide an environment friendly and stable enough to attract business entrepreneurs and investors, some of it citizens have resolved to inflict chaos and havoc on and destroy lives and properties of others.

The people of Wetchuken and those of Nmaklewein or Rocktown so to speak have had a very long history of co-existence and inherited a relationship which has bonded them as a unique segment of the Grebo ethnic group, forming part of the Klebo Chiefdom in Pleebo/Sodoken District and Kudemoweh Chiefdom in Harper District respectively. The incidence of May 8 & 9, 2008 is an isolated one and must be carefully and promptly addressed to maintain and improve that long standing relationship or the opposite is imminent.

It was around 9:00 a.m. Thursday May 8, 2008 when I received a call that Nmaklewein was besieged by Wetchuken; and that crops including sugar cane, plantain, banana and cassava, as well as rubber trees were being destroyed. Following persistent other calls on the same matter, all of which came from the Rocktown community in Harper City, I immediately mobilized the Liberia National Police (LNP) to proceed to both disputing towns. Upon arrival in Wetchuken, according to LNP, they were informed by the general town chief of Wetchuken Hon. Nelson Neal that there was no conflict or its semblance as far as his leadership and town was concerned. He, however, told the police commander that his town had just returned from side brushing the road that leads from his town passing through Nmaklewein to little Wlebo. But the chief failed to mention to the police those unusual developments that were reported to him by his kinsmen that performed the assignment; neither did he indicate that such a work has never been done for decades. Following his response that there was no trouble whatsoever, LNP withdrew its presence from the town. Upon informining me that there were no skirmishes in the Wetchuken area, I then insisted that they proceed to Nmaklewein in whose citizens in Harper reported the matter. However, they maintained that Nmaklewein was inaccessible to vehicular traffic.

In few hours of the police departure from Wetchuken, I received a call from Hon.Neal that the people of Rocktown had surrounded his town and were destroying crops and other valuable properties as well as looting. I then immediately pleaded with him to call on his people to remain calm and continue to exercise restraint to avoid blood bath.

                                                          …2

While I was pleading with him, I also quickly informed the police to return to Wetchuken swiftly to avert danger and war and arrest for prosecution all those that besieged Wetchuken as was reported by the chief. Having convinced them that this time there was something really happening, we, along with LNP, mobilized  MILOBS, UNPOL and the Ethiopian Contingent to proceed to Wetchuken at once to avoid further  action or any other reaction.

According to the net work of securities, by the time they got to Wetchuken, Rocktown had already retreated. Notwithstanding, they stayed with them till midnight seemingly to prevent further hostilities. Regrettably, they (LNP) did not leave behind any security to prevent revenge attacked or further attacked. Notwithstanding, according to the police, while they were with them some of the people of Wetchuken decided to pursue Rocktown with cutlasses. To avert the use of these to cause further Chaos and mayhem, the police confiscated these cutlasses – eight of them and one knife – pending the cessation of the hostilities. During each phase of the information about the crisis, we informed SENBATT, who in some cases patrolled as well as provided some military backup to our armless securities. All the engagements mentioned above happened on May 8, 2008.

Early Friday morning May 9, 2008, the police, UNPOL, MILOBS and SENBATT were mobilized to move to the disputing areas to enforce calm, as there were rumors that both towns have engaged each other into a fight. Unfortunately, upon their returned, they came with two dead bodies that were later identified as citizens of Wetchuken. They also confiscated two single barrel guns and a large number of cutlasses, and arrested 32 persons as suspects, including the general town chief of Rocktown and the township commissioner of Tubmanville. This crisis, as we report, claimed two lives, two injuries, and two captives whose release was later secured by the securities. Rocktown is alleged to have inflicted these criminal acts. The police have since begun to screen the suspects for prosecution.

It can be recalled that in March of this year, the general town chief of Wetchuken Hon. Nelson Neal and his people wrote and carry a letter to our office complaining that the people of Rocktown have refused to continue to pay to them the land usage / rental fee since the war ended. They were therefore complaining so that we could claim said fees on their behalf.

On the same day we received the communication, we invited the Hon. Chief and his delegation to our office for preliminary discussion on the matter. During the discussion we discovered that Hon. Neal had neither informed his clan chief, paramount chief nor the District Commissioner about his step to complain to our office directly. We then advised the chief to, given the tradition and the nature of the agreement, to observe the administrative chain of command. Honoring the advice, the chief then re-directed his complaint to the District Commissioner of Pleebo/ Sodoken. In the process, we even insisted that if he were not satisfied with the ruling of his superior (s), he should not hesitate to seek my immediate intervention. Regrettably, Hon. Neal did not exhaust any of these channels when he ordered his kinsmen to side brush beyond the usual stopping point to enter into Rocktown controlled areas. According to the police who went on the scene, Wetchuken people did not only side brush the ordinary road, they also brushed sugar cane, Cassava and other edibles as well as cut down some rubber trees. 

In return, Rocktown went into Wetchuken and did similar destruction plus more

including looting.

                                                       …3

From explanation and police briefing, the whole action to provoke was premeditated, with no since to imagine what the resulting consequences would have been. However, no amount of provocation can justify brutal murder. Nevertheless, we have since begun to take steps to stabilize both environments to prepare the ground for a thorough investigation. On May 12, we led a delegation of government officials to sympathize with the people of Wetchuken in particular and the people of Klebo chiefdom and the entire Nyanbo/Kedebo section of the Grebo tribe for their irreparable lose and pleaded with them for calm. We earlier on met with the Nyanbo Development Association based in Harper on the same mission. Both meetings were successful and yielded fruits as is evidenced by the existing peace and calm enjoyed in the county following the crisis. We have also gone to see the extent of the destruction done to both areas.

Beside, we have since sent to Rocktown a five (5) member delegation, including the paramount chief of the Kudemowe chiefdom and the chairman of the traditional council, to sue them for calm and to also warm them against any further act of aggression.

Despite these consolation missions, more than 70 women of the Nyanbo Greboes, predominantly Wetchuken, on May 13, 2008 matched to Harper to demonstrate without any prior notice to us or request for permission from the local Justice Ministry; though they had earlier informed the tribal authority of Bigtown who hosted and guided the demonstrators. Thank God for SENBATT as this unauthorized and misguided demonstration was poised to turn violent instead of peaceful as violent opportunists from Harper City joined in.  It was necessary that our leadership granted them audience to air their grievances which included:

1.      That Rocktown be made to produce, while they were in our office, the limb that was cut off during the brutal murder of their sons; and

2.      That our leadership immediately evacuates Rocktown citizens from Nmaklewein.

We maintained that the need for the missing limb is more of a concern to government than to them. we made it emphatically clear to the people of Rocktown that government will seriously look for the limb. It is not the interest of government to inter any of its citizens with missing limb. And government would do everything possible to have Rocktown produce said limb. On the issue of evacuation, we insisted that the decision to evacuate citizens is central government’s and that their request would be forwarded to central for advice.

CRISIS RELATED STATISTICS (provided by police)

Those arrested as suspect ……………………………………32

Wetchuken ……………………………………………2

Rocktown………………………………………  …...30

                                                   …4

Charge categories:

Murder:…………………………………………………………….18 persons

Terroristic Threats ………………………………………………….6  “

Criminal facilitation………………………………………………....4  “

No charge, hence freed……………………………………………   4  “

                   Wetchuken……………………………..2

                   Rocktown………………………………2

Weapons Seized:

Single barrel guns – Rocktown …………………………………….2 pcs

Cartridges – Rock town …………………………………………….2 pcs

Cutlasses- Wetchuken ……………………………………………….9 pcs

Cutlasses- Rocktown …………………………………………….....15 pcs

Spear- Rocktown ……………………………………………….......1 pcs

Trumpet (traditional horn) - Rocktown……………………………….1 pcs

Captured by Rocktown but later released ………………………..     2 persons

1.     Boniface Manneh

2.  Obidiah Nyeswah

Wounded by Rocktown, including the captured ……………….4 persons treated and discharged

1.      Samuel Williams

2.      James Kyne

3.      Obidiah Nyeswah

4.      Boniface Manneh

Murdered by Rocktown ………………………………………………..2 persons

1.                  Massoquoi Walker ………………………………………   67years old

2.                  Godfrey Dewah ………………………………………….   29 years old

We wish to register our heartfelt gratitude to the central government who swiftly dispatched a team of investigators to probe the matter and make the necessary recommendations to the government for the appropriate action. We highly commend the role played by Sr. Senator John A. Ballout who continues to guide our actions during this crisis and helped restored calm by constructively engaging both disputing parties for peace and restraint.

In our own local effort to find a lasting solution to this Wetchuken/Rocktown crisis, we have constituted a nine (9) member committee to probe this matter in its entirety  

                                                     …5

and make the appropriate recommendations. The committee is also mandated not to ignore the traditional approach, if any, to the resolution of this conflict. The make-up of this committee includes, but not limited to interest group, women and youth representatives, religious group, JPC, and traditional council.

It is very important that we mention the direct involvement of some government officials who take delight in inciting, instigating and fueling our people against peace, stability, reconciliation and development. And until these officials are compelled to understand their role as government officials in protecting those virtues of peaceful co-existence, even at the peril of their ethnic section, further chaos is imminent. Notable examples of those officials who are against government and the state are:

1. Julley Howe……………National Bureau of Investigation(NBI) Regional Commander

2. Gen. Samuel B. Moore…. Local Aide De-Camp to the President.

There are also some MIA officials who are among those who continue to sow seeds of discord and challenge the authority of the government. Their names and cases will be mentioned in our subsequent report. Besides, there are other bigger political hands who want for Maryland to be seen as ungovernable to justify their persistent attempts to unseat the local leadership. This heartless approach which now culminated to deaths is regrettable and condemned. Despite our political differences, in times like these and all others, we should all unite and be seeing protecting peace and security and promoting reconciliation among our people. In so doing, the action of chief Neal was malicious and facilitating as landlord does not have the automatic privilege or even the right to sweep the room of the tenant regardless of the amount owed. He therefore deserves an administrative or legal reprimand or both to serve as deterrence for other local leaders who exhibit such tendencies.

Recommendations

1. The two officials mentioned above, Gen. Moore and detective Howe, should either be transferred or relieved of their posts because they continue to fuel sectional tension among the Grebo people which now culminated to deaths;

2. Central government should immediately send down prosecutor(s) for the speedy trial of the suspects in this case as any delay could threaten peace and stability in the County, as well as narrow government’s chances of winning the cases;

3. Government should hasten the land reform process and give immediate attention to this crisis and those of :

a)      Rock- Town and Big Town

b)     Fish Town of Maryland and Nemiah of Grand Kru

c)      Gbololu & Gbewien of Maryland and Nemiah  again of Grand Kru

d)     Warteken and Dorrobo of Maryland County and Nyenebo of River Gee

                                                            …6

4. Central government should help defray the expenses including embalmment, caskets, vaults, wake-keeping and burial ceremonies of the two deceased which total US$1,500;

5. There is a dire need to establish a security corridor between the two disputing towns to avoid cross-boundary activities while solution is sought.

It is known that to keep and maintain peace most especially among our people is very costly. We have since spent about US$1,450 for both administrative and security operations. We are financially over-stretched and therefore need the support of the central government. To continue to sustain calm and the peace –building measures, we urgently need US$1,975.

Besides, to provide a one month security corridor between the two towns, we have put in place ‘OPERATION RESTORE CALM’, an 18-man joint security network intended to provide 24 hour security in the area. Said operation requires food, logistics, etc. totaling US$1,750. Such operation is very necessary as we have since begun to receive reports of arson and looting in the Nmaklewein area, which is virtually deserted as a result of the crisis. We would therefore appreciate an inter-agency coordination to absolve this cost at the earliest.

In other land related matter, a traditional conflict resolution conference (Gbudugbo), which was called off due to the crisis, has been rescheduled for Friday May 23-25, 2008. This Gbudugbo is intended to traditionally resolve the long standing land/boundary dispute between Bigtown of Nyumowe chiefdom and Rocktown of Kudemowe chiefdom. The total cost of this 100-man Gbudugbo is about US$925. We are therefore calling on all peace-loving Marylanders especially those interested in seeing the Kudemowe / Nyumowe land/boundary saga resolved, including the Maryland County Legislative Caucus and those in the Diaspora, to lend some financial support to this worthy peace-building initiative.

Again, we registered our profound gratitude to all Marylanders for helping to restore peace and calm. We call on our political leaders to make peace and continue to unite our people through their visitations, utterances and actions. Let us coordinate and cooperate to foster peace and development in the county. This crisis, we must not forget to mention, has no bearing on or link to the ongoing boundary harmonization, delimitation and demarcation exercise of the central government as is speculated in other Maryland communities outside the county and country. With your support and cooperation we shall always remain committed to the service of our people.

Thanks for the opportunity to serve.