By Mohamed T. Massaquoi
There has been a mixed reaction to the construction of a gate by Sierra Leone on its border with Liberia. This, years after Liberia had built one on its own side.
Detective Assistant Superintendent of Police, Guy Patrick Chico Lansana-Bussu, who is the crime officer at the Mano River Police Division in Jendema, told Politico that while the Liberian side was not necessarily happy with the gate, Sierra Leoneans in the border areas see the gate as a significant development “for the security of the country”.
He said the non-existence of a security gate on the Sierra Leone side when the Liberians erected their own gate years ago had become a major concern to the people.
He said that even before the gate was erected on the Sierra Leone side, Liberian immigration personnel would restrict the movement of people into their country despite immigration formalities in Sierra Leone having been completed before the official end of the business time of 6 PM. But “we saw people moving into our country even when the border was officially closed. And there was no way to stop that because of the lack of gate on our own side of the border,” ASP Patrick said.
The Crime Officer said the importance of the gate to the fight against crime and illegal cross-border trade came into sharp focus two weeks ago when two separate arrests were made of people transporting “four and 15 compressed parcels of marijuana respectively from Sierra Leone to Liberia.”
He said their investigation had revealed that the lucrative nature of the marijuana trade in Liberia was influencing the smuggling of the illegal product from Sierra Leone, and accused the people in Jendema of aiding the smugglers by accommodating them in their communities, making it “almost impossible to arrest them because they use unauthorized crossing points.”
He called on the authorities to provide all the facilities and equipment they need to protect life and property on the border.
ASP Patrick alleged that Liberian customs officials had increased taxes on commodities purchased by Sierra Leonean traders in Liberia in apparent protest at the gate construction.
This has prompted a sharp reaction from civil society. The Chairman of the Civil Society Coalition of Pujehun, Ibrahim Swaray said there was “no reason why Liberia should increase taxes on our people because of the security gate”. He said Liberians had also been “coming to our side to buy fuel because it is cheaper here. We have never had problems with this because of our good working relationship.”
Swaray told Politico thus: “clearly the police are understaffed; they lack vehicles and other facilities something that is very detrimental to their effectiveness. No government should allow their security to be challenged in this way”.
Swaray described Jendema as “a major source of revenue for the Pujehun District Council, yet the monies generated never reflect on the lives of the locals who have become largely accustomed to Liberian ways of life while using the Liberian currency because most of their economic activities largely depend on that country.”
Meanwhile, the local MP, Mohamed Sidi Tuni has dismissed the cries by people against the hike in Liberian customs duties as a reaction to the erection of the security gate. He said he had “come under a lot of pressure over the last one year to erect the gate and the only reason I didn’t erect it was because I realized later that it was a security matter and must be handled by the central government."
Tunis, who is the Leader of Government Business in the Sierra Leone Parliament and also a member of the ECOWAS Parliament, said he intended to use a pending visit to the border area in September by ECOWAS lawmakers in Sierra Leone to discuss the concerns raised by the people. “The two countries should understand that the sharp increase in taxes is unnecessary and must be avoided", he said.
On the logistical problems facing the police in that division, the lawmaker said he was aware of those difficulties and assured that “government is working on addressing them. I know it is a serious problem for now. But the police high command and the government will look at addressing them when resources are available because Jendema is a critical place."
However, the head of the Sierra Leone revenue authority in Jendema, Milton Alpha has denied any knowledge of the tax hike by Liberian officials. He and traders we contacted spoke about a $100 fee charged by Liberian officials for what appears to be export charge. They say this fee, which is not charged on the Sierra Leone side, has been in existence for some time and not as a result of the construction of the gate.
Liberia is a major source of income for residents of Jendema and its surrounding communities on the border axis. The two countries have common cultural values and the people, particularly at that region who speak the same languages, even intermarry and get involved in joint farming activities.
© 2019 Politico Online
