Monrovia – In the past few weeks a lot of murmurings have been floating in the air regarding the security sector in the George Weah-led government. Some officials of government and supporters of the President have been fliriting with the idea of an alleged assassination attempt on the President. Then came last week’s report that the Liberia National Police had foiled a purported terrorist attack on the US Embassy in Monrovia.
Report by Rodney D. Sieh, rodney.sieh@frontpageafricaonline.com
The government has not yet confirmed or denied a local newspaper report that security agencies had arrested several persons in connection to a planned terrorist attack on the United States Embassy in Monrovia.
The report citing official sources stated that the attackers had intended to bomb the embassy on July 4, during the celebration of the US 242nd independence anniversary where President George Weah and First Lady Clar Weah, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia were in attendance along with more than 1,000 Liberians and foreign dignitaries.
FrontPageAfrica has made an official inquiry to the US embassy regarding the report but has been informed that the rightful authority to respond was not available but a response is forthcoming. A source speaking off the record however told FPA that ‘‘the embassy was not aware and was in fact in shock at the report.
The report cited the recent arrest by the National Security Agency (NSA) on July 4, 2018 of three brothers namely, Mamadou Barry, Oumar Barry and Abubakar Barry as being the mastermind of the foiled terror strike. The trio are said to be facing multiple criminal offenses including terrorism, economic sabotage and money laundering.
According to the report in the New Democrat, on July 6, 2018, the three suspects with Malian links were jailed at the Monrovia Central Prison on the orders of Magistrate J. Kennedy Peabody of the Monrovia City Court.
‘Counter Assault Team’ Training at Camp Ware
All this coming amid report that some 300 persons including deactivated soldiers of the Armed Forces of Liberia, officers of the Executive Protection Service(EPS) and some partisans of the ruling party, are currently undergoing training at Camp Ware in Careysburg, under the guise of a Counter Asssault Team. ‘‘Right now there are about 300 in training eventually they will be incorporated in the police while others will be sent to the Bureau of Immigration but all of the new recruits will be operating outside the command structure of these institutions,’’ a highly-placed source confirmed to FPA.
Sources tell FrontPageAfrica that team is being trained by a commander of the Armed Forces of Liberia who is a Protege of the minister of defense. However, defense ministry authorities when contacted last week about the training explained that army is authorized to train personnel from other agencies but dismissed report that those undergoing training will be working as private guards to protect the assets, properties and direction of President Weah as was done during the reign of late President Samuel Kanyon Doe’s Special Anti-Terrorist Unit (Satu), which was based at the Executive Mansion and the Anti-Terrorist Unit (ATU), also known as the Anti-Terrorist Brigade, a paramilitary force formed to protect former President Charles Taylor.
Defense officials also dismissed reports that the training was aimed at entrenching the CDC and utilizing state security as an instrument of coercion, intimidation and execution in the norm of Satu and ATU.
Some stakeholders are concerned that the training could nullify the investment made by the United Nations, Ecowas and others in the security sector reform. With this new development, stakeholders losing fate in the state security sector they have invested more that US$390 million to develop and restructure security forces.
Under the recast budget for 2017-2018, allocations for the Executive Protection Services, Ministry of Defense and the National Security Agency have been upped. Ministry of Defense is allocated US$2 million for construction of a military hospital; National Security Agency has seen a jump in allocation for security operations to US$4 million whle intelligence services stands at US$3.9million bringing the total allocation for intelligence and special operations services in the security sector to US$12 million with the NSA, EPS and MOD accounting for $11.3 million of the total amount.
Checkpoints Multiplying Since Inauguration
The report comes amid an increased presence of both uniform and non-uniform presence of security personnel at checkpoints around Monrovia since the inauguration of the new government sparking concerns that a false sense of insecurity is being created under the guise of fighting terrorism and armed robbers.
FrontPageAfrica has also learned that the AFL will shorlty be combing out with recruitment exercises shortly pretending to be transparent but likely sidelining the Americans and Ecowas who have been helping with the process
Additionally, investigation is underway to determine whether a private Singaporean company is being contracted on a cost sharing basis to police Lib waters against criminal activities.
Many stakeholders are concerned that too much attention is being spent on security as evidence by the massive increase in the national budget from the Sirleaf era.
Under the recast budget for 2017-2018, allocations for the Executive Protection Services, Ministry of Defense and the National Security Agency have been upped. Ministry of Defense is allocated US$2 million for construction of a military hospital; National Security Agency has seen a jump in allocation for security operations to US$4 million whle intelligence services stands at US$3.9million bringing the total allocation for intelligence and special operations services in the security sector to US$12 million with the NSA, EPS and MOD accounting for $11.3 million of the total amount.
In total, the overall total after the recast for the security sector and the rule of law stands at US$87,246,115.00.
Ironically, the budget allocates only $150,000 for uniforms and specialized equipment for the Liberia Immigration Services and zero to the Liberia National Police for police uniforms and supplies.
In contrast, under the previous government a total of US$7 million was allocated to the National Security Agency, US$3 million less than the current allocation.
Interest in the security sector was highlighted by President Weah recently when he told a European Union Summit in Brussels that Liberia is facing terrorism threats due to the presence of the country’s troops in Mali.
Liberian soldiers are amongst approximately 3,300-strong West African force, supported by France and other Western powers to combat jihadist fighters from Sudan and Western Sahara that have reinforced the radical Islamist rebels controlling northern Mali.
President Weah said Liberia could face retaliatory attacks from sympathizers of terrorist organizations who are in support of their war against humanity.
Tubman, a security-minded man also created two other agencies, NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) headed by Patrick Minikon and EAB (Executive Action Bureau) headed by Nathaniel Baker, Sr. Tolbert merged NBI and EAB and formed what is today NSA (National Security Agency) and NISS was merged with SSS. Tolbert felt one of several reasons for the merger was to reduce government expenditure. Security budget was reduced because of the merger. Historians says during the days of Tubman, security sector heads were fond of pushing for budget increases and justifying them with controversial threats against the presidency.
Despite the President’s assertions, the government has not yet come up with any strong evidence of a major terrorist threat or plot to assassinate the President. But many political observers point back to history during the reigns of William V.S. Tubman and William R. Tolbert when the security sector was dominated by the late C. Wellington Campbell, who was director of the NISS (National Intelligent Security Service) and Col. James Bestman, who head of Special Security Services.
Tubman, a security-minded man also created two other agencies, NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) headed by Patrick Minikon and EAB (Executive Action Bureau) headed by Nathaniel Baker, Sr. Tolbert merged NBI and EAB and formed what is today NSA (National Security Agency) and NISS was merged with SSS. Tolbert felt one of several reasons for the merger was to reduce government expenditure. Security budget was reduced because of the merger. Historians says during the days of Tubman, security sector heads were fond of pushing for budget increases and justifying them with controversial threats against the presidency.
During an appearance before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in December 2008, Mr. Wilfred Clarke, a former Deputy Minister of National Security, lamented that he and other top security officers stood outside the Executive Mansion as non-commissioned officers of the Armed Forces of Liberia assassinated President William R. Tolbert. Mr. Clarke said that at 12:00 AM on April 12, 1980 he received a telephone call from President Tolbert that he was under attack before he called then National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director Patrick Minikon.
One historian, cited the incident as a clear case of security section heads failing to deliver when it mattered most.
