Nimba County Senator Thomas S. Grupee is assuring Liberians that the county would not be used to support any rebel activity.His assurance is in apparent response to recent claim that war crimes suspect Senator Prince Yormie Johnson is allegedly training men to protect him from any arrest for prosecution if Liberia endorsed current calls for establishment of war crimes tribunal.
A son of Nimba, Emmanuel Wongan, recently appeared on community radio station in Ganta City and accused Senator Johnson, leader of the defunct rebels INPFL of training men along the Liberian-Ivorian Border, a claim the senator has not reacted to.
But Senator Grupee assures that Nimba County will not be a breeding ground to destabilize Liberia, as people continue to judge the county on the basis of the ugly past, which he observes, was prompted by political machinations and greed for power engineered by Liberian politicians over the years.
According to Grupee, his colleagues at the National Legislature reposed confidence in him to serve in the position of Chairman on National Defense, Security, Intelligence and Veteran Affairs in the Senate to ensure peace and security in Liberia.He says this has continued to do, so Nimba County will not be used for any subversive activity, lest to mention Nimbaians will resolve to revisit the dark days of history.
He notes that the advocacy for the establishment of war crimes court for Liberia has been in the corridor, and came against the backdrop of recommendations contained in the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, supported by Liberians, which according to him, identified 250 people as those who committed crimes against humanity or economic crimes and gave different levels of punishment.
He continues that the TRC recommendations included barring people from occupying public offices for a protracted period of time, among others, saying if such recommendations are enforced, Nimba County will not interpose any objection because Nimbaians were part of the TRC.“But if there could be a political witch hunt to say that one person out of the 250 should be subjected to a war crimes court, leaving out all others, then of course, we will speak out”, he says.
Senator Grupee spoke over the weekend in Ganta when he toured several towns in the county as part of his agriculture break.The tour took him to Yao-Nahlar through Karnplay and was opportune to grace a groundbreaking ceremony for a conference hall in Nahlar near the Liberia-Ivorian border, ahead of the 2020 senatorial election.
While in Bahn City, citizens, predominantly young people, honored Senator Grupee for his leadership role in the county, fostering peace, reconciliation and unity, coupled with his contributions to the electorate. In the LMPC Bye-Pass Community in Ganta, the Senator was also gowned at a dedicatory ceremony for a modern hand pump valued US$2,000, which he constructed as a result of request from concerned women of the community.
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By Thomas Domah/Nimba–Editing by Jonathan Browne
