600 Burkinabes occupy Liberian forest

Grand Gedeh County Electoral District#3 Lawmaker Alex Grant has alarmed here that his people lives are being threatened by the illegal entry of about 600 Burkinabes into the forest of Grand Gedeh inside Liberia.

Representative Grant said the 600 Burkinabes are currently inside the country, and are carrying on land cultivation, which by law, is illegal. Speaking to our reporter over the weekend in Monrovia, he indicated that residents in the areas being allegedly occupied by the foreigners are living in constant fear.

“We do not know the intention of these 600 Burkinabes that are in the Liberian forest,” he noted. The District # 3 Lawmaker disclosed that there is not a single security deploy at the border to help protect lives and properties, something he terms as worrisome to the people of Grand Gedeh and even Liberia at large.

He narrated that at night, his people are uncomfortable to sleep due to the apprehension over the intention of the foreigners in the forest, and called on the Government of Liberia to quickly probe the situation before it gets too late.

Besides, Representative Grant revealed that since the end of the JCCM meeting on security issues at the Liberian border with Ivory Coast, there has been no progress. He said currently, citizens who wanted to farm in the forest, are unable to do so as a result of fear, and said there is need for government to take serious action against the Burkinabes, who reportedly crossed into Liberia thru the Ivorian borders, urging the Liberian authorities to prevail on the Ivorian government to have them removed from soil of Liberia.

The Lawmaker also stressed that with this kind of issues relating to border, more needs to be done by government, especially looking at the drawdown of the United Nations Mission in Liberia or UNMIL.

“Due to fear by residents in the area, the township further informed me about the situation,” he said.