12/03/2024
PRESS STATEMENT
For Immediate Release
12 March, 2024.
We take this time to firstly express regrets for the lost of the lives of several young persons as a result of alleged actions from the Liberia National Police. We believe in the tenants of democracy; thus, we are of the strongest convictions that no one should loss His/Her life while exercising rights enshrined within the Organic Laws of our Land.
Our deepest sympathies to the bereaved families, relatives and to the young people of Gola Konneh, Tewor and Garwula Districts where we understood they hailed from.
Moreso, we also frown seriously at the acts of vandalization of infrastructures including the looting of the newly constructed New Creation Center, the Radio Station, the Teachers' Quarter at the Kinjor Vocational Training Center and the Marvoc Cooperative Vehicle. The act of burning down the only Police Station in Kinjor and probably the entire Darblo Clan is something we think cannot be justified and/or defended. In a community like Kinjor without a Police Depot, we see it as a serious threat to the entire Darblo Clan.
Hence, we seize this moment to condemn in the strongest terms the actions of the protesters. Our rights to Free assemblies should in anyway not be about destructions of our already limited infrastructures and/or private homes.
Notwithstanding, the Youth Leadership of Gola Konneh District attention has been drawn to the joblessness of many young people as a result of the recent protest. As you may be aware, the Management of Bea Mountain Mining Corporation, our Partner in Progress partially shutdown its operations in Kinjor and totally in the Matambo Corridor. We have noticed that only Underground Workers are working since the protest. Workers from the Town have been told to stay home until further notice. When will they resume? No one knows.
In this light, we are calling on the National Government Investigative Team as constituted by H. E. Joseph Nyumah Boakai to speedily investigate the matters as we also call on the Legislative Caucus of the County to stand as a Unit as dialogue sets in. Above all, Cape Mount is the Biggest Picture here.
While we are not against protestation, we believe dialogue is the best way forward especially when we have a Government that is not yet to be fully formed. The Unity Party Government is still struggling to set-up, evidence by the fact that there are still issues with Civil Servants Payments, no set-up County Leaderships in most of the Counties, among others.
Therefore, we believe in all fairness that we should dialogue other than protestation.
More to that, we want the Investigation also fast tracked in the Matambo Corridor as well as dialogue between the mines and the locals and that initial decision by the mines to pull out looked into. We believe it's an unfortunate situation most especially for some of the young people that started jobbing recently but will now have to go jobless for time indefinite. Our hearts are with you brothers and sisters.
Thanks to the Government of Liberia under the watch of Amb. Joseph Nyumah Boakai and the Cape Mount Legislative Caucus under the Acting Chairmanship of Sen. Simeon Boima Taylor. We, the young people of Gola Konneh District trust that the best thing will be done in the interest of our District and County at large.
Cape Mount above all!!
A. Thomas Goyah
SECRETARY GENERAL
Roland David
CHAIRMAN, GOLA KONNEH YOUTH